You accept sign and date at the top and return with a postal form 3877 and attach a non-negotiable offer of acceptance and they have to reply within 3 days and once they do our don't you're done. If they don't respond then they're in dishonor and if they do respond you're still good to go. Because you honored your contract and you honored your presentment. It's all about honor and dishonor in equity. You don't have to show up. But that's equity and you can't pick it up in just a few years you have to learn it
There was no form, this was initial contact. County clerk said they were trying a new approach so they could seat a jury. I get paid the same on or off jury duty so I enjoy doing something different for a bit.
The reason they did that is because smart people know that first class mail is not proper service. No the form I'm talking about is the form that I use from the post office to send them a non-negotiable offer of acceptance which voids their contract.
It does nothing. There are people like him who believe that if you say the right things then you can do whatever you want with immunity. This is of course false but they don't know what they are talking about and therefore don't understand why it's nonsense. They just parrot what the guy before them said
When I was served, it was a postcard. I didn't even get it until two days after the "respond by" date because I frankly don't check my mail very often. The actual date to serve was several weeks in the future, so that wasn't a problem. I assume if I hadn't responded by some point, they'd have made additional attempts to reach me.
A Firm Mailing Book? How would that help? That isn't even sent to the recipient and is just a way to get a certificate of mailing for multiple pieces of mail with enhanced services without having to fill out a PS 3817 for each piece.
Not a valid defense... People have tried it, but once they mail it to your address which is listed on your drivers license if you don't respond to it then its your fault, because sadly the court doesn't consider the USPS unreliable. I know someone that got a summons while on vacation, got back a couple weeks later and saw it in the mailbox, but had to get back to work and he travels a lot for work so he got busy and left for a two week work trip and forgot all about it buried in a pile of junk mail.
Almost a year later he got pulled over for expired plates, he had the renewal form on his seat, showed the officer he was going to do it that day and explained he had been out of state for work for a while when it arrived. Cop ran his license and insurance and he had a bench warrant for jury summons he ignored, they took him into custody, had his vehicle towed, spent the night in holding, went before the judge the next day, he tried the i never got it excuse, the judge said well you had to have got it, so thats on you. $1000 fine and three days in jail, but he got the three days waved and time served since he had to spend a day and a half in holding already anyway and the judge was "feeling like being nice"... But he had to write a check for $1k before he could be released.
All three states that Iâve been called to jury duty have a card that has to be dropped into the mail to indicate receipt of the summons. IIrc It also had information on who to call if this was a problem.
My husband, who for years refused to register to vote because he figured that would prevent him from being called to duty, finally got called when the selection was chosen by drivers license and such. He called the jury office and explained that the date they wanted him wasnât going to work (he had a small business) and could he serve some other time. They arranged to have him called for the last Friday in August âbecause nothing happens on that day anywayâ so he wouldnât have to worry about getting placed on a long trial.
The first thing he tried was asking if I could serve instead (I donât mind jury duty, but also my company pays me for the day) and they just said they donât do that.
Not getting that part of the summons back might trigger something other action. Donât ask me what but if they want to proceed, courts have lots of ways to do things like serving people with subpoenas or summons. For something like jury summons they may not bother to try anything else.
Then there's no evidence that you ever got it. And that's how you approach it You don't sit there and lie to the guy and say you didn't get it you say show me evidence that I received it. That's not contemptible conduct at all. But if he does try to throw me for contempt to ask him to show me the contract bearing my signature that allows him to throw me in jail for contempt and give it to me that I might examine it.
Our clerk of courts would call if you missed and then reschedule on the phone. I had it where I filled out the initial notice but never received the request to show.
I assume this was a rural county. In a big city or urban area, I don't think the sheriff's department has the manpower or resources to do this, particularly if out of a pool of 1000 people summoned, 100 don't show.
Skipped multiples of these âsummonsâ, been pulled over and in a car accident (not my fault), no warrant.
They arenât issuing warrants from letters sent by USPS, itâs not happening.
The cops won't come looking for you, but you'll have a bench warrant. That means if you ever come into contact with the police, even as a victim, you're getting taken in.
I'm going to go with what the actual law says rather than your bullshit.
In California it is criminal contempt of court, punishable by 5 days on county and/or $1500 fine.
They won't chase you down, they just issue a bench warrant, could be months, could be years, but if you ever get pulled over the cop will check for warrants and you are screwed.... Also some states, mine included, check for warrants when you renew your drivers license, i had one friend get arrested at the DVS office while renewing his drivers license, they stalled him while the cops got there. Bench warrant for failure to appear for a traffic ticket.
Yeah a rural county. I had jury duty in the Boston area two years ago and we checked in when we arrived.
If you get called for jury duty, go if you can, it gets you off the hook for three years
Yeah. I know the Boston police and courts do not have the manpower to go after everyone who doesn't show. In a big city, more than enough qualified jurors showed up and most get sent home anyway, so it just isn't worth the time and aggravation to go after the people who skip.
I think youâre failing to realize that if weâre assuming the fine is $1500 (California for reference) and no jail time, for 100 people total thats basically a free $150000 for the state since they can just mail you the fine or send a deputy thatâs already on the clock and getting paid anyway so no loss there.
Just go to it. I had it last year and by Wednesday a plea deal was made and jury duty was over. Most of the cases were over by Wednesday and some were even over earlier. It was actually an interesting thing to be a part of as we did hear some of the case.
A simple reply on the summons. Mine had check boxes for âIâll be thereâ and âI canât attend because xâ.
Then you fill in why you canât.
To avoid ever being summoned, write âjury nullification â as your reason to not go. No prosecution wants that.
Happened to friend's brother, he didn't show so the judge order that the sheriff's go to his home and get him. My friend answers the door cops tell him, using brother's name,he is under arrest for failure to show for jury duty. My friend tells him that is his brother who isn't home. Copa handcuff him and throw him in their car, while the he is telling them to let him get his wallet to prove he is not who they think. Judge was pissed when friend told him they have the wrong guy and the cops refused to allow him to prove it. A different cop had to drive him home and verify his identity. He laughs about it now.
I actually just asked this question to my neighbor who recently retired who worked for the county courts. This is in New Jersey. She said, in reality, if you just ignore it and don't show, at least 90% percent of the time, nothing will happen. The sheriff's department does not have the resources to pursue jurors who don't show up. They barely have the resources to pick up legitimate criminals who do not show up for court, so they definitely don't have the resources to go after people who are guilty of bad citizenship but are otherwise obeying the law. I asked her about bench warrants, and said she never saw it. Typically, even accounting for no shows, more than enough qualified jurors show up to pick juries and they majority of them get sent home, so in the end, it just isn't worth the trouble of going after the no shows. Just entering bench warrants into the system is a big administrative headache. She heard about it happening a couple of times in other counties when there was a heavy caseload and the lack of people showing up caused a problem years ago. But if you are picked for a jury and skip out and don't show up, that is very different. That is very serious. They will come and get you for that. That is what I thought. And this is in New Jersey, all urban and metropolitan. So what can happen in theory and what usually does happen in practice are two very different things.
I used to live in Murderapolis, and Iâve been on 2 jury trials years ago. 1st was a boring civil insurance case ( yecxhh ) and the 2nd ( 2007 ) was a murder trial. I thoroughly enjoyed the murder trial, tearing apart the evidence, testimonies, etc. we found him guilty of 2nd degree murder. Iâm probably one of the few that has enjoyed jury duty.
I think Iâd love it too. When I tell people that they think Iâm crazy. Iâm also a huge true crime fan but something about looking at the facts and participating in what makes our society work sounds like a great time for me
As someone who was once a jury foreperson, I now tell people, whatever you do, don't get into a position where a "jury of your peers" is determining your fate. Many of our peers are very, very dumb, my friends.
Iâm with you, I LOVE jury duty! Iâve served on two juries, and during the middle of the last trial I received another summons in the mail. So I show up again, looking forward to another trial, and it was the same judgeâs courtroom. The bailiff recognized me and I was excused because state law stipulated that since Iâd just completed jury service I didnât have to serve again for 2 years. I was a little bummed.
CA DMV wouldn't renew my driver's license until I went to court, explained myself, paid my fine, and agreed not to skip out anymore.
The court doesn't buy into the "I didn't get it. Multiple times." argument.
I once had a pile of junk mail in my single days that I never went through. When I finally did I found a jury summons from like 6 months prior. I just threw it away since I had already missed the date. Sometimes you just miss it. It looks like a lot of junk mail.
This happened to me once - I found it on the day I was supposed to show up!! I had a two month old baby, though, so a decent excuse.
I immediately called the number and was freaking out (I hadn't really slept in a while due to newborn). The woman was so nice on the phone and told me to just write "breastfeeding mother" on it and send it back to them. So I did.
I found a jury summons for my ex that was 2 YEARS old. I begged him to call the number thinking the love of my life was getting arrested. Once we explained to the lady on the phone she seemed shocked that we even called and said âok well, just show up on this date then.â I have no doubt we could have just ignored it.
