9 Ways To Get Out Of Jury Duty http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-out-of-jury-duty-2012-7/comments en-us Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500 Fri, 11 Jul 2014 07:30:18 -0400 Erin Fuchs http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffe7940ecad048364000008 Kris Thu, 12 Jul 2012 03:14:08 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffe7940ecad048364000008 This advice is to be taken with caution, professionals are not exempt from jury duty because in many areas folks would not be called because of too many exempt folks, also folks have gotten to jail if the judge thinks that they are deliberately trying to get out of jury duty such as in Massachusetts by following this, in any case its not just about avoiding a civic duty or breaking the law, which it is, its silly suggestions that have gotten people in the jail cell, Jury reform is needed, but this advice is not just to be taken with a grain of salt, but with a tablespoon of chili, that is to make sure it can land you in hot water, unless you are really certain you have ice-cold beverage not including water on hand, in other words follow this advice only if your really confident and really know the particular county and system, and even so it isn't recommended, hence the need for a ice cold cola to go with the pepper, any less and it aint water, then your in hole, the analogy is quite simple, its very unwise advice that would hardly work only to the other extreme, In any case discussions of civic duty, why does businessperson have articles about how to break the law, and it ain't surefire http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffbd7e7eab8ea0823000016 bobinsherwood Tue, 10 Jul 2012 03:21:11 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffbd7e7eab8ea0823000016 Someone I know moved to the US in 1995 and became a US citizen a few years later. He speaks English very well and interacts fine at work and socially. He ended up on a jury and said that it was a total disaster because his lack of comprehension of idioms/slang and technical terms left him utterly clueless for vast amounts of testimony from both sides. He wanted to do his duty and did not want to appear that he was trying to weasel out on an excuse so he just voted with the pack. I often wonder how often this happens where people are put on juries where English is not their native language and they feel duty-bound to keep silent and vote with the pack. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffb740c6bb3f7071b000025 KCRob Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:15:08 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffb740c6bb3f7071b000025 I sat on a murder case jury some years ago - it was fascinating (crime scene photos were not pleasant). We were sequestered for a week and we actually had a good time. We found the defendant guilty. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffb6c15eab8eae64000000d Kristopher Hovland Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:41:09 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffb6c15eab8eae64000000d And make sure each jury is of a balanced ratio between ethnicity/gender/religion based on the overall population. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffb3a4eeab8eab455000001 Tim Woods Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:08:46 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ffb3a4eeab8eab455000001 Jury duty is one of our civic duties. However, as long as our country's employers don't pay for those days that a person is not working it's forcing our workers to take a forced pay cut. What we need to do is the following: 1. Create a pool of say 500,000 professional "jurors" who will sit on any case as needed 1a. Segment this pool into different sub-pools based on availability, background and the like. For example, group together all people who can take a week and not be sequestered, group others who can and have the time for longer cases, etc. 2. Guarantee that those "jurors" get paid reasonably for the time they are involved with the case 3. Recycle the list every five years or so so that we have fresh individuals 4. Make these jurors available anywhere in the country - and pay for their travel and reasonable accommodations This could work -- and make our justice system better. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8cdce6bb3f7a656000003 scotth Sat, 07 Jul 2012 20:01:18 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8cdce6bb3f7a656000003 Another method that I've heard of is stating that you don't believe in the 5th amendment. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time it was invoked by an innocent person. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8b1d86bb3f7112e000003 mjs_sverige Sat, 07 Jul 2012 18:02:00 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8b1d86bb3f7112e000003 The powers of the land by route of slow and inexorable increments decreasingly adhere to and enforce the most important laws which are named in the Bill of Rights yet the mass in total of laws ever expands to encompass every possible case and fineness of disagreement. Civilization needs participants. But as it becomes uncivilized and a monstrosity one can see that non-participation harbors the final refuge of civility. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8a4bbeab8eaa961000007 mjs_sverige Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:06:03 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8a4bbeab8eaa961000007 Here is one more sure fire way: I have a friend in the U.S. who advised the judge that one of the attorneys was so articulate that there would be no choice but to be convinced by the rhetoric. This worked. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff88cc8eab8ea6032000001 nerdbert Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:23:52 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff88cc8eab8ea6032000001 Speaking from experience, having relatives in several law enforcement branches will get you out of criminal cases whether you want to serve or not. And being an engineer makes most civil lawyers want to reject you. I've lived in places where they made you sit in the pool room for two weeks while they wait for lawyers to say you're not their type. But some places make life easier and you just have to fill out a form and wait for a callback. Those are my kind of place since I can still go to work while the lawyers all decide they don't want me on the jury just by looking at my background. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8805069bedd480c00003f JP32 Sat, 07 Jul 2012 14:30:40 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8805069bedd480c00003f Indeed! I recall hearing one commenter say, rather tongue in cheek: "Its great! You get sit around and judge people all day and they give you free lunch!" http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87b8e6bb3f7c84200001c Doug Sat, 07 Jul 2012 14:10:22 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87b8e6bb3f7c84200001c Owning a small business or being self-employed gives you a little different take on the matter. I'm in a line of work where I get paid for what I produce. Don't produce, don't get paid. Simple enough. I'd be honored to serve on jury duty, except I don't get compensated for my time, and my customers will seek out my competition during my absence. Little details. So, last time I directly addressed the judge and attorneys in the room and explained my case (as described above) and told them clearly that I would be inclined to just go with the flow to get back to business as quickly as possible. I was cut from the list. At lunch we were released; before I left for home I was sitting outside the courtroom amongst other member of the pool, and one of the other said to me: "can you believe that guy who said he couldn't afford to serve". Then he realized it was me. I laughed. