Ways to not get picked at Jury Duty.

What if I walk in with a hangover, half beard and smelly pajamas? %0D\ %0D\ I am terribly swamped at work because I''m taking a long vacation in a week and we are understaffed. This couldn''t have come at a worse time.%0D\ %0D\ Suppose I tell them I''m in the middle of a robbery case?

• Tell them you worship Satan and let him guide you in all decisions.

• If you walk in like that, they''ll think you''re a bum who has nothing better to do. Better to go in and talk to yourself or, better yet, to your invisible friend.

• He must be guilty, your honor. The police never arrest innocent people.

• Just have an actual opinion during the initial selection. They don''t want people who have a point of view, i.e. biases.

• If it''s civil court, say a relative owns or works for the type of business that''s involved ("My brother owns an insurance company... or "my sister-in-law works for the electric company.")

• If you have the balls, but I don''t know anyone who does, say something racist or sexist during the Juror questioning.

• It''s the American justice system%E2%80%94answer the questions intelligently and efficiently. I tried acting crazy and was picked as the foreman.

  Anonymost.

• lol @ r7

• Be really careful, because if you piss off the judge by acting like an asshole, you can be held in contempt of court and fined.%0D\ %0D\ One time I said my boyfriend was a cop (and he was). That was met by stunned silence and I was excused. %0D\ %0D\ In NYC that wouldn''t get a blink probably, but it worked in Wichita.

• [R9] beat me to it -- someone was held in contempt and fined for it the last time I went and had come back to do it a second time.\ \ Do you think courts are not hip to this? \ \ Check your rules. If you haven''t declined before, many jurisdictions give you an automatic pass if you can''t do it, but you''ll be rescheduled in a matter of months.

• RE: One time I said my boyfriend was a cop (and he was). That was met by stunned silence and I was excused. %0D\ %0D\ %0D\ Wow... R9 that is material for a movie..%0D\ %0D\ I can see the shock in the courtroom...

• Try talking like a pirate all day.

• The shock may have been that he/she had a BF, R11, not to mention could get a cop. Or would date a cop. \ \ Or didn''t care or have anything to say and it was mistaken for "stunned silence."

• Say you support the death penalty. For everything. Chuckle like you meant it as a joke. Then mention biblical punishments, like eye for an eye, chopping off the hands of thieves, chopping off ... you get the idea.\ \ Surefire way? Don''t get a driver''s license. That''s where they get the nmes

• Got picked for jury duty, and one guy who was selected came in with a Metallica t-shirt, ripped jeans, steel-toed boots, and grease on his hands from stopping in at the garage before he reported.\ \ He got selected because we ran out of people on the first day of voir dire. The next day he came in showered, shaved, and with a tie.

  Just serve and get it over with you slug!

• [quote] Surefire way? Don''t get a driver''s license. That''s where they get the nmes\ \ Most places also get names from voter registration rolls.

• get an extension, and do it later, or else tell them about your work project and how much you are needed. If you are in NY, they are actually very understanding. I got off last time by saying I was in the middle of a big project and as a freelancer would be taking a financial hardship.

• R4 is correct. Tell them you don''t believe the proecutor would go to the trouble of taking someone to trial unless there was a lot of evidence against the person.%0D\ %0D\ For civil, tell them you believe the justice system allows people to bring outrageous cases for ridiculous reasons. The defendants will strike you from the list.

• No R13. It was because a guy was standing in court in the biggest little town in America, loaded to the gills with right-wing fundies (remember this is where Dr. Tiller was murdered)and cops, and said my boyfriend was a cop.%0D\ %0D\ The stunned silence was genuine, I''m sure.

• I was selected for a domestic violence case. We had to fill out surveys to find out how we felt about domestic violence. I wrote that women have it coming to them if they get hit, that there is always a reason someone gets hit, it doesn''t come out of the blue and if bitches don''t provoke, they wouldn''t get beat. I was immediately dismissed.

• Don''t wait to go through the jury selection process and then act like a jerk so you won''t be selected. That wastes everybody''s time, including your own.%0D\ %0D\ When you get a jury summons, call the jury office and tell them you are self employed and the sole support of your family, and that jury duty would impose economic hardship. %0D\ %0D\ Do NOT say you are unemployed, that''s not a viable reason and they won''t excuse you for that.