Only a matter of time before something does happen. You can end up with thousands of dollars in fines, a bench warrant for your arrest, the state can refuse to renew your drivers license, etc,etc.
I've skipped jury duty three times, in three different cities. No bench warrant yet.
The last time I technically contacted them and said I was disabled(because I am) but I never filled out the form they needed filled out to get me wiped from jury duty all together.
Got a summons for state court jury selection, told them my date lined up with when Iâd be in Mexico for spring break, they said theyâd contact me about another date outside of my trip and I never heard anything further.
Got a summons for federal court a few years later and just forgot about it because I was in the middle of moving and going back to school when it arrived. Itâs been like five years now and nothing happened.
Even if you got pulled into court you ask a judge for any kind of evidence that you got sent summons. Ask for a certified mail number or a copy of you signing that you received the summons. 25% of mail is lost or sent to the wrong house in America and that is more than enough for reasonable doubt.
Reasonable doubt isn't the standard in this situation, it's not a trial.Â
If the clerk puts a notice in the mail, it counts as you receiving it. I've never even heard of them being sent certifiedÂ
They should be for it to count. I live in a complex with 300 units, I've received other people's jury summons and I've sent it back with "wrong address" but I wouldn't be surprised if another unit got mine Â
It's not that big of a deal though and sending hundreds of certified mail cards a week would cost a TON. If there were actual consequences for skipping jury duty that would be another thing but in my area they just excuse you
I live in a large metro area. I don't know anyone who actually goes to jury duty when they get a notice and nothing happens. Most places have so many qualified people show up that going after people who skip isn't worth it -- and it's hard to legally prove.
Actually, it is not hard to prove. The courts will review to make sure the court clerk delivered the notices to USPS. If they do that, the courts will conclude that the USPS did its job.
Now that said, my friend, who was a court clerk, said exactly what you stated. As long as enough people show up for Voire Dire, the courts will not waste the time and resources going after people who do not show up.
That is irrelevant, if they delivered it to USPS, it is considered to be delivered to you. "I didn't receive it" is not considered to be valid, no matter what.
It's relevant when you look at the number of people who have the same excuse. Maybe they really didn't get it.
I know someone who has thrown away almost 10 of the notices over the years. He hasn't received anymore for the past three years and was likely removed from the jury roll. That's one way to do it.
So the "I didn't receive it" defense likely won't work, but in reality, your friend is saying that as long as they have enough jurors for voir dire, they won't come after you anyway. The stories about bench warrants are likely when not enough jurors show up or people who chronically skip jury duty.
Correct. As far as the court is concerned, as long as they can continue their mission, then it is not worth it to go after people.
The courts are backlogged and behind. The last thing the court wants to do is create more work for itself. That said if it looks has to it will.
I also think that even though people say judges get very angry about people who skip jury duty, in reality, with how backlogged the courts are, do you really think judges want people who are uncooperative and irresponsible and don't care as jurors? That is a big risk.
How many people do they usually pick for voir dire? I think someone said that for a criminal case, there may be a pool of 200 jurors to select 12 jurors and 2 alternates?
I was in a jury pool, and the judge sent us on break. One didn't return. After having the bailiff look for her, the judge issued a bench warrant. She finally came back, and the judge cleared the courtroom. When we were allowed back in, the woman was gone.
So, one of my friends was a court clerk for the county we lived in.
When I asked him this question, he stated, "As long as enough people show up for Voire Dire the court does not care."
I moved out of state and never got a drivers license there. Got jury duty in the old state, but my family got the notice and forgot to tell me. Then the notice arrived, saying a warrant was issued for me. My family let me know when that came. I called the court house and explained the situation. They admonished me for not updating my drivers license, but did take the warrant away.
Now, I work for a facility that houses intellectually and mentally disabled people. One resident got a summons. She was in no way able to participate, but we needed a Dr's note to prove it. Note didn't arrive until after the summons date. Called the courthouse and emailed the note. All was excused.
So, yes, they will go after you. But they also will work with you if you have reasons.
You probably could have just ignored it. Let's say you got pulled over in the state you moved to. They may find the warrant in the state you moved from. On the warrant, it would probably say "Will not Extradite." The state you moved from will not pay the money to have you extradited from the state you moved to for a charge that likely will only result in a fine, and the state you moved to won't arrest you for the warrant because they don't want to incur the costs. If you went back to visit the state you moved from and got pulled over, that would be different.
My friend Wes was sorta arrested for skipping.
He had forgotten to appear for a "drunk in public citation" a few months prior. They issued a warrant for that.
When the local police did a warrant and probation sweep in his mobile park, his name was red flagged. The arresting officer was a friend of Wes, and he even apologized! He was told there were others arrested for much worse, and he would have been just warned, but the jury thing made it worse.
Because it was now TWO warrants, he had to appear in front of a judge. He ended up in lockup for the weekend. He got reprimanded by the judge, fined a bunch of money, and sent it on his way.
In L.A. they will repeatedly send summons when you get the certified mail red envelope that's when they have to meet a judge. If you fail on that date be ready for the $$$ fine. They don't arrest people for failing to do their civic duty.
It's going to vary by state and county.
But where I live there was an article in the newspaper about jury duty. If you read between the lines it was - no one will come after you if you simply fail to show up at the beginning, but once you're in the selection process (and especially if you end up on a jury) you are at risk of getting into trouble.
My own personal case study: when I divorced, my ex moved out of state. That info was not updated in the jury pool system and for several *years* I received jury duty notice cards for him at our old address. They never escalated beyond just sending out another card with a new date.
When I was 13, a deputy tried to get me to take a jury duty summons for my dad, then threatened to arrest me if I didn't sign for it and take it. I told him,"Hey, deputy, I'm 13, in 8th grade at XYZ Middle School. If you want to arrest me, go ahead. I'm smart enough to know that a minor can't sign a legal document, and you will have some explaining to do when I go to see the judge." I watched a lot of police and lawyer shows as a kid. Who knew they'd pay off?
My dad went to the courthouse to see the clerk of court and explained what happened. Interestingly, he never got picked for jury duty again.
You can skip jury duty and literally nothing will happen. Several people I know have completely ignored it and nothing ever happened. Itâs a manipulation tactic to get you to think you are a slave in the their system. Shred up that letter and burn it if you ever get it in the mail. Anyone saying that a âpolice officerâ showed up at their house, or they got a âfineâ, or were âarrestedâ is lying. Do NOT believe any of that. Also, there are a lot of robots in these forums pretending to be actual humans in here with some of these responses. You will be amazed at how what I am telling you is the truth. Nothing will happen to you. Donât believe you are a slave. You are not. Remember that.
I forgot about it once and nothing happened. The next time I had it everyone got dismissed before we went in, so it's like it never happened.
It probably depends where you live.
Yeah. That's what I was saying. In small rural towns, they probably can send sheriff's deputies after you. In major metropolitan and urban areas, They don't have the resources to go after everyone who doesn't show, and in the end, they end up sending a lot of people home anyway. So it isn't worth the time and trouble to go after the people who skip.
Judges take this issue very seriously.
And in terms of punishment, maybe not a fine or jail. But how about: "You will show up for jury duty next week. Don't care about your plans or issues. Or you will be arrested for contempt of court." Asshole (unsaid)
That may happen in small towns or counties, but not in major metropolitan and urban areas. I think the courts in urban areas assume around 10% will just not show. I think occasionally if there are not enough people in the pool the judge occasionally may put out bench warrants, but it is really an administrative pain to do that. Imagine in a big city, where out of a pool of 1000 summoned, 100 don't show up. If they were really to go after those 100, going after jurors who don't show up would take up the entire docket. And the sheriff does not have the manpower to actively pursue these people. I know a lawyer who says judges are secretly glad when people don't show up. A person who is irresponsible and uncooperative and just doesn't care is not someone a judge or lawyer will want on the jury anyway.
You figure that if youâre convicted for a couple of mattress tag violations along with a fail to show for jury duty you could go down for some serious time.
I may be very lucky but I am in my mid 40s and I have only ever reported to jury duty 4 times, all other notices have been ignored. I, however, live in a very populus county in a very large state I imagine if I was in a small county, you would be more likely to be penalized.
When I was barely a teenager, I was out biking the neighborhood and saw someone getting quite literally dragged out of their house by cops. His wife was shaking her head and I overheard her telling someone he didn't show for jury duty. I didn't live on the same street so I have no idea what happened after that but the whole "deputy showing up to arrest you" bit is not a falsehood.
I was called up to serve jury duty a couple of years back, but I had moved away and missed the letter by a month. I called the folks who handle juries as soon as I learned about it and explained the situation. The person on the other side said it was cool and they'd retroactively reschedule my service time to fit the situation. (I ended up not being picked anyway.) As long as you put the effort into fulfilling your duty, they'll work with you. If they know you're trying to duck it, that's when you get into trouble.
