I got struck because the prosecutor was the e same prosecutor I had beaten at trial when I was a public defender (and I also said cocaine should be legal in a cocaine trafficking case) I managed to just complain my way out of federal jury selection because they won’t let me have my phone in the waiting room
I get called what seems to be abnormally frequently, four times in 20 years. I served once. DUI case where a guy was pulling into his driveway and was rear ended by a drunk driver. The guy who was hit was charged with the DUI because he refused a breathalyzer. He had been drinking and had the bad luck to be hit by another drunk driver in his own driveway. There were three guys who were going to acquit no matter what. Two women hated the woman cop who acted like a complete ass on body cam footage. We acquitted him because footage had him walking a straight line and passing physical tests.
I've had it once and had to go to the courthouse every day for a week. Got selected for 1 case (bullshit car accident insurance where no one was there being represented). Got selected for a 2nd case, but was vetoed by the prosecution. That was going to be interesting. DUI case and the defendant had 3 vetoes. She blew through all 3 vetoes with-in like the first 7 selections. After the 2nd veto, a defense lawyer for someone else stepped in to try and help her because she was losing it, crying hysterically. Its time for the last juror to get picked, my name is called. The prosecution asked me to repeat my name, job, and age, then vetoed me. I was kind of disappointed. Guy I worked with at the time was picked it and he said during the trial, her boyfriend was there trying to intimidate them. He was removed from the court room pretty quickly.
I’ve got called in 4 times over the past 15 years. First two times the cases all settled so we never got to jury selection. Last year I got called in for county and federal jury duty in back to back weeks. Got deferred from those bc my wife was about to give birth. The county summoned me again but everything settled. Still waiting to see if I get recalled for federal. I think the federal trial I was called in for was going to be a medical fraud case of some kind and was expected to last for a month.
I live in a really safe city so by and large crime here is boring. about 2-3 times a decade, we get a murder. about 12-15 years ago, there was a hit and run that killed someone and I got jury duty around the same time. when we get there, we learn that's the case it was for so I was kind of excited. we do the videos and boring stuff and then they begin to march us into the courtroom for selection and as the line got about halfway in, we were stopped and redirected back to the original room. about 20-30 minutes later they come in and release us from serving. turned out the defendant had accepted a plea deal essentially right then and there. can't say I wasn't a bit bummed to have not had a shot to serve. I've been called I think two or three other times but never had to actually come in. my dad's retired and volunteers often for grand jury work, he loves it. although between the pandemic and his back problems I'm not sure if he's done any of it since 2020.
During jury selection last Monday there were a number of people who said they couldn’t be impartial because cops never lie and their testimony would trump all others.
Only have had to do it once for two days. First day my group didn’t get called until 3 so left the courthouse after 6 since the judge was determined to get the jury selected that night. Second day was called for a civil trial between two companies. Attorneys weren’t interested in having someone with contract law experience on the jury so got bounced with the quickness. One of the people that did get selected was a football coach at Kennesaw State so I felt bad for him since this was a couple weeks before signing day.
Had to go about a month ago, did not get out of the jury selection room but I did have a fun experience. We were asked to report at 10 AM and there were about one hundred of us in this waiting room and a woman came in with a full on bucket of KFC chicken. First of all, I respected the move but second, I had to look up what time KFCs opened and they opened at 10 so I had no clue what transpired that she showed up on time but with a fresh bucket of chicken, I assume she or her boyfriend worked there. Either way, she was just fucking housing this bucket and I actually did not mind, it smelled good and she was a row in front of me. The person organizing the jury stuff got on mic and said 'You are allowed to eat small snacks and salads in this waiting room but warm food must be taken outside in the halls or in the outside waiting room'. No idea who this message was geared for and the woman with the chicken bucket did not seem to either because she kept fucking up that Colonel Sanders shit. Eventually, a person working at the court told her to go outside and then I had to read my book for the rest of the summons for the day before being dismissed instead of vicariously living through the chicken woman.
I was an alternate juror on a trial for a stolen watch. Some rich guy in a gated neighborhood claimed his maid stole a watch. No evidence at all. Huge waste of everyone's time.
Crazy to see the difference from state to state. 90% of the stories told in this thread wouldn’t even make it to a pre-trial hearing date in my jurisdiction, let alone even sniff a jury trial.
