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I understand that jailing this woman was an overreaction on the judges part. At the same time, I find it just pitiful the unwillingness of many Americans to do their civic duty. I compare the demand made to serve on a jury to what our soldiers are going through overseas. Their lives are being majorly disrupted. They are gone for a year at a time in many cases. Some are wounded. A few are even killed. Many of the marriages of these men and women end in divorce because of the stress of this military service. No one seems to question though that civic duty and patriotism require some to serve in this fashion.
So when someone tells me that serving on a jury for a week or two is "just too hard for them" I go BOO HOO.
Here's a few suggestions if you get called for jury duty:
1. If you are a mother with young kids, start making phone calls to arrange child care. And, don't expect the rest of us to buy the notion that your children are "too good" for it. Unless you are breastfeeding, don't expect to be excused from service.
2. If you run a business, when you get that notice in the mail start talking to co-workers and family members about how your business can be run while you are absent for a week or so.
3. If you work and you have an employer who is upset about your being called for jury service than find some law that says its illegal to fire a worker for serving on a jury. There is both statutory and caselaw that says as much. Give your boss plenty of notice and give it to him in writing (keep a copy for yourself) so he can't claim he didn't get it. Get a statement from the judge or court clerk indicating why you were gone on the day or days that the service took place and see that your boss gets this too.
4. If your a college student make certain that all your professors get a copy of your jury service notice. You'll get extra time to take exams and study more if you need it.
5. Accept the notion that there are inconveniences in life that just have to be dealt with.
Nobody ever told you that life in America was supposed to be a "free ride". There are unpleasant things like taxes, voting, jury duty and military service. Stop making excuses and accept the idea that you have some responsibilities if you want to live in this country.
For some employees, who will do their work for them? Some people are on call 24-7, so when they get out of the jury, they will be called in for all the problems that built up while they were out. Or they come back to double or triple work.
That's not the government's problem. Plus, people with this type of work have to deal with these issues when they go on vacation. Many professions have to do extra work when returning from being away. I've been there, done that. It's no big deal.
Furthermore, it's not a wise way to run a company by totally depending on one person for a responsibility. That's recipe for disaster since anything can happen to an employee at anytime---heart attack, car accident, etc. Sounds to me like jury duty is a great way for a company to evaluate how it operates.
Oh then, I'm sorry you don't find staying at home interesting.
Ahhh, since I posted you added a sentence about a "break in routine".
I find being a sahm very rewarding and wouldn't trade it for anything but a change in routine is always welcome. I enjoyed the change when I was working and called to serve on juries and would welcome it again as long as I had access to quality care for my dd where I know she would be cared for and comfortable (like with a relative or close friend). If she was under the age of one and or still breastfeeding I would want an exemption. If I felt that she would be in anyway harmed by my absence then I would want an exemption. If I couldn't find someone who I trusted or someone dd was comfortable with, then I would want an exemption.
Like I said before, I think exemptions should be made but I also think it's important for mothers of small children to serve if possible as they can offer a unique perspective as jurors.
I'm in Texas and the rule regarding children has changed twice in recent years. It now states legal custody of children under 15 where performing jury duty would leave them without adequate supervision is an automatic exemption.
I've been summoned 6 times in the last 15 years, so it definitely isn't once or twice in a lifetime in my case. I've served once, was summoned and dismissed once and was exempt the other times, but once where I had to appear and plead my reason in person for exemption before it was accepted. (I not only have small children, I am the child care provider for other families and therefore would have put a hardship on more than just my family)
In Tarrant County, where I live, the system works like this: You are summoned 3-4 weeks before your scheduled date. You have the opportunity to apply online or by snail mail to be exempted, with limited but very specific guidelines for automatic exemption. Otherwise you have to appear as scheduled or will face contempt of court charges.
You arrive before the time you are assigned, If you are late or do not show up, you can be held in contempt. You check in, get your badge and have the opportunity to go before the bailiff presiding over the jury selection to seek exemption, dismissal or postponement. From there you take the oath and then they assign you to a court, which can be nearby or any one of the various sub-courthouses located throughout the county.
You will be dismissed, after being chosen to serve, by either a settlement occurring or the end of the trial occurs. If you have served then they cannot call you again for 2 years.
OR.....you can be dismissed in other ways. They can choose the jury before getting to your number in the panel of potential jurors, therefore you are no longer needed. You can be eliminated by the lawyer if they think you cannot be impartial. The case can be settled before a jury is chosen.
In those situations you have NOT served on a jury, therefore not served your duty and can be summoned again right away.
I've known people who were summoned 4 times in one year due to this.
Even after serving the one case I did, I was called twice in the next year by my city's court system! Thankfully since I had actually served in the county system, I was exempt from the city system as well.
When I did serve, the jury duty pay was $6/day, so I was paid $18 for serving the three days I did serve. That's not enough to make up missing days of paid work. Since I was on salary it didn't make it a problem for me at that time.
Thankfully I just read that has also changed and now the pay is $6 for the first day and $40 for each day after, making it much less of a financial hardship. That's a great thing!
I also read that they send out 200,000 summons per year and have a list of list over 1 million to choose from.
It's an amazing thing, our court system, and I am very glad to have served when I did, however if I had been forced to serve when I needed to be exempt, I am sure I would feel quite differently.
It wasn't an emergency, from the story. Her mother was scheduled for oral surgery that day. Oral surgeons usually are booked far in advance of the actual surgery. I'm sure she had adequate time to find someone to fill in for that day.