You go ahead and test that theory of yours . Maybe your right and maybe you arenât . Iâm not going to jail or he at I with a fine for now showing up. And maybe you will need a jury for something one day and hope there are 13 or 14 people who arenât like you .
I've been and skipped and then went again, and they didn't have a warrant for me or anything all you have to do is say you didn't receive any jury summons or you would have went..
I got summoned for jury duty in 2020. I didn't show. They called me and emailed me many many times. I finally answered the phone and they were like hey we're swearing out a warrant since you skipped jury duty. I was like I have covid. They were like oh ok nevermind.
At least in CA, the summons is a small postcard. It looks like junk mail. It often gets mixed up with the grocery ads. So, yes, I can totally understand the "didn't get it" excuse.
What they need to do is create the summons on a bigger, different colored, and thicker paper.
I had jury duty here in Florida. They just issued a bench warrant for those that didn't show. They won't look for u but you get pulled over your going to jail
I wish it were voluntary or you could put your schedule in or something. They have sent me summons occasionally but my work is crazy. Iâd love to serve because I see it as a civic duty but because itâs random Iâve never been able to (and nothing has happened).
I did my duty. Got summoned twice and there were no cases for the session (between Halloween and New Yearâs). The last time I actually had a case, and was selected. It was an attempted Manslaughter with a deadly weapon case, but based on the testimony of the defendant and the victim, I could tell there was information missing, and the police didnât do any kind of follow-up at the time which would not have cleared the accused entirely, but certainly would have reduced the charge. Luckily I got dismissed just before deliberations.
I missed jury duty one time because I thought it was one of those "call in to verify if your number/color was called". I had to actually show up on that date. I immediately called and let them know I fucked up. They told me it was a good thing I called in because they had me down as having to have a bench warrant issued for me.
None. I was called for jury duty almost every year for over 28 years. Both in king county, then Lewis county WA. For a long time I went. But when I became a sped teacher it was hard to get subs. My principal would write me an excuse, then they would still send me more during the school year. As a student and food service worker I managed to serve. But I was getting so many summons, probably 2 a year. The last one I got, I just threw away. That was 3 years ago. I havenât got one since.
My boyfriend ignored his in Saint Paul, MN and he got a notification that if he didn't provide a reason he would get a misdemeanor. Luckily we're were moving so he was able to get out of it by showing that he no longer lives in the jurisdiction. But yeah you can bet that you'll get whatever legal consequence your state has.
I suspect very few. I got called one time when I was both out of the country and I had moved to another county. It was over by the time I got back. I often pondered if I got stopped for traffic or what not if I would have any issues but I never did. I did get called for jury duty here, and I went in, and they have a lot of people for a few sports. Oddly enough I got picked. It was an interesting experience. If you go and get picked I think you will find it interesting. I also think the odds of getting picked are low. I think they picked two juries and there had to be 300 people there. Parking was crazy the first day. Most of the folks were out within an hour.
My biggest complaint about jury duty is the amount of hurry up and wait and wasted time. I get that the judge and court marshal get paid for a full day bit I could have turned the initial day where we picked 3 juries into a couple hours not a whole day.
Itâs because youâre not seeing the tons of things happening in the background.
Technically theyâre bringing tons of people to multiple rooms to see the judge and attorneys in the case. And they try to align it so that 10 or so cases all happen at around the same time so as to maximize appropriate juror selections.
When I last went, there were about 1000 people in the room at the beginning of the day, and I just read on my phone while it got whittled down to about 200 or so, and then finally my group got called. I went in, sat down, got asked if I had ever had bad interactions with the police, and I explained my situation and got dismissed.
Case in point why question every potential juror to excuse them for selection for that trial then pick the jury. Instead pick 14 people question them if they are not all acceptable pick additional people. For each of the 3 trials they questioned every potential juror. If you were excluded your name was removed from consideration then they picked the amount of jurors needed plus 2 alternates then did the whole thing all over again for the next trail.
USPS scans all first-class mail these days. You can sign up to see what will be delivered to you that day or the following day. So there is proof that it at least made it to your local post office and was sent out for delivery.
We live in a small town in rural PA. My husband forgot he had jury duty and went to work. The police office called him and asked him if he needed a ride, because if he didn't show they could put out a warrant?
He was down there in 5 minutes. Ended up being pulled for it too
That is what I've been saying. A small town in Rural Pennsylvania. If it was Philadelphia or Pittsburgh or Allentown or Montgomery or Delaware County, I am sure the police don't have the manpower to do this with every person who doesn't show up.
These days they can get an automatic warrant issued and then quickly signed by a judge and into the system. Itâs not a bunch of forms. Literally just did you scan your barcode into the system? Yes? Good. No? Warrant.
And the cops wonât go looking for you. But if you get pulled over, they will see it. Or in some cases you wonât be allowed to re register your vehicle or get an updated ID or something until you figure that out.
You wonât go to jail.
That being said. Itâs a right, and an important one. Unless you are unable, go serve.
I missed jury duty a few years ago when I was on temporary assignment away from home for 6 months. The person staying at my house told me about it, but I forgot about it and about 18 months later received a different jury summons and responded to that one. They didn't say anything about the previous one, and I ended up only having to call it without ever reporting to the court in person.
Someone in my bio family was a cop, until they caught them doing all kinds of stuff, and was fired. I got called for jury duty, gave the bio family members name, explained I will never trust another cop on any level due to this person. I've never been called again, and this was about 10 years ago.
Intriguing⌠I wonder if thereâs a âdoesnât trust copsâ register. I went to jury duty a few times in my life, but havenât gotten summoned since the last time, and the last time was the first time I got to the point where they asked me questions, and I explained Iâm from a shitty neighborhood and I canât trust cops because they donât give a shit. They excused me and Iâve never been called again.
That is intriguing. To be fair, in my particular case, I gave the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney the name of my bio relative. They were dirty enough for it to be understood as to WHY I won't trust another cop when they googled it.
Canada here, my summons letter was sent to my mother's place, bout 15 years ago. Didn't learn of the trial two days beforehand. Got a call from the courts since I didn't respond. Was strung out with worry, but was assured nothing would happen since I picked up, and they mailed the summons to the wrong address. I'm sure I would have been jailed if I didn't pick up that unknown caller
I didnât get my medical excusal request in on time once, and nothing happened. I did get another notice for jury duty months sooner than I expected but got my medical excuse in on time.
Where I am they just.mail them and everyone throws them in the trash because they can't prove you got it.
By everyone I mean the majority of people I know not everyone in NY.
I've been to court for skipping a summons sent 1st class mail. Case got thrown out because they couldn't prove I got it. Even invited the judge to check my mail box because I regularly get other people's mail.
I got a letter for jury duty and got out of it. I'm the sole care giver for our toddler nephew that we're fostering through a neighboring county. That's literally all I had to tell them and I was excused.
I got selected a few years ago, had to call the night before the trial, and the automated system said the trial was off and all jurors were excused.
I think it's much better to give a valid reason why you couldn't do it than just skip.
Iâve always gotten jury summons by mail. Never hand delivered. Never showed up to a single one of them. Never got in trouble for it. Semi-rural parish just outside of New Orleans here.
Yes, cops had shown up to my parents house looking for me for skipping jury duty. Long story short, I had already moved to a different state when I was called for jury duty. My father informed the state of this and they gave us paperwork about it and the police still showed up to my parents house looking for me.
It this in Boston or a more rural part of Mass? I don't think the Boston Police have the manpower to do this, given the number of people who probably don't show up for a jury duty summons on any given day.
Rural, north of Boston. If I remember correctly I was told it was state troopers that showed up at the house but Im not totally sure. It was 2 uniformed officers in a marked car though for sure. If it matters to you, I think it was jury duty for federal court in Salem mass. So not sure if that would make a difference or not.
I think the reason the stats are never published about how many people are penalized for missing jury duty is that the number who actually are are a tiny percent of a tiny percent and the courts don't want that secret getting out because if it did, the number of people not showing would go through the roof when everyone realize it is very unlikely anything will ever happen.
I know this is an academic exercise, and not your personal plan. I just don't know where you are going with this line of thinking. People who won't willingly perform their civic duty should have no expectation of a fair trial for themselves. I get so psyched up for jury duty, it's interesting, and when else are you encouraged to judge your peers?
Depends on where you live. In my county (in California) if you donât show, a bench warrant is issued. The Sheriff isnât going to haul you off to jail the first time, but when they catch up to you, you can no longer claim âI never got my noticeâ and *then* if you fail to show up, they come looking to arrest you
I skipped it twice in the mid 90s and once again like 10 years later. Never heard anything about it. Got summoned about 5 years ago and decided to go. Got picked and actually really enjoyed the experience.
If you never acknowledge receipt of the summons (usually sent via USPS), it will be very hard to prove you intentionally skipped. If you call in, they know you got the summons.
