Well, I didn’t expect it to come up so fast, but I got called to Jury Duty.
The last time, I was near giving birth to Blue, so I postponed it. When she was one, I got called again and went. I spent a morning reading my book and eating pretzels and trying not to breathe in a very stifling hot room in a country town an hour from my house…otherwise known as “The Boondocks”.
We never even got called up to go before the judge. Just got sent home around 2.
I hope that happens again.
This happens at the very end of February.
What’s funny is that I was recently talking to D’s brother, who apparently had a warrant out for his arrest, because he never responded to jury duty.
For years.
Turns out, they were sending it to an old address from ten years prior. Someone made a big mistake in the computer on that one and in the end it was all straightened out.
And then quite soon after, he went to jury duty.
Gratefully, my jury duty is not too far from my house. I am concerned about going because I am the primary parent of my two kids with their father living in Boston, which is almost an hour away. He can’t care for them during the week, nor can I afford to hire a babysitter. Nor can I indefinitely call on friends to pick them up after school every day, or take them to school since I have to report at the same time their school starts.
My mom has generously set aside that day and the few days after, just in case, to take my kids to school for me and pick them up and carry on with them the things that need doing in parenting.
Anyway, I am amazed that so many people can do it, or can even sit on a trial for months at a time, with so many other responsibilities. I also understand that our government calls for it and requires it and it is valuable to the community and the legal process.
But still, I hope there’s a big snowstorm. Or that nothing’s going on that day and I get sent home. That’s so diplomatic of me, eh?
I know how you feel. One year, I got called THREE times – for different courts. I was actually picked for the jury while I was a nursing mother (!). On the appointed day, I went in and sat in the jury room with the others, ate a donut and drank coffee – and an hour later we were released. The defendant decided to do a plea deal.
The other two times, I spent the day in the courtroom, was asked questions, but passed on as a juror.
It’s a bit of a crap shoot, but I do believe in doing civic duty. It’s probably getting close to getting called again for me too.
Walk in, point at the judge, and declare “That man looks guilty as hell!”
Mmmm I’ve never been called for jury duty as yet….
… fingers crossed it’s an easy case .. or that you get passed ..
I sooo agree. I always wonder how people with, you know, LIVES manage to devote those days to something unpaid and time-intensive. Do they just give their kids Twinkies and the remote and lock the door?
Jury duty is inconvenient for everybody. I think that is why they make it so that if your don’t go, you are breaking the law. Bear just got a jury questionaire in the mail so, he will probably have to go in soon.
Hopefully, you have a good experience and everyone can make it back and forth to school on time.
Where I work, lots of times people who are self-employed are released right away. So you might be ok.
And if the judge gives you some b.s. about how if you don’t get picked for this jury you might be on a jury for a trial that lasts 3 months – don’t believe him. At least for our office, the great majority of trials are less than a week, with many only 2 days.
I have been lucky that I haven’t been called to jury duty so far. I’ve moved so much in the past 3 years they can’t find me! (I’m knocking on wood right now!) Good luck.
I do believe there are clauses in there somewhere that release you from duty under certain conditions. I have only been called twice and both times I was released because I was a student the first time and nursing the second time. There should be something in there that would cover you as a single parent or self employed. I’m not sure if this is different in each state, but its worth checking into.
P.S. And…I didn’t have to appear personally to declare anything. I just had to submit my summons via mail with justification. No questions asked. Of course I would have to provide evidence if they decided to check on me…but that shouldn’t be a problem for we honest variety of folk. :O)~
I think if you tell them you are a single parent they will dismiss you from any long cases.
I got called once when I had a 2 year old and a 6 month old and no one to watch them. They told me I had to come anyway, so I brought them. The judge seemed surprised that anyone would make me bring my two kids down, so he let me go home. Now that my girls are older and I work a regular job, jury duty might be a nice change of pace.
I think Above Avg Joe is right, I think as a single parent you can be dismissed from having to do jury duty at all.
I actually enjoyed doing jury duty when I was living in the USA. I was on some real cracker trials.
So funny! I thought one of the trials would be called a mis- trial as I noticed one of the older lady jurors was fast asleep and snoring!
My employer had to pay my salary while I was on jury duty. They got my service down to 3 weeks rather than the 6 weeks, because they said they couldn’t do without me longer than 3 weeks. (I think it really chapped their hide to have to pay me while I wasn’t working for them!)
Do they compensate you in some way since you are self employed? I think you would be a good juror to have on duty.
If you think about it, if it was yourself on trial, you’d want some intelligent people listening to your case.
Here’s to a snowstorm. This works every time too: tell them you are a Christian Scientists–you are a part of a cult that doesn’t believe in medicine. You’ll be dismissed no time flat! HA
This past summer I got called for Jury Duty the day before Fourth of July weekend. The room was packed with over 200 of us. We waited an hour and were all dismissed with the happy news that we wouldn’t be eligible again for another 2 years! WOW. It was great.
Seriously though that’s nice of your mom to offer to help out–I hope she won’t have to.
Just think of those poor people who get chosen for horrific murder trials like OJ…ugh.
My good friend is on Jury Duty this week here in SC. She has 3 children and is hoping to get out of it too. The first two days there were no trials (municipal traffic court) and the judge has told her he would try to help her out if a trial comes up on Thursday when there’s a million things on her children’s plates. Hopefully your judge will be so nice, or the attorneys won’t select you. Here’s to hoping!