• I''m just idealistic enough to believe that jury duty is a small price to pay for a judicial system that usually works fairly. That said, it''s not necessary to do or say anything stupid to get out of it. All you need to say is that you could not be objective in this particular situation. If you need to be more specific, just make a very opinionated statement.

• I did what r6 suggested. I felt shitty doing it because who wants to paint themselves as a bigot but I knew it would get me off the panel of jurors.

• Forget these dramatic gestures mentioned here. The easiest thing: bring along a note pad, and everytime the lawyers say something, raise your hand, ask them to repeat it, ask them how to spell their names etc. They peg you as a trouble maker and you will be released.

  Mrs. Blankenship

• Some of these selections are really funny. Thanks guys.

• The courts know which companies have a generous jury duty policy. I work for the phone company; whenever one of my employees is asked to call in, they end up getting picked.

• When its your turn at voir dire start every answer with "as stated in prophecy".

• I''m with r22. I think reporting for jury duty, and serving if chosen, is an important part of good citizenship.

• I was in a jury pool and told the judge I didn''t think I could be objective about the case and he threatened me with contempt and threw me out of the courtroom.%0D\ %0D\ Don''t give me that shit about civic duty. I did exactly what the attorneys said we should do and that is be honest about our feelings about the case and I got reamed.

• Are you still in Wichita r9?

  metalhead

• Past felony conviction(s) helps.

  I Speak From Experience

• In California you can no longer be excused for economic hardship. I''m still pissed off that I had to use up all my vacation days and then some even afer I explained my situation to the judge. I was on a jury for an entire month.%0D\ %0D\ OP, be opinionated. You can figure out the bias they''re trying to see you might have during questioning. Once you figure sound as biased as possible. Make up a story about a friend whom you trust deeply told you blah blah blah. If you can''t think of anything but someone earlier said something you liked just say you agreed with him/ her and expand on that if you''d like.%0D\ %0D\ I don''t know if this will work but my judge excused someone who brought a plain ticket showing she planned a trip the same time the trial was going to take place. If you''re so inclined buy a cheap transferable plane ticket that coincides with the trial dates.%0D\ %0D\ Good luck.%0D\ %0D\ %0D\ %0D

  Still pissed and never gonna be on a jury again

• Tell them that you have very little faith in the justice system and that you know juries aren''t told everything and you''re not sure if you can live with passing judgement without all the facts.%0D\ %0D\ They will excuse you.

• Can you fake not being able to understand English? The last time my father was called for jury duty, he said a lot of jurors were excused because their command of English wasn''t strong enough to fully grasp the proceedings.

• I got a notice for jury duty for this upcoming week. I called in but they don''t need me tomorrow. I''m kind of wishing they would because I''d get paid for it by my employer and man, I could use some time off.

• I''ve noticed they''ve been really rough in vetting potential jurors for capital cases -- at least in LA County. A murder conviction was recently overthrown when in the appeal they showed the attorneys did a poor job in the voir dire -- the jury questioning phase.

• Jesus fucking Christ people, we only ask three things of you in this democracy - vote, pay yer damned taxes, and show up for jury duty.\ \ Jumping jacked-up tap-dancing Jesus H. Christ on a crutch ! Fucking miserable, lazy, selfish bitches. \ \ No wonder the judicial system is all fucked up, and this is part of the reason why.\ \ Fuck I hope I never get into trouble with the law. No telling what dreck I''ll end up with for a jury.\ \ Goddamitt it''s a civic duty, just do it !\ \ Fer fuck''s sakes. \ \ Goddammitt.

• Go to law school.

• [quote]Goddamitt it''s a civic duty, just do it !\ \ Worked for me.

  OJ S.

• I am sure none of you would bitch about how a jury decides a case since y''all are too important to serve.%0D\ %0D\ Who knew there were so many Freepers on this site.

• r32, I think it''s illegal for an employer to make you use vacation days for jury duty. You should check on that.

• Judges and juries need to be replaced with computers.\ \ 5 minutes, in and out.

