Odds of getting out of jury duty?

[React1oN]

[ QUOTE ]


Be like Larry David

"I can't be an impartial jury member because the defendant is a negro"

[/ QUOTE ]Lol I saw that, love that show.

Just say ridiculous things and how you can't do it.
Instant bye-bye.

[Sand]

[ QUOTE ]

I've been called twice and was on 3 panels. I was effortlessly excused from all of them. You don't even have to pretend to be a racist or whatever. Just demonstrate that you are capable of independent thought and they won't want you on the jury. Lawyers are looking for people who they can lead by the hand and get them to reach a verdict that is in their client's favor. They don't want people who think for themselves.


[/ QUOTE ]

Too true. Between my father and I (he was head engineer at a large petroleum co. and I do engineering research) we've been called maybe ten times.

Lawyer: "What's your profession?"

Answer: "blah blah blah engineer..."

Lawyer: "Excused"

Use the word "logically" as many times as possible and you are a shoo in for expulsion.

[jman220]

[ QUOTE ]
When I was called for a jury I started talking about some con law classes I took in college while being questioned. The prosecution attorneys eyes lit up but the defense attorney couldn't strike me quickly enough. it was a drug trial and i really think the prosecution wanted me because i wasn't dressed like a slob like everyone else in the court room and might have been one of the few people who didn't look like he took a bong rip before stepping into the courthouse.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, this is true. My ideal jury is probably no one with less than a graduate degree. I think you're probably far more likely to see a professional on a criminal jury than on a civil jury for this reason. (On a civil jury, neither side wants someone who's educated). Also, if you really want to get struck from jury duty, show up in a suit. My first jury trial, I had three guys on my panel show up in suits, and coincidentally, they were the three guys that were struck by the defense attorney.

[matt2500]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I've been called twice and was on 3 panels. I was effortlessly excused from all of them. You don't even have to pretend to be a racist or whatever. Just demonstrate that you are capable of independent thought and they won't want you on the jury. Lawyers are looking for people who they can lead by the hand and get them to reach a verdict that is in their client's favor. They don't want people who think for themselves.


[/ QUOTE ]

Too true. Between my father and I (he was head engineer at a large petroleum co. and I do engineering research) we've been called maybe ten times.

Lawyer: "What's your profession?"

Answer: "blah blah blah engineer..."

Lawyer: "Excused"

Use the word "logically" as many times as possible and you are a shoo in for expulsion.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is funny, as it's exactly the opposite of my only experience being called in (and eventually serving on a jury). On the jury was myself (at the time a logistics manager for a big retailer), an exec at a regional newspaper, a senior engineer/project manager for a major environmental consulting firm, a retired schoolteacher, and an enlisted Navy nuclear tech, plus one other person whose job I can't remember. Bottom line, though, is everyone on the jury was an intelligent person with a successful career.

This was for a civil trial, a young, unemployed teenage high-school dropout suing his ex-girlfriend (and hence, her insurance company) for damages after a car accident in which he was the passenger and she the driver. Basically, the jury was hand-picked by the insurance company lawyers, as the plaintiff's attorney was an incompetent oaf who didn't know what the hell he was doing during voir dire (or any other part of the trial, for that matter).

[kyleb]

As I said before, I would just not respond to a letter, because unless it's sent certified or registered mail, there's no way they could prove that I even got the letter in the first place. However, if they somehow got me to go down there, I would say these things in the interview:

Them: "Please tell us about yourself."
Me: "Well, I'd like to start by saying that I plan on publishing all the private and public details of the case on my weblog, including the names of the witnesses and both the plaintiff and defendant. Furthermore, I will make my thoughts on the matter very well-known to all of my friends, and when it's time to turn in a verdict, I'll put up a post on a forum I frequent (2+2 obv) asking what the verdict should be based on my interpretations of the evidence. I'll also be drunk as [censored] during the trial and ridiculously high. Is this something that interests you?"

[Shrug]

I served on the jury for a murder trial a couple of years ago.
My employer paid me the difference between my jury pay and my regular pay.

[Mangatang]

I think I would have much more faith in our judicial system if they not only allow, but seek out smart jurors. Even a random selection would seem more fair to me than giving lawyers (or judges) the ability to discard potential jurors.

I agree with the foreigner earlier... our law system sucks.

[Vyse]

I'm 18 and I personally can't wait to get called for jury duty. What's the big deal? It seems fun as hell. If they don't want logical thinkers, though, I gues I have to come across as stupid, though that's really disappointing.

[Big Steve]

[ QUOTE ]
jury duty takes like half a day..if u were actually picked to be on the jury then thats your fault...I had it last week and all you need to do is really just say you dont agree with one of the questions..ur kicked off almost immediately

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the correct answer...All I ever had to say was "I have a degree in Criminal Justice or I previously worked in Law Enforcement." and I was on my way home by 9AM.

Big Steve [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[SuperUberBob]

Claim you can't make an unbiased due to the color of the defendant's skin.

Larry David did that on Curb Your Enthusiasm.