Jury Duty Summons
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Jury Duty Summons
What is the normal procedure? We have lived in Va beach for 15 yrs and last week I received a Jury duty summons. I filled out the form and sent it back. On Oct 24th after 6:30 I call the special phone number to see if my number is listed? If I have to go down to the courthouse what can I expect?
Part of me thinks it would be interesting to sit on a jury, but the realistic side thinks I could not arrange childcare for more then a day or two.
This is my first time, so I am very curious.
I had jury duty just last week and I have had it before. Here is how it works in my county. Jury duty usually lasts a week and you may or may not serve on a jury. You will need to call each night after the appointed time (6:30 in your case) during your week of duty to see if you are to report the following day. The paperwork you received should have a juror number and maybe a group number as well. If your juror number falls in the range given on the jury reporting line recording then you report to the courthouse at the appointed time the next day. If not, then you are excused for that day and need to call back the next evening to see if you are to report the day after that. If you report then you will sit in a large area where they will eventually divide you into groups to be interviewed for trials. The wait could be quite long so take something to do with you such as a book. Once your group in called before a judge you will be questioned as a group and possibly individually (but while sitting with the group) to determine if you are someone they want in the jury for that trial. If you are excused, you will probably get to go home and call the jury reporting line that night to see if you should report the next day. If you are chosen then the judge will give you instructions. HTH
Well, as one who was just excused from jury duty, but has been called for jury duty before and actually served once, get ready to be bored and take a couple of good books.
This will be long, and almost certainly more than you ever wanted to know about jury duty and the process.
You will report, and wait for everyone else to report, and wait for the latecomers to get their butts in. Then there is usually a film, or a speech from a judge, or both, telling you about the history of jury service, why it is important to serve, and some of the rule for jurors - like, don't talk to anyone about the case if you get picked, wear your badge while you are in or around the courthouse so any lawyers nearby know not to speak about their cases within your hearing, pay attention to the testimony, and that the judge - and ONLY the judge - can tell you what the law is as it applies to the case you might be picked for.
Then pools will be picked and the people in each pool will be sent to a courtroom. If you are in a pool, the bailiff will introduce the lawyers, the parties (plaintiff/defendant or prosecuting attorney/defendant), any major witnesses, and ask if anyone knows any of the people just introduced. If you know any of them, you are excused (that's why I was excused from one pool - I knew one of the assisting prosecuting attorneys in a federal criminal trial).
Then you will hear a brief description of the case.
Then the court, and the lawyers, will ask questions of the entire pool intended to elicit any biases or pre-conceived opinions prospective jurors may hold. For example - Have you or a member of your family ever been a victim of a crime? Of a crime involving a gun? Have you or a member of your family ever been convicted of a crime? Of a violent crime? or Have you or a member of your family ever been involved in a motor vehicle accident? Were you or that person injured? And so on, with jurors raising their hands when the answer to a question is yes. If you raise your hand, sometimes you will be asked in the open courtroom about the situation to which you answered yes, but sometimes jurors who answered yes to certain questions - especially those trying to learn if you bring pre-conceived opinions with you - will be taken one by one into a room with the attorneys and the judge, where they will explore your opinions and decide whether those opinions will keep you from being a fair juror (I was excused once for that reason).
Then the lawyers will ask that specific potential jurors be excused for cause - the juror or a close family member was in a situation very close to the events causing the trial and, in that lawyer's opinion, might be biased. The judge will sometimes accept the lawyer's thinking and excuse the juror for cause, and sometimes won't.
The final step is for lawyers to use their "peremptory" challenges. That is, a lawyer can ask that a certain juror be removed from the jury pool and doesn't have to give a reason. It's all about how the lawyer thinks a particular person is likely to vote in the jury room. Some lawyers don't like young women for cases where the other side is a good-looking man. Some lawyers prefer older people, especially older women, for criminal trials. This is where your questionnaire and how you responded to the questions in open court come into play.
Finally, the bailiff either counts off - the first 12 people left on the list plus as many spares as the rules call for (in case one of the sitting jurors gets sick or is later excused for a reason), or, in some courts, names are drawn from a box or some other random system is used. The spares have to sit in the jury box for the whole trial but, if not called on to substitute for a sitting juror, are excused at the end of the trial before the jury begins deliberating.
If you are in a pool but don't get picked for a jury, and there's time left in the day, you go back to the juror waiting room to see if you'll be picked for another pool. Otherwise, you go home.