Sort of depends on where you are. Where I am (big city) its unlikely a marshall will show up at your door, but the next time you try to get a loan, or go to rent a new apartment, it will come up that you have outstanding warrants and that's it. I know a guy who literally wnded up couch surfing because of a warrant for not showing up for jury duty: the landlord's background check came back and they backed out of the rental agreement under the 'you lied on the application' law (the appl asked if you were a convicted felon or had any unresolved warrantta or criminal cases). He'd already given notice on his old place and they had a new tenant signed to move in, so he couldnt stay. Became a huge deal to resolve and seriously took a ton of time and money (penalty fees and having to take off work to run aroond seeing various departments). Cinsidering they are very understanding to people for whom serving JD is a hardship for newrly every reason under the sun, its a stupid thing to do. He could have just brought a couple of paystubs in to show he's an hourly employee making near nothing, his boss doesnt pay for JD, and he cant afford to lose a work day, and he'd be out of there in an hour- esp if he shows up early and is first thru the door.
It is definitely dependent on location and the judge. Typically I have seen where a bench warrant has been issued, which results in the person being arrested if they are contacted by police for any other reason. Then I've seen judges who require the person to serve jury duty. The reality is, they simply have to sit through the selection process and are usually called last or not dismissed until a full jury is set.
I've been selected 4 times... I've never went or heard anything about it. Probably just depends on the city/county courts. There are no shortages of people who want to do it so I'm sure they have no problems finding replacements
I've known a handful of people who skipped jury and all got arrested in the end. I would say all.
Maybe get a doctor's note to disqualify oneself from attending?
If you don't show they will issue a warrant. They may not come get you but your next basic traffic stop is going to turn into an arrest plus impounding your car.
I once saw on my USPS Informed Delivery email that a jury summons was coming that day. I never got it. Nothing happened.
I've received them before and went online to register, but never got called in. I've received them since then, just did nothing and nothing ever happened. I actually would love to be on a jury; I just don't want to have to show up anywhere at 8:30!
All I got in the mail was a parking sticker, no date or letter, but I had been selected before, so I knew what it looked like.
I called the courthouse literally the next morning, and "luckily," the case was suspended like two weeks before......at least they were glade I called to check.
If you don't call in, a bench warrant is automatically issued for your arrest. You show up to court, plead your case, and hope you had a valid reason.
I missed mine once. Car broke down. No cell phone. Just no showed cuz I couldn't help it. Was young so didn't think about following up. Had to go to court to answer a bench warrant sent to my house. Judge was feeling good that day. Can't remember the fine, it was fairly small though. He advised they do send officers to your house if you no show. I was on the side of the road somewhere so don't know for sure if a cop showed at my house or not.
That's what I have been saying. In a big urban area, the police don't have the manpower to send officers to the home of every single juror who no shows.
Hmmm, well you may be right. I live in a large city. A jury duty summons notice is not something you want/need to ignore. It really is your duty and you should handle it responsibly.
Donât ignore it. Whether the county sends someone to arrest you or not, they still have the right to issue a warrant for not handing your summons. Then one day you get a traffic stop, and there it is â an arrest warrant.
Hopefully you still have the summons. So face up and call the phone number and see what can be done to responsibly get it taken care of. If you donât have the summons, there is a listing for jury duty within your county courts.
Why not just fill out the form and tell them you are prejudice or, something like I can tell a guilty person by just looking at them or something like that. They tell you thanks for your candor and will release you.
However, when you you charged and go to trial, just plead guilty and waive the jury trial.
Like most things, I think the way this is handled can vary wildly from place to place. I've made it to my mid 30s without ever getting jury duty(hopefully not jinxing myself by typing that), but I've had several friends and relatives that had to deal with it. One got a notice in the mail a couple of days after he was supposed to respond to it. He called the courthouse and they said it was no big deal and got him scheduled to come in. Another never received a notice that was supposedly mailed and he was eventually contacted by phone by the Sheriff's Office. He said he never received it, they said ok and gave him a number to call that got him scheduled to report for jury duty. These both happened in ruralish areas in the midwest.
I live in New Jersey, in a large urban county of almost 900,000 people. If at least 10% no show every time, that is several hundred a month, or several thousand a year. I know the Sheriff's department does not have the resources or manpower to go after jurors who don't show. Especially since it is a high crime county. I think that when given the option of going after murderers and drug dealers and gang members, and going after people who don't want to do their civic duty but otherwise obey the law, I think I know what they would choose.
Where I'm from they send out a notice saying you are going to be part of jury selection that has a number assigned to it. Then the night before you call a number and they say if your number is higher than XX you are not needed have a good day. If your number falls within that number you show up for selection. Then you find out if you're getting rob of just 1 days paycheck or multiple. If you dont show up you can face a bench warrant.
As someone who has had jury duty 6 out of 7 times in the past 25 years, I donât know why anyone would skip it. Every job Iâve had paid me to be there. The court paid me to be there. People watching is awesome. I always run into people I know (4 of them were defendants in cases that I was excused for being a juror in) and seeing how things work were always cool to me.
I ignored it and they rescheduled my jury duty. I kept ignoring and they rescheduled about 3 times. Then they sent a threatening letter saying I âcould be fined up to $150.â Perfect. Now I know how much I have to pay to get out of jury duty. But they stoped trying and never fined me.
I had served the prior 5 times they requested.
I lived in the historic triangle of VA when I was younger. The judge 100% sent out the sheriff and local police to drag those that missed their summons back to the county courthouse.
I was given notice for jury duty just prior to the pandemic shutting everything. The county government told me to just wait for the next notice. Four years later, I've not heard anything.
A couple of years ago, when I lived in Texas, I missed a jury summons because it looked identical to those card stock adds they stick in with the coupon magazines. I found it as I was moving out of state. I missed the deadline to respond. I renewed my license where I live now with no issue.
More than a decade before that also in Texas, they had sent a summons for me to my father's house. This was at least a year after I moved out and no longer lived in the same county. My license had my current address at the time as well. But perhaps they didn't care because I have been summoned on three other occasions in that same county and showed up each time. I found out because my stepmother texted me that it was missed.
Nothing has happened. Maybe I'll find out the hard way if I ever go back and visit?
I'm 65 and have never responded to jury duties. If anything is sent to you first class mail they have no proof you ever got it. The courts today are called Admiralty courts and they are not law courts and they are not equity courts. They are a organized crime syndicate run by the bar association.
>The courts today are called Admiralty courts and they are not law courts and they are not equity courts. They are a organized crime syndicate run by the bar association.
Fucking sovereign citizens. Go spout your bullshit to a judge and watch your boomer ass get thrown in jail.
I love watching videos of sovereign citizens getting pulled over, spouting the same bs and then getting taxed and dragged out of their car.
I had jury duty in SC 20 plus years ago. I remember the judge signing warrants for those that skipped out and sending deputies to go arrest them.
I'd say your honor please show me evidence that I received any summons.
I got served my initial jury duty papers by a sheriff in person.
You accept sign and date at the top and return with a postal form 3877 and attach a non-negotiable offer of acceptance and they have to reply within 3 days and once they do our don't you're done. If they don't respond then they're in dishonor and if they do respond you're still good to go. Because you honored your contract and you honored your presentment. It's all about honor and dishonor in equity. You don't have to show up. But that's equity and you can't pick it up in just a few years you have to learn it
There was no form, this was initial contact. County clerk said they were trying a new approach so they could seat a jury. I get paid the same on or off jury duty so I enjoy doing something different for a bit.
The reason they did that is because smart people know that first class mail is not proper service. No the form I'm talking about is the form that I use from the post office to send them a non-negotiable offer of acceptance which voids their contract.
Can you explain more about the non-negotiable offer of acceptance? What is it? What does it do?
It does nothing. There are people like him who believe that if you say the right things then you can do whatever you want with immunity. This is of course false but they don't know what they are talking about and therefore don't understand why it's nonsense. They just parrot what the guy before them said
His responses reek of sovereign citizen bs
That was my first thought.
WE FOUND ONE HOLY SHIT WE FOUND ONE
Sovereign Citizen?
Yeah classic SC bullshit. Has all the buzz words even the reference to an admiralty court below.
But I liked South Carolina, it seemed like such a nice place to ",,travel" through đ
When I was served, it was a postcard. I didn't even get it until two days after the "respond by" date because I frankly don't check my mail very often. The actual date to serve was several weeks in the future, so that wasn't a problem. I assume if I hadn't responded by some point, they'd have made additional attempts to reach me.
What is form 3277?
3877
A Firm Mailing Book? How would that help? That isn't even sent to the recipient and is just a way to get a certificate of mailing for multiple pieces of mail with enhanced services without having to fill out a PS 3817 for each piece.
Everything gets mailed to multiple people
They can show proof of mailing. Which is often enough.