Jury duty comes along once or twice in anyone's lifetime. Seldom is it for murder or some other lengthy trial. It wouldn't kill anyone to participate in their duty. Shoot, mothers of young children should jump at the chance. What a story to tell your kids when they are old enough to understand a little bit of the system.
My daughter was two when I served on a murder trial. (I was a working mother and my childcare was my mother.) It was one of the most fascinating, though horrible, things I've ever witnessed, better than any TV show or movie about a trial. That was 16 years ago. I should tell her the whole story--never thought about that. I have mentioned it certain ways--that teenagers seem to get in more trouble when they are out all night, and that if you are ever arrested or even know the people who are suspected of a crime, DO NOT speak to the police if they want to question you until you have a lawyer present. Your words can too easily be twisted in a courtroom to make it seem as if you said/meant something else. Those are things I learned from listening to testimony.
As far as work goes--don't know how it works elsewhere, but the judge in my case would only excuse you if missing work was a financial hardship for you, not if it was just a hardship for your employer by your not being there. If a potential juror said they didn't know if they'd be paid or not while serving, the judge had his bailiff call their boss right then and there and find out. If someone was unemployed and job-hunting, he excused them. If someone had a vacation planned with travel arrangements already made, he excused them.
I've been summoned for jury duty 4 times in my life. The third time, my daughter was 8 months old. I was working, so I already had childcare taken care of, but I was pumping breast milk 3 times a day at that point. I explained that I would be happy to serve if they could provide me with a private place to pump breast milk, or if that wasn't possible if I could postpone it until after she was a year old. They had no issues with postponing it, and I think it was mostly because I showed a willingness to do it. I got a new summons when my daughter was 14 months old, and I showed up no problem.
I understand that jailing this woman was an overreaction on the judges part. At the same time, I find it just pitiful the unwillingness of many Americans to do their civic duty. I compare the demand made to serve on a jury to what our soldiers are going through overseas. Their lives are being majorly disrupted. They are gone for a year at a time in many cases. Some are wounded. A few are even killed. Many of the marriages of these men and women end in divorce because of the stress of this military service. No one seems to question though that civic duty and patriotism require some to serve in this fashion.
So when someone tells me that serving on a jury for a week or two is "just too hard for them" I go BOO HOO.
5. Accept the notion that there are inconveniences in life that just have to be dealt with.
Nobody ever told you that life in America was supposed to be a "free ride". There are unpleasant things like taxes, voting, jury duty and military service. Stop making excuses and accept the idea that you have some responsibilities if you want to live in this country.
THANK YOU
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Originally Posted by Dorthy
.. If she was under the age of one and or still breastfeeding I would want an exemption. If I felt that she would be in anyway harmed by my absence then I would want an exemption. If I couldn't find someone who I trusted or someone dd was comfortable with, then I would want an exemption.
Harmed by your absence? Like how?
I think a lot of those who are opposed to jury duty and would do anything for an excuse to gain exemption are using their children as their excuse for not serving. That's just plain pitiful.
If a good friend you hadn't seen for a long time, called and asked you to lunch, you would find a way.
When Christmas is getting near, I'll bet every one of you find someone to care for junior while you go shopping.
I can't believe there is even one person who ties themselves so tightly to their child or children that they do not ever spend a moment away from them until they are grown.
At least you could admit using your children. It wouldn't make any of you any less of a mother.
Like major separation anxiety. My dd is a very sensitive kid and would be so stressed out by spending the day with strangers. On the other hand if someone she knows and loves like Grandam was available then she would be just fine.
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I think a lot of those who are opposed to jury duty and would do anything for an excuse to gain exemption are using their children as their excuse for not serving. That's just plain pitiful.
If a good friend you hadn't seen for a long time, called and asked you to lunch, you would find a way.
I would bring dd with me or see my friend at night when my DH was not working.
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When Christmas is getting near, I'll bet every one of you find someone to care for junior while you go shopping.
Shop in the evening after DH gets home from work.
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I can't believe there is even one person who ties themselves so tightly to their child or children that they do not ever spend a moment away from them until they are grown.
I spend almost all of my time with my dd. I expect that to gradually change as she gets older.
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At least you could admit using your children. It wouldn't make any of you any less of a mother.
Not everyone is trying to get out of jury duty. I've served twice with no qualms. If I ever tried to get out of it it would only be for a legitimate reason.
I was selected to appear for federal jury duty and even though there was no place on the questionnaire that said you'd be excused if you are a SAHM and have young children, I quickly wrote a letter to the judge (actually it was to the secretary) but I explained my whole situation, that I have twins, no childcare, what a hardship it would be and all the logistics like needing to find someone to accommodate our two car seats etc etc plus I have an older child and she has all her after school activities etc etc. I only asked for a 2 yr deferment until my twins are in kindergarten so they would be in school all day. I was excused. It really did stress me out though wondering what I would do if I did not get excused. Federal jury duty means you are basically "on call" for three months. In Texas, on civil jury duty, having young children and no child care is an automatic excuse but not federal. I think there was a website called family friendly jury duty that helped me with how to compose my letter.
Like major separation anxiety. My dd is a very sensitive kid and would be so stressed out by spending the day with strangers.
I spend almost all of my time with my dd. I expect that to gradually change as she gets older.
No wonder she has seperation anxiety. I don't see that as healthy.
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jury duty
