This Sucks, Grand Jury
 

A friend who lives in north New Jersey got this letter today...

http://cellar.org/2016/grandjury.jpg

WTF? Yeah, yeah, civic duty, democratic process, yada, yada, yada. But one day a week for twenty fucking weeks? Most people have to work for a living. Even if she was working nights, with the traffic it's still a couple hours drive each way.

There's probably a law saying your boss can't fire you for missing the time, but I doubt there's a law that says he has to pay you. And just because he can't legally fire you, doesn't mean he can't be vengeful in a thousand other ways. Bad performance reviews, no raises or promotions, rubbing his balls on your coffee cup.

This sucks big time, especially after being unemployed for almost a year, having a heating oil tank leak with a $200k+ proposal from the state for clean up, and several other downers. But those are personal crosses to bear, this has to suck for any working person.

That seems really poorly thought out.

If you make it easier to serve on a jury, then people won't be trying like hell to get out of jury duty.

I've been called to serve on a jury three times over the years here in Arlignton.

The first time, I had to show up for three days and hang around in the morning until I knew if I was going to be put on a case. First two days I found out after an hour that I wasn't needed, and I went to work. I was put on a case the third day and the trial lasted a few hours. Since I had then served on an actual jury, I was then excused for the remaineder of that Jury session. (Two weeks, I think.)

the second time, it was for federal district court, and since I had actually served on a jury within the last 3 years, I was excused and just mailed back a form.

The third time, it was for county court again, and I had to show up the first morning at the courthouse for a couple hours and then went to work, but after that, they had a phone number for me to call the night before to find out if they needed me the next day. I called that number for two weeks, and they never needed me, so I never went in again.

The clerk of the court has a lot of leeway in how they set the system up, and it sounds like NJ has a very messed up and inconvenient system that encourages people to lie, cheat, or steal their way out of serving.

Someone told me yesterday they served on a Grand Jury in MA where they had to report two days a month for three months.

I get jury notices every couple years. I kept telling them I was too deaf to serve on a jury unless everything they wanted me to hear was amplified or I was close enough to the speaker to see their face. Then one time some woman at the courthouse called me and gave me a raft of shit saying I could hear her on the phone. I explained I have a special phone and hearing aid which amplified the caller, but still had to turn off the TV or any other competing sound.
The next time a notice came I sent it back with a note saying I'd love to help the defendants avoid the crooked court system that fucked me over.
I was excused immediately. After that I just tell them I'm deaf and they don't argue.

I, a convicted felon, was living in another county and received a notice to serve on jury duty in the county in which I was born. I had to call and tell them I was a convicted felon, and didn't live there anymore.

Don't they check that sort of thing?

My father is on the grand jury rfn.

In Texas all you have to do is have a baby. There's a little check box for "I'm the sole caregiver for a child under 10." I've been coasting on that for 10 years, and I have another 2 left. Can't even remember how many times I've been called up.

Keryx was called up a few years ago, and got sent home. I have not been called since I've been in Wi.