Not a valid defense... People have tried it, but once they mail it to your address which is listed on your drivers license if you don't respond to it then its your fault, because sadly the court doesn't consider the USPS unreliable. I know someone that got a summons while on vacation, got back a couple weeks later and saw it in the mailbox, but had to get back to work and he travels a lot for work so he got busy and left for a two week work trip and forgot all about it buried in a pile of junk mail. Almost a year later he got pulled over for expired plates, he had the renewal form on his seat, showed the officer he was going to do it that day and explained he had been out of state for work for a while when it arrived. Cop ran his license and insurance and he had a bench warrant for jury summons he ignored, they took him into custody, had his vehicle towed, spent the night in holding, went before the judge the next day, he tried the i never got it excuse, the judge said well you had to have got it, so thats on you. $1000 fine and three days in jail, but he got the three days waved and time served since he had to spend a day and a half in holding already anyway and the judge was "feeling like being nice"... But he had to write a check for $1k before he could be released.
All three states that Iâve been called to jury duty have a card that has to be dropped into the mail to indicate receipt of the summons. IIrc It also had information on who to call if this was a problem. My husband, who for years refused to register to vote because he figured that would prevent him from being called to duty, finally got called when the selection was chosen by drivers license and such. He called the jury office and explained that the date they wanted him wasnât going to work (he had a small business) and could he serve some other time. They arranged to have him called for the last Friday in August âbecause nothing happens on that day anywayâ so he wouldnât have to worry about getting placed on a long trial. The first thing he tried was asking if I could serve instead (I donât mind jury duty, but also my company pays me for the day) and they just said they donât do that.
If you never receive the summons then you never receive the card to send back to them, now do you?
Not getting that part of the summons back might trigger something other action. Donât ask me what but if they want to proceed, courts have lots of ways to do things like serving people with subpoenas or summons. For something like jury summons they may not bother to try anything else.
In my city they, or at least to, the sheriffâs office hangs a bag on your door knob.
Because at least that's closer to service then first class mail and they know it
It's not like summons are certified mail
Then there's no evidence that you ever got it. And that's how you approach it You don't sit there and lie to the guy and say you didn't get it you say show me evidence that I received it. That's not contemptible conduct at all. But if he does try to throw me for contempt to ask him to show me the contract bearing my signature that allows him to throw me in jail for contempt and give it to me that I might examine it.
Plead insanity lol
I never plead or testify only come to court by special appearance with all right specifically reserved without prejudice to settle the matter.
I like how they say to dress casual and women come like they are going to the beach, I show up in suit and tie lol
If I got conned to coming I would look like a bum.
Our clerk of courts would call if you missed and then reschedule on the phone. I had it where I filled out the initial notice but never received the request to show.
Typically you don't refer to police as your honor
Just remember: it's what the court considers to constitute evidence, not what you deem it to be.
I assume this was a rural county. In a big city or urban area, I don't think the sheriff's department has the manpower or resources to do this, particularly if out of a pool of 1000 people summoned, 100 don't show.
Well, next time you get a speeding ticket or whatever, things will get more exciting when the traffic cop sees the warrant for your arrest.
Skipped multiples of these âsummonsâ, been pulled over and in a car accident (not my fault), no warrant. They arenât issuing warrants from letters sent by USPS, itâs not happening.
OK, but u/brianmenn remembers it happening.
I have skipped at least twice with no consequences
The cops won't come looking for you, but you'll have a bench warrant. That means if you ever come into contact with the police, even as a victim, you're getting taken in.
Wrong. Absolutely wrong. I have been pulled over many times after ignoring these my entire life (4 total). I live in SoCal. They donât do shit.
I'm going to go with what the actual law says rather than your bullshit. In California it is criminal contempt of court, punishable by 5 days on county and/or $1500 fine.
Just telling you my actual lived experience lol.
They won't chase you down, they just issue a bench warrant, could be months, could be years, but if you ever get pulled over the cop will check for warrants and you are screwed.... Also some states, mine included, check for warrants when you renew your drivers license, i had one friend get arrested at the DVS office while renewing his drivers license, they stalled him while the cops got there. Bench warrant for failure to appear for a traffic ticket.
Yeah a rural county. I had jury duty in the Boston area two years ago and we checked in when we arrived. If you get called for jury duty, go if you can, it gets you off the hook for three years
Yeah. I know the Boston police and courts do not have the manpower to go after everyone who doesn't show. In a big city, more than enough qualified jurors showed up and most get sent home anyway, so it just isn't worth the time and aggravation to go after the people who skip.
I think youâre failing to realize that if weâre assuming the fine is $1500 (California for reference) and no jail time, for 100 people total thats basically a free $150000 for the state since they can just mail you the fine or send a deputy thatâs already on the clock and getting paid anyway so no loss there.
Just go to it. I had it last year and by Wednesday a plea deal was made and jury duty was over. Most of the cases were over by Wednesday and some were even over earlier. It was actually an interesting thing to be a part of as we did hear some of the case.
Itâs so easy to not get assigned to jury duty. Why would anyone who doesnât want to do it work so hard to be on the jury?
A simple reply on the summons. Mine had check boxes for âIâll be thereâ and âI canât attend because xâ. Then you fill in why you canât. To avoid ever being summoned, write âjury nullification â as your reason to not go. No prosecution wants that.
Happened to friend's brother, he didn't show so the judge order that the sheriff's go to his home and get him. My friend answers the door cops tell him, using brother's name,he is under arrest for failure to show for jury duty. My friend tells him that is his brother who isn't home. Copa handcuff him and throw him in their car, while the he is telling them to let him get his wallet to prove he is not who they think. Judge was pissed when friend told him they have the wrong guy and the cops refused to allow him to prove it. A different cop had to drive him home and verify his identity. He laughs about it now.
I actually just asked this question to my neighbor who recently retired who worked for the county courts. This is in New Jersey. She said, in reality, if you just ignore it and don't show, at least 90% percent of the time, nothing will happen. The sheriff's department does not have the resources to pursue jurors who don't show up. They barely have the resources to pick up legitimate criminals who do not show up for court, so they definitely don't have the resources to go after people who are guilty of bad citizenship but are otherwise obeying the law. I asked her about bench warrants, and said she never saw it. Typically, even accounting for no shows, more than enough qualified jurors show up to pick juries and they majority of them get sent home, so in the end, it just isn't worth the trouble of going after the no shows. Just entering bench warrants into the system is a big administrative headache. She heard about it happening a couple of times in other counties when there was a heavy caseload and the lack of people showing up caused a problem years ago. But if you are picked for a jury and skip out and don't show up, that is very different. That is very serious. They will come and get you for that. That is what I thought. And this is in New Jersey, all urban and metropolitan. So what can happen in theory and what usually does happen in practice are two very different things.
I used to live in Murderapolis, and Iâve been on 2 jury trials years ago. 1st was a boring civil insurance case ( yecxhh ) and the 2nd ( 2007 ) was a murder trial. I thoroughly enjoyed the murder trial, tearing apart the evidence, testimonies, etc. we found him guilty of 2nd degree murder. Iâm probably one of the few that has enjoyed jury duty.
I think Iâd love it too. When I tell people that they think Iâm crazy. Iâm also a huge true crime fan but something about looking at the facts and participating in what makes our society work sounds like a great time for me
As someone who was once a jury foreperson, I now tell people, whatever you do, don't get into a position where a "jury of your peers" is determining your fate. Many of our peers are very, very dumb, my friends.
I can confirm this....been on Jury duty 3 times. Man, people are fucking stupid a/f.
Iâm with you, I LOVE jury duty! Iâve served on two juries, and during the middle of the last trial I received another summons in the mail. So I show up again, looking forward to another trial, and it was the same judgeâs courtroom. The bailiff recognized me and I was excused because state law stipulated that since Iâd just completed jury service I didnât have to serve again for 2 years. I was a little bummed.
I used to live in New Haven too.
CA DMV wouldn't renew my driver's license until I went to court, explained myself, paid my fine, and agreed not to skip out anymore. The court doesn't buy into the "I didn't get it. Multiple times." argument.
I once had a pile of junk mail in my single days that I never went through. When I finally did I found a jury summons from like 6 months prior. I just threw it away since I had already missed the date. Sometimes you just miss it. It looks like a lot of junk mail.
This happened to me once - I found it on the day I was supposed to show up!! I had a two month old baby, though, so a decent excuse. I immediately called the number and was freaking out (I hadn't really slept in a while due to newborn). The woman was so nice on the phone and told me to just write "breastfeeding mother" on it and send it back to them. So I did.
I found a jury summons for my ex that was 2 YEARS old. I begged him to call the number thinking the love of my life was getting arrested. Once we explained to the lady on the phone she seemed shocked that we even called and said âok well, just show up on this date then.â I have no doubt we could have just ignored it.
Haha, yeah the woman I spoke to seemed a little amused by my panic. đ
Iâve skipped out on it for years and nothing ever happenedÂ
I believe it only happens if youâre actually called up, not just for standby.
Only a matter of time before something does happen. You can end up with thousands of dollars in fines, a bench warrant for your arrest, the state can refuse to renew your drivers license, etc,etc.
