Jury Duty - How many times?

karma, baby!

My mother got called more than once. It was for a month each time. Here it's one week. In Chicago it's one day unless you get picked for a jury trial that day.

It's simply a random process and statistically ... you have been lucky or unlucky that you've been arbitrarily chosen more then once and others haven't been blessed with the chance to test their duty as citizens.

Personally, I really enjoyed my one time in the jury of a Federal case in the mid1990's.

Karma huh? I wonder what I did?

Well I enjoyed it the first two times. The third time...it was bad. To be honest - with three kids and a job (that I will have to miss ) it is more of an inconvenience now than it was then. I like my job. I hate to miss it - AND I have my music program that next week...that week will be huge in getting the kids to practice and be ready for it. It frustrates me.

I just have never heard of anyone getting called this many times.

did you try explaining how much longer it takes to try a case if one of the jury members is chatty cathy?

and might sometimes have trouble focusing?

(just trying to help out here...)

No, I try not to make that so evident right up front...I like to sneak up on people with that kind of stuff. Thanks though...I may spring that on the judge.

Should have seen me trying to keep pitch count last night...oh...my...goodness

just keep talking.

he'll get the pitcher...

hilarious.

I wonder if you can be found in contempt of court for talking too much?

I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all my life (45+ years) and never got called for jury duty even though I moved around a lot to different cities. Moved to Sacramento and in the 7 years I lived there, I was called 5 times for jury duty. Been in ABQ a year now and haven't been called at all.

The only difference between Sacramento and elsewhere that I can think of is I had a failure to appear notice for a neglected ticket for an expired registration I got in LA and right before I moved to Sacramento and that may have put me on the jury duty radar.

ohhhhhhh....tickets....well - there you go. Karma. (lead foot)

here (Bahstin) you can get called every three years if you are a registered voter.

i've been called 4 or 5 times in the past 15 years, and i'm due again in late 2011/early 2012...

I really like the jury duty system they've established in my former home state of Massachusetts. You only get called once a year, maximum. And if you're called for jury duty, it's for "one case or one day." In other words, you report to the court house and wait your turn to be interviewed for a specific case. If, at the end of the day, you haven't been impanelled, that's it. Go home and you're done until next year. Great system. If you do get chosen to sit on a specific case, you're there until the trial is over, and, again, that's it for another year. And there's always the chance that next year your name won't come up in the selection process.

Edit: Didn't see your post, RP; I was busy typing mine. Is it every three years now? Used to be annually. I'm sure the one day or one case rule still obtains.

I have been called up twice. The first time I told the judge I thought he was guilty (and I did). I was excused from serving. The second time was a drunk driving case and myself and the other jurors voted "not guilty"! The cops failed to prove his case.

Well you are the first one I have heard have that many times. Most of the people I know have been called once or not at all. It is not that I mind serving at all...I guess it is more because it is such a difficult time of the year with the end of the year program coming up.

That sounds like a good system Merry Andrew. This is actually a different county than I lived in last time...so maybe that does have something to do with it.

Or maybe it is the tickets.

ayuh and ayuh...

geez, reg, I've been registered in Cambridge since the 60s and only been called once (had to testify in a trial once, but that doesn't count). They must really like the way you decide.

I was called six times, each time for two weeks. The call was once every two or three years. I didn't mind it. I finally got a medical excuse. No more jury duty.

I've been called three times. The first two times I was able to get an exemption and did not have to appear. The last time I was picked for a jury, but when I returned the next day, we were told the case had been settled and the jury was dismissed. I was heartbroken, I really wanted to be on a jury. I even asked the judge if I could remain for another jury, but that's not allowed. I subsequently received a letter thanking me for my service and telling me I would not be required to serve again for eight years (or something like that). By then I should be too doddering to even qualify for a jury.

you've only been called once, but how many times have you gone to jury duty (sat in the room waiting to be called)?

i think that's the question... right, mismi?

if it's not, see sigline...

I've sat on a jury once and called to jury duty twice.