  Nurd

• In my area, you get paid for jury duty. Lots of bored, unemployed people volunteer to take jury duty when they get called. I''ve been called a few times and when I got there, so many people volunteered to serve that I never had to worry. Unemployed people were tripping over themselves to get grand jury duty, which pays $40 a day. \ \ The economy is really bad.

• [quote]OP, be opinionated. You can figure out the bias they''re trying to see you might have during questioning. Once you figure sound as biased as possible.\ \ Exactly. It''s as simple as that. Nearly everyone else will bend over backwards to assure the court of their total objectivity (yeah, right). Those who actually express a firm opinion stick out like sore thumbs, and are dismissed.\ \ And I love R27!

• Serruptitiously masturbating (aka "voiring your dire") during selection almost certainly guarantees a dismissal if noticed.

• [quote]No telling what dreck I''ll end up with for a jury.\ \ You''ll get what juries always serve up - a bunch of liars who deny ever having a solid opinion on anything, and who swear they can be objective even though further questioning turns up ample proof to the contrary.\ \ The jury system DOES. NOT. WORK.

• I was in jury selection. One of the women questioned (I was in the back row) told them she was a defense attorney and knows how corrupt police can be.%0D\ %0D\ They didn''t pick her.

• R41, my company only paid for a few days of jury duty service. After that it was either not get paid or use my vacation days and get a paycheck. I chose to use my vacation days.%0D\ %0D\ %0D

  R32

• I informed the judge that I was going to a political protest with my young son during the course of the trial. I stated that teaching my son about the freedom to protest peacefully was equally as important as performing my civic duty as a member of a jury. I also stated that I would gladly serve on a jury on a later date. I was excused.

• Just ignore your jury summons. I just noticed in my huge pile of unopened mail that I had a jury summons from March. Obviously I didn''t go since I didn''t know about it and nothing happened.

• Appear intelligent.

• I enjoyed jury duty. It was like watching a two-week long Law & Order episode, what with how stoned I was the whole time.\ \ If you want to get out of it, tell the judge you find his tits mesmerizing.

• answering questions with a bias doesn''t always work. I answered once with a clear bias and I was selected for the jury.

• I''ve done jury duty six times in NYC. SIX! I''ve gotten picked for cases five times, all but the most recent. Ay my most recent appearance, happily my name just didn''t come up until the second day, and self-employed people were not being considered for the long case at hand. Dismissed for six more years. Yahoo!\ \ \ It''s important everybody serves, as others have said it''s a small price to pay for our participatory judicial system. I''m proud to do it.

• Had my doctor write that I had poly urea. He said that if I was picked they would have to stop proceedings several times an hour so I could go take a piss.\ Permanently excused. Not a lie, I have an anxiety disorder. \ \ My husband went in an knew the Judge, the D.A. and the defense attorney. Small county. Excused.

• [quote]In California you can no longer be excused for economic hardship.\ \ Not true. I was just did jury duty at Superoir Court in downtown LA and lots of people stated economic hardship and the judge let them off with no problem.

• Piss yourself on the stand when they''re interviewing you. Or if you want to go big, shit yourself, so the crap runs down your leg and out on the floor. Both worked for me.

  Fiona Apple

• Officially L.A. has ruled out economic hardship as an excuse, but individual judges may well be excusing people for such claims.%0D\ %0D\ I''m in the "Pay the two dollars" camp.%0D\ %0D\ It''s called a civic duty, bitches.%0D\ %0D\ And yes, I''ve used vacation days for jury duty but I dined out on the story for the whole season!%0D\ %0D\ %0D

• I was once with a guy in a jury pool. A drug case. During the selection interview this guy said out loud that he would probably vote for a conviction.%0D\ %0D\ Why?%0D\ %0D\ Because he had bought drugs from the defendant - and they weren''t any good.

• Presenting your hole does wonders.

  Dawson

• "Officially L.A. has ruled out economic hardship as an excuse, but individual judges may well be excusing people for such claims."%0D\ %0D\ Exactly. That''s why I''m still pissed off about my experience. I wasn''t making much money. I brought all my bills and my last few paycheck stubs with me, handed them to the judge to look over, and he still didn''t let me go all the while knowing the case would last about a month and my company only paid for a few days of jury service.%0D\ %0D

  Soured forver on this civic duty BS

• Having served on a jury, I no longer trust the jury system in our county. Too many stupid people.

