Jury duty

Well back across the pond here, we go all woogly-doo with our roger johnsons until the bloke or bird on trial is taken by the bobby down the apples and pears, right-right.

I'm in New York and I was summoned several years ago...happily enough my boss didn't make a big deal out of my missing two days...she's a huge pain in my ass but not so terrible really

I had to pay for parking and they would not validate (these sort of details really annoy me) and the jury waiting area stunk like a pro sport locker room after a playoff game...this 'jury of my peers' were a stinky bunch

Two cases over two days, both Domestic Abuse affairs...Both men pled guilty and trials were avoided
I'd have happily dragged that pair of shits out to the alley and broken their wrists and ankles with a hammer to speed up the glacial proceedings...I was quite happy to get back to work, I'm no fan of jury duty and think a professional jury pool just makes more practical sense

The next time I get that awful pink letter I may just toss it in the fire and play dumb

I'm a Jr. After I turned eighteen, my father answered five summons over the next six or seven years. You're supposed to get no more than one every three years (You get also get an additional grand jury notice). We finally realized he had been answering my summons as well as his own.

Thankfully I've never gotten one. I live in a free country so I don't see how forcing me to do these allows me to be free.

I remember the first time I was summoned. I was 18 at the time, and was so nervous about getting lost, being late, or getting in trouble for not showing up, that I ran over our mailbox out front.

After that day, I learned that you don't have to go every day and wait. You can check online to see if they really want you there, and they will call you based on the numbers and code put on your card that you got in the mail.

Last time I did jury duty, I ended up sitting in a large room with chairs with a bunch of strangers, watching an outdated 90s video on how jury duty worked in detail, and then a judge comes in the room and says they don't need us. 9x out of 10, most of the time, they won't pick you to work in a court case.

The few times they do, they have a second vetting process that involves an interview, and I know plenty of ways to get out of that one, hehe.

Once was enough for me. I almost got caught up in the Paul Bernardo trial back in 1995

Called three times, served once. 2 Brooklyn & 1 Manhattan

One time I just waited around all day, my name was never called, and I got a few years exemption (don't recall how many years) just for showing up that one day.

One time my name did get called, was taken to a room with a few others, and lawyers for both sides (civil case) questioned us (e.g. have you ever taken part in a trial before) and I didn't get picked. Was given a few years exemption just for going that far.

The time I did serve was on a Grand Jury. Not all U.S. States have a Grand Jury system. It was a month-long duty and we (23 members on a Grand Jury) heard 1- 3 cases a day. It's to decide if there is enough evidence to indict the person and send it to trial. So we were not deciding guilt or innocence. I got a six-year exemption after completing this duty.

I got out of serving on a jury, apparently I wasn't chosen. Who knows how long a trial would be???? A week? A month?? No way!