How to get out of jury duty?

twopu · 10-08-06, 05:23

I got the notice the other day, DAMN!!! I have to fill out the form if I would like to postpone or get out of it but I've never been succesful in the past. Any suggestions?

klnyc · 10-08-06, 07:27

I think you can only postponed X amount of time. I would just go and get it over with it.
In NYC you get pick every 4 years.

BigAl3 · 10-08-06, 08:54

it's funny you mentioned this, i was going to post the same thing. i had to serve last week and it is VERY HARD to get out of it! i claimed financial hardship but you can only do that once you talk to the judge when you get called to a case in a courtroom (you can't be excused from the jury lobby for this). out of the 8 people who raised their hand to get out of it (due to financial hardship) only 4 got dismissed including myself. trust me, if you don't come prepared with good reason, the judge will have his way with words (boy did he ever) and you will be stuck and will have to serve

. my specific case was going to last 2-3 days

.

p.s. one juror said he was in between jobs at a dealership (about to start a new one) and hadn't been working for two weeks (married with two kids). so the judge asked him how much he made last year and he responded $80,000. well the judge basically said he can afford to serve a day or two since he made so much!

Setec Astronomy · 10-08-06, 08:54

I second the just do it! answer. In the northern counties they have it so streamlined you frequently only have to go for one day, if at all, so it's almost impossible to get out of it (picture the assingnment judge asking "you don't have ONE DAY to spare for your civic duty?)

EDIT: imacarnut responded while I was typing...I was going to say, that it's easier to get out of a specific jury (like if it's expected to be a long trial) than to try and get out of the pool.

cute02spec · 10-08-06, 08:57

I got out of it back when I was in college by going in and randomly saying I was moving to California the next week... they dismissed me. However, that was the dinky muncipal court, so they really didn't care.

My dad has a medical waiver out of jury duty due to 3 back surgeries and an inability to sit for long periods of time. Basically he had his pain doctor write a letter, and anytime he gets a notice he goes to that court's office, and they relieve him. I dunno if this is an option for you, though...

Other than that, it's really hard to get out of.

SpoiledMan · 10-08-06, 09:04

Did anyone hand deliver the notice to you? Did you sign for it? Probably not. They can't prove you got it. If they can't prove you got it, all they can do is send another one. Don't ask how I know this.

BigAl3 · 10-08-06, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpoiledMan

Did anyone hand deliver the notice to you? Did you sign for it? Probably not. They can't prove you got it. If they can't prove you got it, all they can do is send another one. Don't ask how I know this.

true, and it's not a certified letter so they can't prove you got it (couple of people i know, just end up throwing them away). you know, mail gets lost all the time...

calgarydetail · 10-08-06, 10:01

*i dont mean any of this as a raical comment however im sure it will work*'

Walk in and say hes guilty caue hes black (im not racist however this will work) if they say hes not black tell them there all quilty

im sure theyll look at uyou and ask oyu to leave

its bad i know but itll get th ejob done

SpoiledMan · 10-08-06, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by calgarydetail

*i dont mean any of this as a raical comment however im sure it will work*'

Walk in and say hes guilty caue hes black (im not racist however this will work) if they say hes not black tell them there all quilty

im sure theyll look at uyou and ask oyu to leave

its bad i know but itll get th ejob done

This will work as well:

"If the police arrested him, he's guilty!"

GearHead_1 · 10-08-06, 10:24

Doesn't seem there is a sense of responsibility in this thread. Our legal system without question needs help but what would it be if every citizen took the various approaches offered here, we wouldn't be able to put a jury together. I'm sorry guys I feel like this is really sad. Unless your sick or in the soup line, buck up, go help take care of some of the freedoms this country affords.

It's like the old saying goes: Freedom isn't free.

CleanGSR · 10-08-06, 10:34

I agree. To me if you're trying to get out of jury duty, then you don't support our judicial system. If you don't support our judicial system, then you don't appreciate the rights that we get as Americans. Move to Mexico and you won't have to serve Jury Duty.

I work in the judicial system as a Network Admin for the 4 circuit's courthouses in my area and work directly with a lot of judges and attorneys. I say this to tell you that I may be bias in my comments, so don't take anything personal.

Setec Astronomy · 10-08-06, 12:11

Just for the record, I was just answering the question rather than making a judgment (pardon the pun) about whether people should be trying to get out of it. I served 3 times in 12 years (and glad I did) then got called again 3 or 4 years later and said enough and asked to be excused, and for whatever reason haven't been called since.