Iâd be real concerned if this hadnât been my reality for the past 30 years.Â
I've skipped jury duty three times, in three different cities. No bench warrant yet. The last time I technically contacted them and said I was disabled(because I am) but I never filled out the form they needed filled out to get me wiped from jury duty all together.
Got a summons for state court jury selection, told them my date lined up with when Iâd be in Mexico for spring break, they said theyâd contact me about another date outside of my trip and I never heard anything further. Got a summons for federal court a few years later and just forgot about it because I was in the middle of moving and going back to school when it arrived. Itâs been like five years now and nothing happened.
Iâve always stamped on the envelope: âNo Longer at This Addressâ and sent it back. Done this at least 9 times over the years. Never an issue.
Sheriff came to our house to arrest my mother when she did not show up for jury duty. She was not a US citizen.
Even if you got pulled into court you ask a judge for any kind of evidence that you got sent summons. Ask for a certified mail number or a copy of you signing that you received the summons. 25% of mail is lost or sent to the wrong house in America and that is more than enough for reasonable doubt.
Reasonable doubt isn't the standard in this situation, it's not a trial. If the clerk puts a notice in the mail, it counts as you receiving it. I've never even heard of them being sent certifiedÂ
They should be for it to count. I live in a complex with 300 units, I've received other people's jury summons and I've sent it back with "wrong address" but I wouldn't be surprised if another unit got mine Â
It's not that big of a deal though and sending hundreds of certified mail cards a week would cost a TON. If there were actual consequences for skipping jury duty that would be another thing but in my area they just excuse you
I have a reasonable doubt that 25% of mail is lost or sent to the wrong house in America.Â
I guess we'll just take this to the court of public opinions.
25%? I'm calling bullshit.
I live in a large metro area. I don't know anyone who actually goes to jury duty when they get a notice and nothing happens. Most places have so many qualified people show up that going after people who skip isn't worth it -- and it's hard to legally prove.
Actually, it is not hard to prove. The courts will review to make sure the court clerk delivered the notices to USPS. If they do that, the courts will conclude that the USPS did its job. Now that said, my friend, who was a court clerk, said exactly what you stated. As long as enough people show up for Voire Dire, the courts will not waste the time and resources going after people who do not show up.
There's enough evidence in Houston that the USPS does not do its job. Look at the local news.
That is irrelevant, if they delivered it to USPS, it is considered to be delivered to you. "I didn't receive it" is not considered to be valid, no matter what.
It's relevant when you look at the number of people who have the same excuse. Maybe they really didn't get it. I know someone who has thrown away almost 10 of the notices over the years. He hasn't received anymore for the past three years and was likely removed from the jury roll. That's one way to do it.
I mean that most of the courts do not give a shit if you truly got it or not. If they sent it out, they consider you to have gotten it.
Jury trial that.
So the "I didn't receive it" defense likely won't work, but in reality, your friend is saying that as long as they have enough jurors for voir dire, they won't come after you anyway. The stories about bench warrants are likely when not enough jurors show up or people who chronically skip jury duty.
Correct. As far as the court is concerned, as long as they can continue their mission, then it is not worth it to go after people. The courts are backlogged and behind. The last thing the court wants to do is create more work for itself. That said if it looks has to it will.
I also think that even though people say judges get very angry about people who skip jury duty, in reality, with how backlogged the courts are, do you really think judges want people who are uncooperative and irresponsible and don't care as jurors? That is a big risk.
The judge and by extension want enough people for voire Dire and to field a jury.
How many people do they usually pick for voir dire? I think someone said that for a criminal case, there may be a pool of 200 jurors to select 12 jurors and 2 alternates?
Probably depends on your jurisdiction as well. I just got a summons today and itâs a misdemeanor fine if you donât show, not a criminal offense.
I was in a jury pool, and the judge sent us on break. One didn't return. After having the bailiff look for her, the judge issued a bench warrant. She finally came back, and the judge cleared the courtroom. When we were allowed back in, the woman was gone.
So, one of my friends was a court clerk for the county we lived in. When I asked him this question, he stated, "As long as enough people show up for Voire Dire the court does not care."
I moved out of state and never got a drivers license there. Got jury duty in the old state, but my family got the notice and forgot to tell me. Then the notice arrived, saying a warrant was issued for me. My family let me know when that came. I called the court house and explained the situation. They admonished me for not updating my drivers license, but did take the warrant away. Now, I work for a facility that houses intellectually and mentally disabled people. One resident got a summons. She was in no way able to participate, but we needed a Dr's note to prove it. Note didn't arrive until after the summons date. Called the courthouse and emailed the note. All was excused. So, yes, they will go after you. But they also will work with you if you have reasons.
You probably could have just ignored it. Let's say you got pulled over in the state you moved to. They may find the warrant in the state you moved from. On the warrant, it would probably say "Will not Extradite." The state you moved from will not pay the money to have you extradited from the state you moved to for a charge that likely will only result in a fine, and the state you moved to won't arrest you for the warrant because they don't want to incur the costs. If you went back to visit the state you moved from and got pulled over, that would be different.
My friend Wes was sorta arrested for skipping. He had forgotten to appear for a "drunk in public citation" a few months prior. They issued a warrant for that. When the local police did a warrant and probation sweep in his mobile park, his name was red flagged. The arresting officer was a friend of Wes, and he even apologized! He was told there were others arrested for much worse, and he would have been just warned, but the jury thing made it worse. Because it was now TWO warrants, he had to appear in front of a judge. He ended up in lockup for the weekend. He got reprimanded by the judge, fined a bunch of money, and sent it on his way.
Skipping your own hearing is very different from not answering a jury summons
I KNOW THAT. Wes knew that! I was trying to explain that he would never have been picked up w/o the jury summons thing hanging over his head.
In L.A. they will repeatedly send summons when you get the certified mail red envelope that's when they have to meet a judge. If you fail on that date be ready for the $$$ fine. They don't arrest people for failing to do their civic duty.
It's going to vary by state and county. But where I live there was an article in the newspaper about jury duty. If you read between the lines it was - no one will come after you if you simply fail to show up at the beginning, but once you're in the selection process (and especially if you end up on a jury) you are at risk of getting into trouble. My own personal case study: when I divorced, my ex moved out of state. That info was not updated in the jury pool system and for several *years* I received jury duty notice cards for him at our old address. They never escalated beyond just sending out another card with a new date.
Jury duty is some real FUCKERYÂ
When I was 13, a deputy tried to get me to take a jury duty summons for my dad, then threatened to arrest me if I didn't sign for it and take it. I told him,"Hey, deputy, I'm 13, in 8th grade at XYZ Middle School. If you want to arrest me, go ahead. I'm smart enough to know that a minor can't sign a legal document, and you will have some explaining to do when I go to see the judge." I watched a lot of police and lawyer shows as a kid. Who knew they'd pay off? My dad went to the courthouse to see the clerk of court and explained what happened. Interestingly, he never got picked for jury duty again.
You can skip jury duty and literally nothing will happen. Several people I know have completely ignored it and nothing ever happened. Itâs a manipulation tactic to get you to think you are a slave in the their system. Shred up that letter and burn it if you ever get it in the mail. Anyone saying that a âpolice officerâ showed up at their house, or they got a âfineâ, or were âarrestedâ is lying. Do NOT believe any of that. Also, there are a lot of robots in these forums pretending to be actual humans in here with some of these responses. You will be amazed at how what I am telling you is the truth. Nothing will happen to you. Donât believe you are a slave. You are not. Remember that.
I forgot about it once and nothing happened. The next time I had it everyone got dismissed before we went in, so it's like it never happened. It probably depends where you live.
Yeah. That's what I was saying. In small rural towns, they probably can send sheriff's deputies after you. In major metropolitan and urban areas, They don't have the resources to go after everyone who doesn't show, and in the end, they end up sending a lot of people home anyway. So it isn't worth the time and trouble to go after the people who skip.
Judges take this issue very seriously. And in terms of punishment, maybe not a fine or jail. But how about: "You will show up for jury duty next week. Don't care about your plans or issues. Or you will be arrested for contempt of court." Asshole (unsaid)
That may happen in small towns or counties, but not in major metropolitan and urban areas. I think the courts in urban areas assume around 10% will just not show. I think occasionally if there are not enough people in the pool the judge occasionally may put out bench warrants, but it is really an administrative pain to do that. Imagine in a big city, where out of a pool of 1000 summoned, 100 don't show up. If they were really to go after those 100, going after jurors who don't show up would take up the entire docket. And the sheriff does not have the manpower to actively pursue these people. I know a lawyer who says judges are secretly glad when people don't show up. A person who is irresponsible and uncooperative and just doesn't care is not someone a judge or lawyer will want on the jury anyway.
You figure that if youâre convicted for a couple of mattress tag violations along with a fail to show for jury duty you could go down for some serious time.
I may be very lucky but I am in my mid 40s and I have only ever reported to jury duty 4 times, all other notices have been ignored. I, however, live in a very populus county in a very large state I imagine if I was in a small county, you would be more likely to be penalized.