• R3 and R4 nailed it. I was interviewed in a case where a young father killed his baby by shaking it to death. He calimed he didn''t do it. I just told the lawyers that as the child''s father it was his responsibility to protect that child and he failed so he was guilty no matter how it happened.%0D\ %0D\ Another time, a young man was being charged with rape because two very mature looking 14 year old girls partied with some 19 yr. olds, got drunk, and had sex. I told the judge I had two sisters and I would want to just kill someone who did that to my sisters! I said where there''s smoke there''s fire.%0D\ %0D\ Both times I was excused when the attornies used their premtory challenges.

• What jury notice? I didn''t receive any jury notice? Damn. That fuckin'' post office! Can you believe how bad the mail is in this country?! Last week they lost my....

• The last time I was called for jury duty a lot of scumbags got off by saying they could/would not be partial if they were picked for the trial.\ \ Of course, someone else had to take their place.

• As personnel manager for a small company, I wrote a letter for an employee requesting she be excused from a federal grand jury because her services were vital to our small company.%0D\ %0D\ It fell on deaf ears.

• All of you who want to find ways not to serve can kindly fuck yourselves. As previous posters have said, we do not ask THAT much from you to maintain what is left of our democracy.

  Uncle Sam

• If anybody in your family has worked in the justice system or gone through the system, make sure you put that on the questionnaire. They may assume you''re biased, even if you tell them you''re not.

• oops, "partial" should be impartial.

  r65

• Both times that I''ve been called, I''ve brought a John Grisham book to read while I wait. I''ve been dismissed both times, I assume because the lawyers figure I would be a pain in the ass wannabe junior lawyer.%0D\ %0D\ Either that or my answers are horrible and I don''t realize what a terrible person I am.

• If everyone else in the judicial system is a paid professional then jurors should be too.

• My friend got out of jury duty because he had a letter from his employer saying that he would not be paid while away on jury duty.

• r71 doesn''t understand what serve and duty mean.

• For all you people who think it''s civic duty and we should just shut up a do it. Fuck you because a lot of jobs do not pay you to go and in LA you get $15 dollars. In NY I know you get $40 bucks but $15???%0D\ %0D\ That is not enough to do your civic duty. If you have vacation time, there it goes, if you work freelance, you''re fucked.%0D\ %0D\ For those looking to get out of it. It''s not what you say or do that is important but what you do when others are being interviewed. They are watching your reaction when others are being questioned. They are aware of bullshit when you are being questioned. %0D\ %0D\ Start smirking when others answer senstive questions, looked surprised at other answers. Nod when someone says something biased. Then when they get to you act hard of hearing, having them repeat everything, look up and down around the room, pick at your skin but answer each questions like you are serious and want to do your best.

• I understand it perfectly, R73. That is best left for the military, where servitude is voluntary.\ \ I pay my taxes and vote. That''s more than enough.

  R71

• During voir dire they should ask how much blood and guts one can handle. I was picked for a federal drug case that involved a lot of violence. Many photos of bloody, maimed bodies. Lots of detailed descriptions of depraved behavior. I puked at least once a day during the month I was on the jury. %0D\ %0D\ A simple, "Are you a Mary?" might have gotten me out of there.%0D\ %0D

• OP you might have to show up for he general jury pool but there''s no guarantee you''ll get picked for a panel to actually be interviewed to be n a jury.\ \ If you''re in California they have a "1 day or 1 trial" system in most courts. \ \ You show up and if you don''t get picked that day you''re done for at least a year.\ \ This may depend on which county you''re in, and if it''s not a state or county trial court your mileage may vary.\ \ Also, they normally ask up front if you have any reason that you cannot serve at this time, prior to calling people for panels. If you have a vacation or business trip planned and you can show them tickets, etc, then you can postpone your service to a later time.

• I wouldn''t have minded doing a week long trial. That would have been fine. But to be on jury duty for an entire month that puts someone out of pocket while there are unemployed people and retirees available as potential jurors is just wrong.