If you are picked for a jury, the judge will give you more instructions about the rules and warn you to not read the paper, watch TV or listen to the radio in case you might hear something about the trial. As far as the law is concerned, all you should know about the case is what you hear in the courtroom during the trial. You will be firmly instructed that you are not to talk about the case, what it's about, or anything about it until the trial is over and the jury has made its decision.
Most trials are short - 1 to 3 days, including jury deliberation. Very, very few trials, criminal or civil, run over three days.
I did serve on one federal jury, in an age discrimination case, and found it very interesting and worth doing (took about 6 hours for the trial and jury deliberations). I was excused from the jury pool in a criminal trial on a peremptory challenge and once because I knew one of the attorneys, and in an asbestos case after a lengthy discussion with the lawyers and judge because I had firm opinions about asbestos cases.
The thing about jury duty, I tell my friends, is that it IS important to do it. After all, if you or a family member were involved in a trial, would you want the jury to be composed only of people who weren't smart enough to get out of it?
Thank you for all the useful information.
I have known several people to get the summons I got in the mail.The people I knew called but their numbers were never called so they never had to go down to the court.
I served on a jury a few years ago. It was a half day trial. I found the entire process interesting but until the trial began there was alot of waiting around, so do bring a book as suggested.
I had been called several times before but I opted out because I had kids under the age of seven.
Annie-do you think because my youngest if 4, they would not pick me?
I am very torn..Part me wants to do it, think it would be totally interesting. The other part of me thinks, who is going to take care of the homefront?? My older 2 are in school and home by 2:30. My little one goes to preschool 3 days a week, 3 hrs a day.
I would like to go at least for one day and earn my $40 for sitting around reading a book LOL
I was summoned several years ago but really did not want to do it. I was a stay at home mom with very small children. So I called the court house and told them that I had no one to watch the kids. She had me write a letter to (I think ) the judge. I ended up being excused.
Jackie, I don't know if they would let you go or not because of the age of your children. Maybe it depends on the area. They won't take that into consideration in my county though . I hope it works out for you in your area.
The first time I was summoned not only was I a stay-at-home-mom of two, my youngest was only one month old and I was breast feeding. I told them the situation and they said they'd defer me. I then received a summons for one month later. So then I told them that I am a stay-at-home-mom and sole caregiver of a four year old and a two month old that was breast feeding. I was then told that I would have to decide when I would wean my baby and have the pediatrician fax them on letterhead informing them when I would be able to serve. So the ped. faxed them that I would wean my child at one year of age. I was summoned again when my ds was 13 months old. He was still breast feeding at that time, but they wouldn't let me defer again because he was over a year old and had already deferred me twice (once more than the usually allow I was told) so I had to quickly wean my ds so I could report for jury duty. They simply wouldn't let me go.
Wow Stacy,. they seemed really harsh with you. I would think that having a baby who was under one who was breastfeeding would be a valid excuse. Now, I can see if they are over one and still breasfeeding. My youngest breastfed until 18 months, but she also took bottles/cups so it would of been no big deal for us.
BUT..wow...them contacting you so many times seems so werid. Do you live in a small city?
Here in Va Beach we have over 350,000 people. I figured we have been here 15 yrs and this is the first time Ihave received one. My husband has not gotten one yet. I guess its just luck of the draw.
I have been summoned and served once. I was maybe 25 at the time? I was an alternate (which is terrible because you can't say anything!!!!). I was happy to be chosen though, because I was interested in it. Mine was a 3-day drug trial, and I thought it was very interesting. I was never bored, and there was never a time to read a book for my experience. I was questioned pretty quickly for the summons, then only had to briefly wait until the selection was made.
I didn't have a child at the time, so I got 3 days off work. I also blew 2 tires (long story!) during a lunch out on of the trial days. I called the judge and he told me I had to find a way to get there, they would send an officer to pick me up, or they had to declare a mistrial and start over!!! I got there needless to say.
(Brand new car - I'm talking 2 days old - I blow 2 right side tires. I was frustrated to say the least.)
Here in FL I received cards that I had to return. They had on there a box that I checked that I had a child under the age of seven. I was excused.
The last time, though, all my kids were in school, so I went and as stated, enjoyed the entire process.
Stacy, I can not believe you had to get a dr's note to be excused. Crazy
I can't believe you needed a doctors note either, Stacy! Wow!
I've received quite a few jury summons notices. On ours it says that if you cannot serve because you are caring for someone, write a letter that states the ages of those you are caring for and why alternative care is not available between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. I have never had to serve, even though my kids are now school age, because I don't have alternative care before or after school.
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