I got jury duty two years ago and got selected for the jury. The case was a child rape case and the defense and defendant did absolutely nothing to claim innocence, it was all like “well they said they saw my car leaving at 8 pm but I have texts showing I actually left at 830 pm”. He did it. During deliberations like 5 of the jurors were basically expecting CSI:Miami level of crime scene evidence and a few others thought he did it but didn’t want to support the Prison Industrial Complex. One lady had obviously watched too much True Crime and was so mixed up in the interpersonal relationships that had nothing really to do with the base charges. It took my convincing that we should convict this fucking rapist. Most people are fucking stupid.
Wrapped up my trial today. Over a full day of deliberation. Money order bank fraud scheme. Not guilty on one count. Mistrial on another. Guilty on the rest.
The gangbanger I was on the jury for (which hung) was retried this month. The second jury came back hung yesterday. It’s a pretty technical case, but I think people are legit scared too.
I've gotten 5 summons. chosen once. 2 baby mama's got in a fight. Baby Daddy jumped out the window and peaced out. one of them scratched the other woman's face that didnt leave a scar. She was charged with Assualt w/ bodily injury. She was guilty but we gave her a lesser charge of just Assault. Waste of everyone's time
Same here. Got that envelope a week before I was going on vacation and went Nooooo. Good news is that it was just a jury pool alert. But now I'm living on the edge at the mailbox wondering if this will be the day.
Anyone ever hear of anyone actually getting fined for not showing up for jury duty? Asking for a friend who forgot about a summons for service at 1 pm on a Friday afternoon.
In some venues, they’ll put out a bench warrant and throw you in jail. Tell your friend it’s best to call and let the court know it was a mistake.
I have never been called. I want to do it but due to my career at the evil empire I don’t foresee it ever happening
the letters aren’t sent certified. You can’t prove a prospective juror ever got them in the first place
Yeah, that's why it's so frustrating when I hear people brag about how they just throw their shit away.
we no longer have any NYC posters as they were all either murdered or moved away due to woke policies
I’ve been called twice, and selected as an alternate both times. The second trial was a federal bank robbery case in Amory, Mississippi. 4 guy’s wearing masks robbed a local bank. Nothing identifiable on video, nobody saw the getaway vehicle, no dna evidence, nothing. The police randomly pulled a guy over a few days later, and find some of the stolen money. He cops a plea deal, ids the other 3. The police arrest all 3, find the rest of the stolen money on the 4th one’s property. Suspects 2 and 3 plead guilty for a reduced sentence, but the 4th insists he had nothing to do with the robbery, and the others must have planted the money, so it’s his trial. Again, the only evidence besides the money being on his property, is that the other 3 all identified him as the 4th suspect. So, during the trial, they put the other 3 on the stand to testify. First two went ok, weren’t really proving the da’s case, but the third one went off the rails. When he was asked how they made the decision to rob the bank, this man said, and I quote “ We was cruising around and decided to rob another bank. I mean rob a bank.” When the defense attorney started questioning him about a string of unsolved bank robberies a county over, he was straight up lying his ass off under oath, and everybody knew it. Killed the case. Pretty sure the 4th defendant was guilty, but no way to convict him with no evidence but the word of a guy whose clearly perjured himself. Lucky guy on that one. The first case was a local city case in Okalona, Mississippi. Statutory rape of a 13 year old girl, by a 28 year old guy, while in police custody. Apparently this guy was washing the police cars with the gate open, and the 75 year old watching him had to go in to take a pill. While he was gone, this girl walked up and was convinced to go inside with the prisoner. The jailer walked out, saw he was gone, and went looking for him, catching him having sex with this child. He didn’t even deny having sex with her, just that since she initiated it, he wasn’t at fault. Open and shut case, clearly guilty. During his testimony, the 75 year old jailer was asked to describe what he witnessed when he found them. He said it would be easier to show the court. This man got a chair, in the middle of the court, and humped it. Every single person in that jury box was trying not to laugh, given the nature of the case, and we managed to hold it in. Until the judge fell out of his seat laughing. The whole courtroom lost it. We had to take an hour recess to compose ourselves. It’s still one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. Also found out later, the prisoner in question was busted for selling drugs while in jail and had another trial scheduled for later that year, so if he’s still alive, he’s still in prison. Haven’t been called in the 25 years since. If all trials had that level of entertainment, nobody would mind jury duty.