In the 14 years since I’ve been eligible for jury duty, I’ve been called up exactly twice. I was excused from it the first time, because I’d moved away out of the state just a few months earlier. The second time? It’s this week. And I’m kind of nervous. Because:
So basically I’m not a big fan of New Experiences. Please soothe my worried mind. Have you had jury duty before? Was it harrowing or just boring? Will you call me Thursday morning and make sure I’m up on time? And most importantly, what should I wear?
Update
So guess what! I called this evening and discovered that my “group” had been excused from jury duty. Maybe I’ll wear business casual tomorrow anyway.
I had jury duty once about 14 years ago. I was pregnant, so mostly what I remember is that I had to pee and there weren’t enough pee breaks. That being said I would wear something nice but not too nice to the choosing. Like business casual. Unless you don’t want to get picked, in that case wear your pajamas. You’ll be surprised at the variety of crazy people there. If you get picked stick with comfortable jeans and a nice shirt. Maybe padded bicycle shorts. 🙂 It’s a lot of sitting and listening to the judge explain the same things over and over. It’s really nothing like TV.
I’ve been called for jury duty three times, twice I was excused for child care obligations. In CA if you provide the care for children or adults during the day you can be excused if it will produce hardship. It seems to me your husband taking off work so you can serve on a jury is a hardship.
Dress: Whatever you want, don’t worry you don’t need to impress anyone.
Now, I will dissuade you from your desire to serve on a jury. The first time I was called to do my civic duty I felt like you. I felt it was my duty, that this is how our democracy works, that if I needed a jury I would want someone like me on it, etc. etc. etc.
As Laura above said, it’s a lot of repetitive nonsense, I was practically bored to tears. The two lawyers will repeat one another ad nauseum, asking the same questions, mostly procedural, and it will take much longer than you think is possible. My main complaint about jury duty was the complete lack of respect the court had for my time. They took 1.5-hour lunches, met late, let out early, so we didn’t end up being in court that many hours of the day, but it took my whole day anyway. Also, when you actually have to sit around and make a decision with a group of 11 other people, it can be disheartening. There were a couple in my group who felt like you could be fine driving a .1 blood alcohol level so we shouldn’t convict DUI case, despite our guy’s level being above .1 and that being against the law. The case I sat in on was an obvious attempt to get away with a crime that the guy was guilty of, and I got really resentful that he was wasting the time of 12 people on the jury, not to mention the entire court staff hoping to get off on a technicality that didn’t exist. We also got to deal with some race issues as the defendant was African-American and the arresting police officer was white. I was surprised to find out how many members of the jury don’t trust the police and thought the officer would lie.
I keep meaning to write up a blog post about this experience, as I actually have a lot more to say about it, but I’ll leave it at that.
I served on a jury in October. The case was not your normal case though. Some people had been found guilty and we had to decide how much damages were going to be awarded. It wasn’t that interesting and waaaay too long. They might let you off if you have to watch your kids or they might say tough cookies. Depends on the judge. If you are a normal person and not crazy, it is possible you will get picked. It also depends on if there are 14 normal people in front of you or not. I would wear something comfortable. I didn’t “dress up.” I kinda wore what I would wear to work. Here they pay any parking tickets you might get so I wouldn’t worry about parking so much. Just show up to the court house and say you’re there for jury duty. They should take care of you. Have fun!
Dress: Don’t step into Court in less-than business casual. Unless your intent is to disrespect the Judge, his court, and the judicial system.
Getting Picked/Not getting picked: You’ll be in a very large pool of people, very of few of which will actually become jurors. You probably won’t even get called for “questioning.” Questioning is not as scary as it sounds. First, the Judge or bailiff will ask questions. One of which might be something like: “Do any of you have any reason why you feel you cannot serve on this jury?” You should not be afraid to respond: “Your honor, while I’m happy to serve if called upon to do so, I have two young children at home and a stay-at-home mother. If I am chosen to serve, my husband will be forced to take time off of work.” You will likely be excused and thanked for your time.
What would it be like: It depends entirely on the case.