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87293eab8eab07400000f Dkb Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:32:03 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87293eab8eab07400000f Amen, and thank you for the correct advise. Articles like this are a true disservice to our country and our well being. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87293ecad04ea0a000020 Dkb Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:32:03 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87293ecad04ea0a000020 Amen, and thank you for the correct advise. Articles like this are a true disservice to our country and our well being. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87284ecad044c0f000015 Dkb Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:31:48 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff87284ecad044c0f000015 Amen, and thank you for the correct advise. Articles like this are a true disservice to our country and our well being. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8727ceab8ea2475000009 Dkb Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:31:40 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8727ceab8ea2475000009 Amen, and thank you for the correct advise. Articles like this are a true disservice to our country and our well being. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff872796bb3f7813c000002 Dkb Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:31:37 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff872796bb3f7813c000002 Amen, and thank you for the correct advise. Articles like this are a true disservice to our country and our well being. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8727869bedde56e000019 Dkb Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:31:36 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8727869bedde56e000019 Amen, and thank you for the correct advise. Articles like this are a true disservice to our country and our well being. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff86f996bb3f75d34000003 eCurmudgeon Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:19:21 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff86f996bb3f75d34000003 The absolute best, sure-fire way to avoid jury duty is to casually mention the phrase "Jury Nullification" or "FIJA". Not only will that get you bounced out of the jury pool, they'll flag your record so that you'll never see a jury summons ever again... http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8686969beddfc61000004 jsreilly3 Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:48:41 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8686969beddfc61000004 Why do people always try to avoid their responsibilities? Seriously: Everyone benefits from active civic participation. If you are so lazy, and so useless, that you can't even be bothered to do jury duty, just go away. It's like all the people who scream about going to war and blowing everyone up but ask them to go sign up for the military and put on the uniform and the list of excuses is a mile long. Being part of a civilization and society is about more then "What's in it for me?" occasionally it means paying higher taxes, or being shot and killed on the battlefield, or charging into a burning home to save someone whose name you don't even know, or grabbing a shovel and filling sandbags shoulder to shoulder with people from the "wrong side of town" to prevent a river from flooding the whole town. And yes, occasionally it means sitting down on your ass and listening to two lawyers with 11 other people who are just as bored as you are. Civilization - participants wanted. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8640eeab8ea0e5800000b Yo Dude Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:30:06 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff8640eeab8ea0e5800000b I always give a thumbs up to a post that gives me a laugh.....Thanks http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff862b2ecad04f870000011 Dave2 Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:24:18 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff862b2ecad04f870000011 Congratulations! If you're smart enough to get out of Jury Duty, you're exactly the person who should be on the jury. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff861c46bb3f7bc1700000e Beltway Greg Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:20:20 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff861c46bb3f7bc1700000e You know, you just might want to do jury duty because it's so damn hilarious. Here in DC you're called quite a bit because everybody is either a perp, a lawyer, or a witness, or a victim of said perp, lawyer or witness so finding folks like myself is difficult. Plus, I am a middle aged white male, and as one African-American judge informed me, they needed me for parity. One trial involved (shocker) drug distribution. The defendant seemed like a decent guy and dressed well and made eye contact and all of that stuff. His court appointed lawyer was doing a good job poking holes in the government's case. Everything seemed to be going along fairly well. One woman even said that based on her television viewing experience, (I'm not making this up), she thought the government planted evidence on the guy. And then the bottom fell out. Finally they called the lead detective. The lawyer circled him and asked him how many cases he had testified in that day. Answer: Quite a few. He asked him how many drug cases he had been involved in over his decades long career. Answer: Thousands. He then asked him whether he had reviewed his notes on this case before testifying. The detective answered he hadn't. Finally he asked him why he could be sure that the man he arrested was the man who distributed drugs and and was the same man sitting in the court? Without missing a beat the detective looked up and said, "Because in my twenty-year career it was the first and only time I've ever arrested a grown man dealing drugs dressed in a wedding gown complete with high heels on an August afternoon. Even the judge who was quite formidable lowered his head and looked at his shoes and tried to suppress a smile. It took us less than thirty minutes to return a verdict. Lesson? Don't deal drugs in a wedding gown. Especially if you're a dude. http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff85d8eecad040d6f000001 adegiulio Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:02:22 -0400 http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4ff85d8eecad040d6f000001 Upcoming BI articles: 7 Ways to be a dick toward your neighbor 12 Ways to Steal Stuff without getting caught 10 Ways to get out of a drunk driving charge The best way to deal with Jury Duty is to just go and do it. The men who stormed the beaches at Normandy did their Duty. Is it so bad to have to sit in a courthouse for a day?