  R32, R41

• Two words: explosive diarrhea

• As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, just ask for an extension if this is a bad time for you.\ \ I did that a few years ago when my mother was in the last stages of cancer. They called me back for jury duty 6 months later. \ \ They never asked for any proof, but I suppose they could have.

• I had to appear in federal court once for jury duty. During the screening process all of us were asked how we felt about the police. I said I had mixed feelings and was excused post haste.%0D\ %0D\ It was a drug-related case.

  Sizzlean

• I wouldn''t trust someone as sanctimonious as R28 to polish my silver without counting it afterwards.

• I''ve been told anyone who admits to being very religious gets eliminated, because they think you''ll be too soft-hearted.

  If they only knew.

• I have been a registered voter since 1976 and I have never been called for jury duty -- NEVER! I''m very upset about it, since my students get called all the time.%0D\ %0D\ %0D\ I guess they don''t trust me.

  Poli Sci prof

• You could try this:%0D\ %0D\ CLEVELAND (AP) - An Ohio man was excused from jury service after mentioning he was friends growing up with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.%0D\ %0D

  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/08/ap/strange/main7034095.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.12

• Just tell them that you think the cops set up defendents. You will never be called again.

• "Suppose I tell them I''m in the middle of a robbery case?"%0D\ %0D\ As a victim? a defendant? a lawyer? a judge?%0D\ %0D\ If you have a functional career and are clearly not mentally unbalanced to the degree where you would arrive in court wearing pajamas, I would think the judge would be able to find you in contempt for arriving in court wearing pajamas, so I wouldn''t advise it.%0D\ %0D

• NYC is pretty efficient at getting you in and out; I''ve been called maybe four times in the 20-plus years I''ve lived here. I was never seated on a jury because of various things: relatives who are/were in law enforcement; relatives who have been drug abusers; I was the victim of a violent crime; I''ve been sued in civil court. Boom...out with the "served" notice.%0D\ %0D\ This last time, I was actually seated, and was flabbergasted. It turns out the lawyers were planning to settle as soon as the jury was seated, so they essentially took the first six (and two alternate) jurors in the pool.%0D\ %0D\ We showed up, the case was settled, and I was out the door with my six-year exemption.%0D\ %0D\ Day and a half, which tied with the longest I''ve had to spend on jury duty.%0D\ %0D\ Just GO.

• Another NYC jury story: a friend of mine was called, and they asked if he was married, and he said "yes" and they asked what his wife did, and he said "HUSBAND." And they said, you mean your partner. And he said: no, my HUSBAND. %0D\ %0D\ And he was dismissed (and this was in Manhattan).

• Will being closely related to a local defense attorney get you dismissed?

• If you have problems with a minimal support of the judicial system of the United States, you should seriously consider moving to a country whose judicial system you would rather support.

• I was in the same jury duty pool as Anderson Cooper ten years ago or so. He got dismissed because when they asked "is anyone involved in litigation right now?" he said he was, on a case involving someone who stole his identity. I was dismissed because I spoke Spanish.%0D\ %0D\ We found out the case involved credit card theft and the suspect only spoke Spanish. That of course gave me an advantage in hearing the defendant in the original language, while everyone else got translations. %0D\ %0D\ But AC, I mean - WHAT are the chances 1) anyone would steal the identity of someone public with that unusual a name? 2) that his case was that close in nature to the case we were there for?%0D\ %0D\ He wasn''t as famous then but still. He seemed like a nice guy (and hot!). The judge didn''t know him well (kept calling him Cooper Anderson).%0D\ %0D\ Years later I allowed myself to think maybe he knew someone and was primed ahead of time.

• It''s not that I don''t want to do my civic duty...it''s just that I honestly do not trust the courts or the police. Should I be honest about that or should I pretend...

• Only if they ask you, r93. I''ve always been honest about everything and haven''t had to serve yet. But it would look highly suspect to volunteer biased information.

• To those who don''t trust the courts and the police, the defendant on the trial has no choice in whether or not to trust the court and the police.%0D\ %0D\ It''s called a jury of your peers and if you were the one on trial you would want someone on the jury who doesn''t have blind faith in the courts and police.

• Ask if the defendant has big titties. If they say it is a guy, say "Gross!!!! If he''s black he guilty".\ \ You will not be picked....

