Jury duty next week. Why at 8:00am??!!

[Rooster_Ties]

DC residents get called once every 2 years, like clockwork. You can almost set your clock by it. The last time I served (but didn’t actually end up in the jury box), the judge dismissed everyone saying “see you this week in two years, and you can practically put a reminder in your phones about it).

ANYWAY, my question is, why in the world do you have to report by 8:00am?

I’ve been called ~4 times since I moved here to DC, and a couple times back in Kansas City. And every time, you have to report by 8am.

But in every case, all I’ve done is sit around for at least a 60-90 minutes — before getting called into the courtroom, where I’ve sat for another half hour or more. Nothing has ever happened until 10:30am, at least in my experience.

I’m usually up by 7am almost every day of the week (7:30, at the very latest) — but I’m NO morning person, to put it mildly.

But I’ll have to be up by 6am, to have time to shower, get ready, eat, and get the Metro to be sure I’m at the courthouse downtown by 7:40 — all to have time to get thru the magnetometer security line, with 250+ other jurors.

And if I didn’t live a quarter mile from a Metro (DC subway) station — and had to get a bus (or perish the thought, take two busses) — I’d have to be up by 5:30am, or earlier.  Which is what a TON of people who don’t live by Metro stations have to do).

8am??  Why, oh why??!!!

/rant

[JSngry]

Sometimes they get a plea deal and a jury isn't needed and they send you home. But if it's not, then you need to be there to go in for further action. And while that's happening, they can still get a deal or a postponement, all sorts of things.

It's not like you can be on standby at the crip and they send a limo to pick you up if and only if and when they need you. If only....

[Ken Dryden]

Local county jury duty sucks here, they pay only if you are put on a panel and mileage reimbursement was only one way. Criminal cases are a special pain, as there is always one person who seems to think a case will be clear as a Perry Mason episode.

The one case that still bothers me that I was empaneled on a jury for was an attempted first degree murder case. It looked pretty rock solid against the defendant, but the wiley defense attorney suckered the young prosecutor into requesting a mistrial after he ventured into a line of questioning that was evidenlty prohibited before the start of the trial. The judge reluctantly granted it, then the defendant couldn't be retried due to double jeopardy. The victim's life, health and finances were ruined by the perpertrator's actions. I wonder how attorneys who pull this kind of crap sleep at night.

Federal jury duty is better, every time you have to show up, you get paid $40 plus $10 for parking. Since cases are frequently settled or postponed, the summons letter received midweek is often invalid by Friday at noon. I did a four month stretch and only had to show up twice, once to get questioned and sworn in, the other time was for an immigration fraud case, I was part of the group that was eventually dismissed. Both times I barely missed any work, so I returned to work the same morning and pocketed the money, since as a a salaried employee, I had put in far too many unpaid extra hours over the years.

 

 

 

[Chuck Nessa]

It can be hell to be a citizen.

[BillF]

7 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

DC residents get called once every 2 years, like clockwork. You can almost set your clock by it. The last time I served (but didn’t actually end up in the jury box), the judge dismissed everyone saying “see you this week in two years, and you can practically put a reminder in your phones about it).

ANYWAY, my question is, why in the world do you have to report by 8:00am?

I’ve been called ~4 times since I moved here to DC, and a couple times back in Kansas City. And every time, you have to report by 8am.

But in every case, all I’ve done is sit around for at least a 60-90 minutes — before getting called into the courtroom, where I’ve sat for another half hour or more. Nothing has ever happened until 10:30am, at least in my experience.

I’m usually up by 7am almost every day of the week (7:30, at the very latest) — but I’m NO morning person, to put it mildly.

But I’ll have to be up by 6am, to have time to shower, get ready, eat, and get the Metro to be sure I’m at the courthouse downtown by 7:40 — all to have time to get thru the magnetometer security line, with 250+ other jurors.

And if I didn’t live a quarter mile from a Metro (DC subway) station — and had to get a bus (or perish the thought, take two busses) — I’d have to be up by 5:30am, or earlier.  Which is what a TON of people who don’t live by Metro stations have to do).

8am??  Why, oh why??!!!

/rant

"Meanwhile, declining from the noon of day,

The sun obliquely shoots his burning ray;

And hungry judges soon the sentence sign,

And wretches hang that jury-men may dine."

(Alexander Pope)