Jury Duty

[BlackGT]

Reporting for jury duty this morning. Only my 2nd time for this, didn't get picked the first time.
My wife hopes I get picked and have to sit on a jury for some exciting case. She has always had an interest in criminal justice and watches those types shows all the time.
I hope I don't get picked and can go home by lunch, but if I do get picked kinda hope it's an interesting case and not some boring DUI or something.

How many times have you had to report?
How many times have you been picked?
Was it an interesting case or something boring?

[GrayStangGT]

Reported once, have been picked once and I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens again. The interest wears off after the 5 person gets put on the stand saying the exact same thing as the previous 4 and you waste 2 days of your life on an open and shut case. Mine was felony DWI/Evading it was his 7th DWI.

[BP]

Picked 4 times, had to show up twice and was selected as part of an alternate panel once.

In Tarrant County at least sign up online and they'll let you know the day before if you need to show up. If they have enough people scheduled you get credit for serving but can stay home.

[GrayStangGT]

Don't answer any nonrequired questions on the card you fill out and if you do go to a panel be opinionated when the lawyers are asking questions. Apparently being a single white male with a job and college education was one of the lawyers ideal jurors when I went.

[Captain Crawfish]

Tell them half your family is in jail they won't pick you

[DFWtechie]

I told them in stolen vehicle case if he was caught driving he is guilty of something it may not be theft but possibly possession of stolen property? They sent me home

[Baron Von Crowder]

I have only been once, and got in the "jury pool" to come back in the afternoon and wait to see if they want to pick a jury. It was OK with me, I brought a book and was in the middle of buying a house, so I had plenty of time to work with the lender and my agent that day.

After seeing nearly everyone under the age of 40 get up and say they cant be on a jury for one reason or another, I was a bit pissed off. If I ever needed a jury of my peers, I wouldnt be able to find one.

[Rotortrash]

After seeing nearly everyone under the age of 40 get up and say they cant be on a jury for one reason or another, I was a bit pissed off. If I ever needed a jury of my peers, I wouldnt be able to find one.

I agree with this statement.

I did hear someone say something that held a lot of thruth though; "Would you want to be judged by 12 people that weren't even smart enough to get out of jury duty"?

[mikeb]

I've had to go several times and got picked to serve about 3 times. Once the defense lawyer was Everett Newton LOL..... but all of the cases were boring.

I never got any questions directed at me during voir dire so I never had the chance to be "opinionated" and get myself thrown out of the jury pool.

[BP]

The one where I was an alternate sucked. We had to take a survey and then write an essay about the person I admired the most. The case involved two GSA employees and it was sexual harassment. A fairly attractive woman was being sued by a douchey looking guy. Being two government employees I figured picking George Bush as an idol would probably get me out of serving and it worked.

[jakesford]

Picked 4 times, had to show up twice and was selected as part of an alternate panel once.

In Tarrant County at least sign up online and they'll let you know the day before if you need to show up. If they have enough people scheduled you get credit for serving but can stay home.

Summoned 2 times
Never selected

I did the online thing for Tarrant county, at first they gave me my court assignment which was at 1pm so I would have been able to skip the 8am reporting. Then they called the day before and said not to show up at all

[Chuck_Finley]

I think it's unfortunate that many decently intelligent people hate jury duty, in part because many businesses tend to be hostile to it also. It is one of the last bastions of our government where citizens can essentially tell the .gov to shove it.

My experience has been that if you report in, if you are not immediately dismissed that morning, plan on the rest of your day being eaten up. They'll likely send you to some court, and even if you are not picked for the jury, it'll take the afternoon for them to pick who they want.

[BlackGT]

On lunch break...
Didn't get asked any questions from the state to be "opinionated"... Guess the defense will begin there questions once we return. There is still hope.

Some of these people are either dumb or geniuses. I'm not sure I would want many of them on a jury for me...

[chuckacosta]

I barely got my first ever juror survey this weekend. I am a college student so hopefully that will excuse me. I've always said that I would love to sit on a jury since I've never had the privilege. But since I am enrolled in school I feel that my education is way more important than that. So, we'll see what happens.

[BlackGT]

And after sitting there all damn day listening to both sides grill the jury to narrow down their selections, we break so the attorneys can make their strikes and select the jury. Come back to session at 4:00 and get told they struck an agreement and we wouldn't be needed!

To me, if you decline plea bargains and decide to go to trial, you should not be allowed to waste then make an agreement and waste the time of the people that showed up at your request.
I get that the jury pool may not be ideal to one side or the other, but the defendant decided to have a jury trial taking the chance that the jury may not, on the outside, appear to be in their favor.

Rant off...