• [quote] It''s called a jury of your peers and if you were the one on trial you would want someone on the jury who doesn''t have blind faith in the courts and police.\ \ If I were the one on trial I would realize how screwed I was because my fate was in the hands of 12 people not smart enough to figure out how to get out of jury duty.

• [quote] If you have problems with a minimal support of the judicial system of the United States, you should seriously consider moving to a country whose judicial system you would rather support.%0D\ %0D\ Perhaps you''d be happier in a place where it was put up or shut up.

• R74 that''s why we call it a *duty* You don''t get paid to do your duty - you do it because it''s required of you. It''s a civic duty because it''s part of he social contract, you douchebag.\ \ R 71/75 - no paying your taxes & voting are not enough and jury duty is not servitude, it''s part of maintaining what''s left of civil society. The reason we have juries is precisely *because* they aren''t professionals in the judicial system.\ \ Oh never mind, never mind, Magna Charta and Sixth Amendment - we didn''t mean it all that while ago. Never mind.\ \ Fuck yourselves 71/75 & 74. It''s partly because of lazy assholes like you that it''s been so fucking easy to abrogate the Constitution. It''s not all your fault, but you helped.

• [quote]Will being closely related to a local defense attorney get you dismissed?\ \ Probably not, R90. He would have to be directly involved in the case for which you were summoned for that to happen. Usually the potential jurors are told who all the parties, attorneys, etc. are and you''re supposed to tell if you know any of them.

• When asked the preliminary questions, I responded by barking like a dog.

  It worked.

• First - Take your laptop. Most jury waiting rooms have WiFi and you can work remotely. Second - If they call your name, just ignore. They''ll assume you''re on the crapper and move on to another candidate. If you''re not called by 10 or 11 a.m., then it is very likely that you won''t be called and will be released for the day. If you''re not called by Tues./Wed., then you most likely won''t BE called. If you do end up in voir dire and don''t want to serve, then just indicate that you have past juror experience and it was "a total letdown", "too lenient", "very hard to follow", etc. Play dumbass.

• By the way, I think the jury system should be abolished. I''ve been on 3 juries, and let me tell you - they''re loaded with fucking MORONS. I think all cases that would normally be decided by juries should be decided by a panel of judges, with a simple majority.

• I was forced to cancel a dinner invitation with Jimmy and Roslyn Carter due to jury duty. We were sequestered and I had to share a motel room with an old biddy who kept her June Allyson bladder pads on the night stand.

• I received a jury duty summons last year (LA county). First I asked for a change of venue, which was granted, but the start date now fell on a religious holiday. I called the Thursday before and asked the service to be postponed a week, which they did. I called in every night and never had to appear.\ \ My theory is that by asking for the postponement at the last minute I was thrown to the back of the line, as it were, and they simply never got around to me.\ \ Since then I''ve suggested this to three other co-workers who got jury duty summons. All three called at the last minute and postponed, and all three never had to show up, either.\ \ It''s worth a try, OP. If it doesn''t work, you''ve got lots of useful (and not so useful) excuses in this thread to try.

• By the way, if you are on medication, you can always say "I have to take xxxxxx at various times throughout the day, limiting my ability to participate fully in the jury process." They''ll excuse you.

• Tell ''em you simply can''t miss your soaps or Oprah, especially since it''s her final year. It worked for me.

• [quote]All three called at the last minute and postponed%0D\ %0D\ Where I live (Riverside County CA) you have to request a postponement by a certain date. It tells you so in the jury summons you get in the mail. After that date you MUST show up in person on your jury duty date to request from the judge that you be re-assigned a new date.

• Cry. Worked for me. I''m a girl, btw. Use what you got, folks.\ \ Also, that "1 day 1 trial" rule is total bullshit. There''s a clause that basically says "...unless the judge wants you to come back." I wasn''t picked but forced to come back the next day. Also the "not likely to be picked if they haven''t called you by 10 or 11 am" is bs, as I''ve been called around 3 or 4 pm both times I was called in.\ \ In general, what I have heard and seen is that the judges are hip to all the tricks people try to pull to get out of jury duty, and will pretty much bitch you out for it. So expect a fight. They also don''t care how much work you will miss.