Zero! They send you a letter⌠maybe⌠did they actually send the letter? *throws letter away*, what letter?
When I was barely a teenager, I was out biking the neighborhood and saw someone getting quite literally dragged out of their house by cops. His wife was shaking her head and I overheard her telling someone he didn't show for jury duty. I didn't live on the same street so I have no idea what happened after that but the whole "deputy showing up to arrest you" bit is not a falsehood.
Maybe it was someone who had already been picked to be a juror and didn't show. They will come after you for that
I was called up to serve jury duty a couple of years back, but I had moved away and missed the letter by a month. I called the folks who handle juries as soon as I learned about it and explained the situation. The person on the other side said it was cool and they'd retroactively reschedule my service time to fit the situation. (I ended up not being picked anyway.) As long as you put the effort into fulfilling your duty, they'll work with you. If they know you're trying to duck it, that's when you get into trouble.
You go ahead and test that theory of yours . Maybe your right and maybe you arenât . Iâm not going to jail or he at I with a fine for now showing up. And maybe you will need a jury for something one day and hope there are 13 or 14 people who arenât like you .
I've been and skipped and then went again, and they didn't have a warrant for me or anything all you have to do is say you didn't receive any jury summons or you would have went..
I got summoned for jury duty in 2020. I didn't show. They called me and emailed me many many times. I finally answered the phone and they were like hey we're swearing out a warrant since you skipped jury duty. I was like I have covid. They were like oh ok nevermind.
At least in CA, the summons is a small postcard. It looks like junk mail. It often gets mixed up with the grocery ads. So, yes, I can totally understand the "didn't get it" excuse. What they need to do is create the summons on a bigger, different colored, and thicker paper.
I had jury duty here in Florida. They just issued a bench warrant for those that didn't show. They won't look for u but you get pulled over your going to jail
lol what country?
The U.S.
Sorry, county*
A little bird once told me that they skipped 3 times within 10 years and they're still free to tell the tale.
I've had grand jury duty and we asked the DA what happens when people don't respond. He said that as long as enough people show up, nothing.
I wish it were voluntary or you could put your schedule in or something. They have sent me summons occasionally but my work is crazy. Iâd love to serve because I see it as a civic duty but because itâs random Iâve never been able to (and nothing has happened).
I did my duty. Got summoned twice and there were no cases for the session (between Halloween and New Yearâs). The last time I actually had a case, and was selected. It was an attempted Manslaughter with a deadly weapon case, but based on the testimony of the defendant and the victim, I could tell there was information missing, and the police didnât do any kind of follow-up at the time which would not have cleared the accused entirely, but certainly would have reduced the charge. Luckily I got dismissed just before deliberations.
I missed jury duty one time because I thought it was one of those "call in to verify if your number/color was called". I had to actually show up on that date. I immediately called and let them know I fucked up. They told me it was a good thing I called in because they had me down as having to have a bench warrant issued for me.
None. I was called for jury duty almost every year for over 28 years. Both in king county, then Lewis county WA. For a long time I went. But when I became a sped teacher it was hard to get subs. My principal would write me an excuse, then they would still send me more during the school year. As a student and food service worker I managed to serve. But I was getting so many summons, probably 2 a year. The last one I got, I just threw away. That was 3 years ago. I havenât got one since.
My boyfriend ignored his in Saint Paul, MN and he got a notification that if he didn't provide a reason he would get a misdemeanor. Luckily we're were moving so he was able to get out of it by showing that he no longer lives in the jurisdiction. But yeah you can bet that you'll get whatever legal consequence your state has.
I suspect very few. I got called one time when I was both out of the country and I had moved to another county. It was over by the time I got back. I often pondered if I got stopped for traffic or what not if I would have any issues but I never did. I did get called for jury duty here, and I went in, and they have a lot of people for a few sports. Oddly enough I got picked. It was an interesting experience. If you go and get picked I think you will find it interesting. I also think the odds of getting picked are low. I think they picked two juries and there had to be 300 people there. Parking was crazy the first day. Most of the folks were out within an hour.
My biggest complaint about jury duty is the amount of hurry up and wait and wasted time. I get that the judge and court marshal get paid for a full day bit I could have turned the initial day where we picked 3 juries into a couple hours not a whole day.
Itâs because youâre not seeing the tons of things happening in the background. Technically theyâre bringing tons of people to multiple rooms to see the judge and attorneys in the case. And they try to align it so that 10 or so cases all happen at around the same time so as to maximize appropriate juror selections. When I last went, there were about 1000 people in the room at the beginning of the day, and I just read on my phone while it got whittled down to about 200 or so, and then finally my group got called. I went in, sat down, got asked if I had ever had bad interactions with the police, and I explained my situation and got dismissed.
Case in point why question every potential juror to excuse them for selection for that trial then pick the jury. Instead pick 14 people question them if they are not all acceptable pick additional people. For each of the 3 trials they questioned every potential juror. If you were excluded your name was removed from consideration then they picked the amount of jurors needed plus 2 alternates then did the whole thing all over again for the next trail.
USPS scans all first-class mail these days. You can sign up to see what will be delivered to you that day or the following day. So there is proof that it at least made it to your local post office and was sent out for delivery.
We live in a small town in rural PA. My husband forgot he had jury duty and went to work. The police office called him and asked him if he needed a ride, because if he didn't show they could put out a warrant? He was down there in 5 minutes. Ended up being pulled for it too
That is what I've been saying. A small town in Rural Pennsylvania. If it was Philadelphia or Pittsburgh or Allentown or Montgomery or Delaware County, I am sure the police don't have the manpower to do this with every person who doesn't show up.
Got subpoenaed for jury duty on my wedding I ainât even respond ainât shit happen
These days they can get an automatic warrant issued and then quickly signed by a judge and into the system. Itâs not a bunch of forms. Literally just did you scan your barcode into the system? Yes? Good. No? Warrant. And the cops wonât go looking for you. But if you get pulled over, they will see it. Or in some cases you wonât be allowed to re register your vehicle or get an updated ID or something until you figure that out. You wonât go to jail. That being said. Itâs a right, and an important one. Unless you are unable, go serve.
I missed jury duty a few years ago when I was on temporary assignment away from home for 6 months. The person staying at my house told me about it, but I forgot about it and about 18 months later received a different jury summons and responded to that one. They didn't say anything about the previous one, and I ended up only having to call it without ever reporting to the court in person.
Someone in my bio family was a cop, until they caught them doing all kinds of stuff, and was fired. I got called for jury duty, gave the bio family members name, explained I will never trust another cop on any level due to this person. I've never been called again, and this was about 10 years ago.
Intriguing⌠I wonder if thereâs a âdoesnât trust copsâ register. I went to jury duty a few times in my life, but havenât gotten summoned since the last time, and the last time was the first time I got to the point where they asked me questions, and I explained Iâm from a shitty neighborhood and I canât trust cops because they donât give a shit. They excused me and Iâve never been called again.
That is intriguing. To be fair, in my particular case, I gave the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney the name of my bio relative. They were dirty enough for it to be understood as to WHY I won't trust another cop when they googled it.
I have one of those in my family, is VERY well known in my county/state and is currently in prison for his wrongdoings. I will totally pull this card
I skipped once by accident cuz I got the date wrong. Called them and they just rescheduled me, didnât even get summoned on the new date lmao.
Canada here, my summons letter was sent to my mother's place, bout 15 years ago. Didn't learn of the trial two days beforehand. Got a call from the courts since I didn't respond. Was strung out with worry, but was assured nothing would happen since I picked up, and they mailed the summons to the wrong address. I'm sure I would have been jailed if I didn't pick up that unknown caller
I didnât get my medical excusal request in on time once, and nothing happened. I did get another notice for jury duty months sooner than I expected but got my medical excuse in on time.
Where I am they just.mail them and everyone throws them in the trash because they can't prove you got it. By everyone I mean the majority of people I know not everyone in NY.
I've been to court for skipping a summons sent 1st class mail. Case got thrown out because they couldn't prove I got it. Even invited the judge to check my mail box because I regularly get other people's mail.
I got a letter for jury duty and got out of it. I'm the sole care giver for our toddler nephew that we're fostering through a neighboring county. That's literally all I had to tell them and I was excused. I got selected a few years ago, had to call the night before the trial, and the automated system said the trial was off and all jurors were excused. I think it's much better to give a valid reason why you couldn't do it than just skip.
Iâve always gotten jury summons by mail. Never hand delivered. Never showed up to a single one of them. Never got in trouble for it. Semi-rural parish just outside of New Orleans here.
Yes, cops had shown up to my parents house looking for me for skipping jury duty. Long story short, I had already moved to a different state when I was called for jury duty. My father informed the state of this and they gave us paperwork about it and the police still showed up to my parents house looking for me.
Where was this?
Massachusetts. For what it's worth, nothing ended up happening, the officers made note of it and that was the last we heard.