• r99, Fuck you! Again. I''ve been called 3 times (Under 35 too) and I have gone each time. The first time in NY I was on a civil case for 2 weeks. I was still working (Independent Contractor) so I didn''t even get the compensation.%0D\ %0D\ It I asked to be excused before the penalty began because I could fucking stay awake.%0D\ %0D\ So Fuck you! I''ve done it, don''t like it and am going to do whatever I need to, to get out of it next time.

  74

• Yes, 108, that''s what they say, but, at least in Los Angeles, they''re willing to make exceptions as long as you aren''t trying to get out of it altogether. The big thing today is you can NOT get out of showing up for jury duty unless you meet their very strict, short list of exemptions (24 hour care of a child under 5, or ill adult (dr''s verification required). You HAVE to show up, and tell it to the judge. \ \ I once got off of jury duty because I had a dentist appt. the next day to repair a crown. Sorry, your honor, I can''t predict when I''m going to have a dental emergency. He really couldn''t argue with that one.

• Thanks for the response, R100. I kinda figured as much.

  R90

• OP here, I got picked!

  op

• take it as a compliment OP.%0D\ %0D\ They think you are sane! Woo-hoo for you.

• R92: AC was hosting The Mole at the time and was traveling a lot, and he had three checks stolen from his suitcase at an airport. It was an account he didn''t use very often, so by the time he realized, the person had stolen $25,000. He only got $3000 back because he took so long to report it.

• OP, your service will be over before you know it and you''ll likely have an interesting story to tell from it.

• After reading this thread it should be titled Ways to Get Put in Jail for Contempt of Court. Seriously, lawyer here, most of this will get you a contempt fine and possibly jail time.

• Some of the posters here have noted that they have had to serve even though their employers did not pay them for the time off.\ \ I wonder how they feel now knowing they may not have had to serve if others had done their duty and served instead of figuring out a way to get out of it.

• I''d be happy to do it. I never get called.%0D\ %0D\ I got called once in the last 15 years. I went and sat around in a room and then was dismissed at around 3pm. Never even went before a judge or lawyers for questioning.%0D\ %0D\ I was called one other time, about 20 years ago, and it was scheduled for March 17th. My parents owned an irish bar and I got it postponed because my parents needed me to work. I was never recalled.%0D\ %0D

  oldtimer in NJ

• We get called for a two week period but only have to report the first day, then call every night to see if we are needed. I only got called in halfway through the second week. I did get on the initial panel the first day and the day we got called in. Both times I was dismissed for cause because I am a lawyer.

• In Toronto, if you''re summoned for jury duty, it''s mandatory you appear at the court house EVERY DAY for a week, regardless of whether you''re needed. None of this "call the night before to see if you have to go in" business.\ \ And I watched several people try to get out of jury duty when they were selected for a trial -- each time, the judge on the case was VERY tough on the person wanting to be excused. He/she challenged every claim, including folks who were self-employed or claimed they would somehow be prejudiced (e.g., "I know someone who owns a similar business," "I have outside knowledge of this case because I saw it on the news," etc.).\ \ So, if you''re gonna try to get out of it, be prepared to be convincing and firm in your resolve.

• Well, that''s because there are fewer people in Canada.

• Well that was easy. They settled before I even entered the room. We were there for two hours and dismissed. Now I get the whole day off!!!

• I worked in newspapers for many years, and any of my coworkers that were called were always dismisssed. For some reason they didn''t want journalists. Maybe they think they''ll be able to get inside information from cops reporters?

• I just got picked to go in for jury selection tomorrow... oh what a fun Friday this is gonna be.\ \ I''m just going to be honest with them. I''m pretty certain that''ll get me out of having to do the jury duty.

• Fuck me, I got my notice today. It''s the very first time I''ve been selected. From what I understand of the notice system, as a virgin juror I can postpone the date without questions asked. Correct?

• Came home on Friday and found my jury duty notice in the mail. Last time I was called, which was a few years ago, when I called the night before, I was told I wasn''t needed. Can I be lucky again this time?

• I was called for Federal Jury. We were given a 12-page questionnaire with questions including what radio stations we listen to. It also asked our feelings on Rap Music and the artists who perform it. Wrote that all raps performers are thugs. I was dismissed. Next day read in the paper it was the L''il Kim case. IIRC, she was accused of lying about having a gun in some street dispute.

• You sound like a fucking racist to me.

• "Ways to not get picked at Jury Duty"\ \ OP belongs not on the jury panel but in the dock.

  Split infinitive!!!

• To all you bubbleheads who think everyone should love jury duty, you've obviously never been. I live in Manhattan and the times I've been on a jury, the people were fucking retarded. One time we went into the room to begin deliberations and this stupid black woman lays her head down on the table and says "I've decided not to vote." Another time there was this woman who was a paralegal and every time someone said something, she would have to interject her "knowledge" of the law. Another time I was the foreman. So the first thing I did during deliberations was to ask each person to state if they were "decided" or "undecided" on the case. One black woman asks me "Who made you foreman?" The judges are real ballbusters in NYC. For a couple of years I worked the graveyard shift (midnight to 8 am). So my first day of jury duty (Monday) I get called and I tell the judge that I just got off working the graveyard shift (Sunday night into Monday morning) and wasn't used to being awake at that hour and the bitch says: "You're not supposed to go to work while on jury duty."

• Never respond to the questionnaire. you won't be found for years. Though if you vote, that's when the questionnaire comes in the mail. When I moved, I never changed address at the post office, I just contacted credit card companies and the others I get bills from. I recently got to two questionnaire forms in the past three months, the second was telling me I was delinquent in filling out the questionnaire, that it was due back in 10 days or whatever. They stressed it wasn't a Summons to appear, but that "you must" fill out the questionnaire. I'm too busy, besides working, I'm the care giver to my elderly parents, they can still get around a bit, but I do most of their shopping for them and run other errands. I'm exhausted. My partner helps as much as he can, he has a full time job and his own parental responsibilities. Who's got time for a trial, for some idiot criminal who doesn't even show up? A relative was on two rape trials, for one trial, the rapist didn't even show up! What are they going to do, track me down and arrest me? Pfft. If they do, I'll just tell them I was away. I'm a freelancer, so that's believable. I'm self employed, I don't get paid from my accounts if I have to go on jury duty. The money they pay is a joke. I'm a bus ride and two trains from the court they had wanted me to go to in past! The amount paid for jury duty, doesn't go very far between carfare and lunch, maybe you're left with $10? I spoke to my doctor's office manager about his recently, she's been "throwing the forms in the garbage for years", so far, they haven't tracked her down, she about 35-36. She's also never served. I'm in NY. I've successfully avoided jury duty my entire adult life, I'm certainly not going to start now!

• @R67 Would you do it if you would not only lose a weeks pay but Three months. Some people have good reason to try to get out of it. My pay is based on billable hours to a client but the client will choose another consultant because I would have to be off one week a month for three months so I would Loose three months pay not just the three weeks. So before you start calling names and acting holyer than though think about that.

• People should only get called for jury duty if they've committed a crime in the past that required a jury to be assembled. It's only fair. I lead a quiet life and will never get involved in any activity requiring a jury of my peers to be selected, so why should I serve on one?

  Jonathan%20Swift

• Raise your hand and asked if you're ineligible because you've been CONVICTED of a crime or just ARRESTED?

• R29 has nailed it. They say they want you to be honest and then ream you out and threaten you with contempt of court if you are. It's not worth it. Mine was a drug case. When the attorney asked what we thought about drugs several said something like "I think drugs are terrible. But I can be objective." This way they were compliant but stated an opinion and were given a pass. They were clearly more experienced with jury selection than I was.

• You're going to lie to the court you are in the middle of a robbery case? Brainy idea, Dude. Don't you think they would be able to verify that by a quick computer check and stick you with contempt?

• Put a yellow sticker on the summons letter that says forward order expired. Return to sender.

  anonymous%20non-juror

• I hate to sound all Frank Capra, but jury duty makes me feel like a real citizen. I've been called four times in Manhattan, but they never pick me for a trial. I tried to figure out why they never chose me. I was dressed nicely, paid attention, and not "obviously gay." I came to the conclusion that you'll get tossed if you answer "reading" on a questionnaire that asks for hobbies or tell them you have a university degree.