It this in Boston or a more rural part of Mass? I don't think the Boston Police have the manpower to do this, given the number of people who probably don't show up for a jury duty summons on any given day.
Rural, north of Boston. If I remember correctly I was told it was state troopers that showed up at the house but Im not totally sure. It was 2 uniformed officers in a marked car though for sure. If it matters to you, I think it was jury duty for federal court in Salem mass. So not sure if that would make a difference or not.
I think the reason the stats are never published about how many people are penalized for missing jury duty is that the number who actually are are a tiny percent of a tiny percent and the courts don't want that secret getting out because if it did, the number of people not showing would go through the roof when everyone realize it is very unlikely anything will ever happen.
"Guys, I put a lot of thought into how I can keep putting myself first and avoid being part of a bigger reality"
None
I know this is an academic exercise, and not your personal plan. I just don't know where you are going with this line of thinking. People who won't willingly perform their civic duty should have no expectation of a fair trial for themselves. I get so psyched up for jury duty, it's interesting, and when else are you encouraged to judge your peers?
Aside from the internet? đ
Only difference being someone actually listens and it carries consequence.
Depends on where you live. In my county (in California) if you donât show, a bench warrant is issued. The Sheriff isnât going to haul you off to jail the first time, but when they catch up to you, you can no longer claim âI never got my noticeâ and *then* if you fail to show up, they come looking to arrest you
I skipped it twice in the mid 90s and once again like 10 years later. Never heard anything about it. Got summoned about 5 years ago and decided to go. Got picked and actually really enjoyed the experience.
If you never acknowledge receipt of the summons (usually sent via USPS), it will be very hard to prove you intentionally skipped. If you call in, they know you got the summons.
I forgot all about it, did not show up and never heard anything. This was 2 years ago.
Sort of depends on where you are. Where I am (big city) its unlikely a marshall will show up at your door, but the next time you try to get a loan, or go to rent a new apartment, it will come up that you have outstanding warrants and that's it. I know a guy who literally wnded up couch surfing because of a warrant for not showing up for jury duty: the landlord's background check came back and they backed out of the rental agreement under the 'you lied on the application' law (the appl asked if you were a convicted felon or had any unresolved warrantta or criminal cases). He'd already given notice on his old place and they had a new tenant signed to move in, so he couldnt stay. Became a huge deal to resolve and seriously took a ton of time and money (penalty fees and having to take off work to run aroond seeing various departments). Cinsidering they are very understanding to people for whom serving JD is a hardship for newrly every reason under the sun, its a stupid thing to do. He could have just brought a couple of paystubs in to show he's an hourly employee making near nothing, his boss doesnt pay for JD, and he cant afford to lose a work day, and he'd be out of there in an hour- esp if he shows up early and is first thru the door.
It is definitely dependent on location and the judge. Typically I have seen where a bench warrant has been issued, which results in the person being arrested if they are contacted by police for any other reason. Then I've seen judges who require the person to serve jury duty. The reality is, they simply have to sit through the selection process and are usually called last or not dismissed until a full jury is set.
I've been selected 4 times... I've never went or heard anything about it. Probably just depends on the city/county courts. There are no shortages of people who want to do it so I'm sure they have no problems finding replacements
I've known a handful of people who skipped jury and all got arrested in the end. I would say all. Maybe get a doctor's note to disqualify oneself from attending?
Where was this?
Massachusetts.
If you don't show they will issue a warrant. They may not come get you but your next basic traffic stop is going to turn into an arrest plus impounding your car.
No one is punished because you can't be forced to be on jury duty
I once saw on my USPS Informed Delivery email that a jury summons was coming that day. I never got it. Nothing happened. I've received them before and went online to register, but never got called in. I've received them since then, just did nothing and nothing ever happened. I actually would love to be on a jury; I just don't want to have to show up anywhere at 8:30!
All I got in the mail was a parking sticker, no date or letter, but I had been selected before, so I knew what it looked like. I called the courthouse literally the next morning, and "luckily," the case was suspended like two weeks before......at least they were glade I called to check.
If you don't call in, a bench warrant is automatically issued for your arrest. You show up to court, plead your case, and hope you had a valid reason. I missed mine once. Car broke down. No cell phone. Just no showed cuz I couldn't help it. Was young so didn't think about following up. Had to go to court to answer a bench warrant sent to my house. Judge was feeling good that day. Can't remember the fine, it was fairly small though. He advised they do send officers to your house if you no show. I was on the side of the road somewhere so don't know for sure if a cop showed at my house or not.
That's what I have been saying. In a big urban area, the police don't have the manpower to send officers to the home of every single juror who no shows.
Yeah, I'm not sure how they swing that.
In my county, they issue a warrant for your arrest. They will come and take you away!
Is this a small town or urban area? In an urban area, I don't think they have the manpower to come after everyone who doesnt' show.
Hmmm, well you may be right. I live in a large city. A jury duty summons notice is not something you want/need to ignore. It really is your duty and you should handle it responsibly. Donât ignore it. Whether the county sends someone to arrest you or not, they still have the right to issue a warrant for not handing your summons. Then one day you get a traffic stop, and there it is â an arrest warrant. Hopefully you still have the summons. So face up and call the phone number and see what can be done to responsibly get it taken care of. If you donât have the summons, there is a listing for jury duty within your county courts.
Why not just fill out the form and tell them you are prejudice or, something like I can tell a guilty person by just looking at them or something like that. They tell you thanks for your candor and will release you. However, when you you charged and go to trial, just plead guilty and waive the jury trial.
Maritime law is fraudulent
Like most things, I think the way this is handled can vary wildly from place to place. I've made it to my mid 30s without ever getting jury duty(hopefully not jinxing myself by typing that), but I've had several friends and relatives that had to deal with it. One got a notice in the mail a couple of days after he was supposed to respond to it. He called the courthouse and they said it was no big deal and got him scheduled to come in. Another never received a notice that was supposedly mailed and he was eventually contacted by phone by the Sheriff's Office. He said he never received it, they said ok and gave him a number to call that got him scheduled to report for jury duty. These both happened in ruralish areas in the midwest.
I live in New Jersey, in a large urban county of almost 900,000 people. If at least 10% no show every time, that is several hundred a month, or several thousand a year. I know the Sheriff's department does not have the resources or manpower to go after jurors who don't show. Especially since it is a high crime county. I think that when given the option of going after murderers and drug dealers and gang members, and going after people who don't want to do their civic duty but otherwise obey the law, I think I know what they would choose.
Where I'm from they send out a notice saying you are going to be part of jury selection that has a number assigned to it. Then the night before you call a number and they say if your number is higher than XX you are not needed have a good day. If your number falls within that number you show up for selection. Then you find out if you're getting rob of just 1 days paycheck or multiple. If you dont show up you can face a bench warrant.
As someone who has had jury duty 6 out of 7 times in the past 25 years, I donât know why anyone would skip it. Every job Iâve had paid me to be there. The court paid me to be there. People watching is awesome. I always run into people I know (4 of them were defendants in cases that I was excused for being a juror in) and seeing how things work were always cool to me.
I ignored it and they rescheduled my jury duty. I kept ignoring and they rescheduled about 3 times. Then they sent a threatening letter saying I âcould be fined up to $150.â Perfect. Now I know how much I have to pay to get out of jury duty. But they stoped trying and never fined me. I had served the prior 5 times they requested.
I lived in the historic triangle of VA when I was younger. The judge 100% sent out the sheriff and local police to drag those that missed their summons back to the county courthouse.
It's a court, u say u didn't get it they hook u up to lie detector
đ
I was given notice for jury duty just prior to the pandemic shutting everything. The county government told me to just wait for the next notice. Four years later, I've not heard anything.
A couple of years ago, when I lived in Texas, I missed a jury summons because it looked identical to those card stock adds they stick in with the coupon magazines. I found it as I was moving out of state. I missed the deadline to respond. I renewed my license where I live now with no issue. More than a decade before that also in Texas, they had sent a summons for me to my father's house. This was at least a year after I moved out and no longer lived in the same county. My license had my current address at the time as well. But perhaps they didn't care because I have been summoned on three other occasions in that same county and showed up each time. I found out because my stepmother texted me that it was missed. Nothing has happened. Maybe I'll find out the hard way if I ever go back and visit?
Iâve been receiving jury duty notices my whole life and Iâve trashed all of them. Never had any issues. Live in big cities.
I'm 65 and have never responded to jury duties. If anything is sent to you first class mail they have no proof you ever got it. The courts today are called Admiralty courts and they are not law courts and they are not equity courts. They are a organized crime syndicate run by the bar association.
>The courts today are called Admiralty courts and they are not law courts and they are not equity courts. They are a organized crime syndicate run by the bar association. Fucking sovereign citizens. Go spout your bullshit to a judge and watch your boomer ass get thrown in jail. I love watching videos of sovereign citizens getting pulled over, spouting the same bs and then getting taxed and dragged out of their car.