Received Late Jury Duty Summons, Appearance Date Already Past

JimW said:
I got as far as you did with jury duty Dave. My group was called and the jury selection took place, my number was so high that they had already selected the jury before they even got close to my number. We were all thanked for our time and excused.

Jury duty is not fun, but if everyone decided not to go just because they didn't feel like it, where would our judicial system be then?
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I agree with you, not fun, but a necessary thing to keep the process working properly so if one is physically and mentally capable of serving, I see no reason to play games to get out of it.

Today most people in charge of this process are used to all the tricks of the past people have pulled and in many places they no longer work. You might be that unlucky one to get a warrant for contempt of court so be far warned. the court here where I live, they have stricter requirements, you need an official letter of excuse.

I have many medical issues, some of which were giving me real issues at this time, which is the only reason I chose not to serve. I was still going to show up for that first day regardless of the hoops I had to jump through to get there had they not canceled the day for all. I was almost certain then at some point I would have been excused since I had a letter from my doctor's office and I was.

Honestly I don't mean to sound like I'm being judgmental, I do get not wanting to serve, it's a tedious process going through the selection process in and of itself, I sat through that years ago and wouldn't have been selected for any case no matter, but, I as a citizen do feel I owe it to my fellow citizens to do my civic duty when called upon when able. We have enough people who don't take out judicial laws and constitutions seriously. But hey, that's just how I feel, seems the thing today is to chit all over anything having to do with caring about this country, so as you were.

But really, be careful trying to game the legal system, you just might find yourself in the system in ways you'd never expected.
 

AprilT said:
I agree with you, not fun, but a necessary thing to keep the process working properly so if one is physically and mentally capable of serving, I see no reason to play games to get out of it.

Today most people in charge of this process are used to all the tricks of the past people have pulled and in many places they no longer work. You might be that unlucky one to get a warrant for contempt of court so be far warned. the court here where I live, they have stricter requirements, you need an official letter of excuse.

I have many medical issues, some of which were giving me real issues at this time, which is the only reason I chose not to serve. I was still going to show up for that first day regardless of the hoops I had to jump through to get there had they not canceled the day for all. I was almost certain then at some point I would have been excused since I had a letter from my doctor's office and I was.

Honestly I don't mean to sound like I'm being judgmental, I do get not wanting to serve, it's a tedious process going through the selection process in and of itself, I sat through that years ago and wouldn't have been selected for any case no matter, but, I as a citizen do feel I owe it to my fellow citizens to do my civic duty when called upon when able. We have enough people who don't take out judicial laws and constitutions seriously. But hey, that's just how I feel, seems the thing today is to chit all over anything having to do with caring about this country, so as you were.

But really, be careful trying to game the legal system, you just might find yourself in the system in ways you'd never expected.
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I agree, well said!
 
AprilT said:
I agree with you, not fun, but a necessary thing to keep the process working properly so if one is physically and mentally capable of serving, I see no reason to play games to get out of it.

Today most people in charge of this process are used to all the tricks of the past people have pulled and in many places they no longer work. You might be that unlucky one to get a warrant for contempt of court so be far warned. the court here where I live, they have stricter requirements, you need an official letter of excuse.

I have many medical issues, some of which were giving me real issues at this time, which is the only reason I chose not to serve. I was still going to show up for that first day regardless of the hoops I had to jump through to get there had they not canceled the day for all. I was almost certain then at some point I would have been excused since I had a letter from my doctor's office and I was.

Honestly I don't mean to sound like I'm being judgmental, I do get not wanting to serve, it's a tedious process going through the selection process in and of itself, I sat through that years ago and wouldn't have been selected for any case no matter, but, I as a citizen do feel I owe it to my fellow citizens to do my civic duty when called upon when able. We have enough people who don't take out judicial laws and constitutions seriously. But hey, that's just how I feel, seems the thing today is to chit all over anything having to do with caring about this country, so as you were.

But really, be careful trying to game the legal system, you just might find yourself in the system in ways you'd never expected.
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I agree!
 

Just to put in a word FOR jury duty, although it is not what anyone would call "fun," I found my one time on a jury a very satisfying experience. I got lucky; it was a one-day stint, the crime was a minor one, almost funny (the swaggering young jerk had stolen his girlfriend's grandmother's car, and then claimed that he was just "borrowing" it), and it took us less than an hour of deliberation to find him guilty.

I liked sitting in the jury box, in fact, I remember thinking, "Wow! This is real! It is not a movie! I am really being entrusted with this. The system works!" It was pretty satisfying to look the guy straight in the eye and say out loud at the end, "Guilty!"

Admittedly, a murder trial would have been a lot less fun.
 
I served on three juries and I really like jury duty. And it's not because I had nothing else to do. I went into work before and after serving for the day. One of the prosecuting attorneys became a well-known defense attorney a few years later. I'm just fascinated by the whole legal system. If I had to do it all over again, I'd love to be a trial attorney. :) And I really love watching Investigation Discovery on TV--gets me away from my previous fixture of cable news. What a relief from all that stuff! Lol
 
Olivia said:
I served on three juries and I really like jury duty. And it's not because I had nothing else to do. I went into work before and after serving for the day. One of the prosecuting attorneys became a well-known defense attorney a few years later. I'm just fascinated by the whole legal system. If I had to do it all over again, I'd love to be a trial attorney. :) And I really love watching Investigation Discovery on TV--gets me away from my previous fixture of cable news. What a relief from all that stuff! Lol
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Being a trial attorney isn't the glamorous thing they show on TV. After spending a lifetime working in law offices, I can assure you that it is more hard and tedious work, late nights and incredible stress than anything else.
 
I have gone three times but never chosen. I hate the morning rush hour drive downtown Houston so I left very early to beat it. After age 70 1/2 you will never be called again.
 
IKE; 7-19-2018 said:
I'm not complaining but I've never been called for jury duty.
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I spoke too soon......received a letter in the mail today that states I've got to be at the court house at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 29th for jury duty.

They're going to pay me a whopping $20.00 a day, give me a little for mileage and validate my parking.....WOW ! I feel like I hit the lotto.

Not sure yet what I'll do with all that extra $$$$.......I'm thinking either a cruise around the world or a trip to the Mickey D's drive thru window.

mcdonalds.jpg
 
Too many replies to read, but I will add my own two-cents. If the summons is for state jury, then the state has their own rules regarding appearance. If you received the summons late, then here in PA, we would just notify the Clerk of Courts. Never just throw it away. Rule here in PA is if the summons had not been returned to the sender (Clerk of Courts) within fifteen (15) days, then the mail would have been considered received by the person the letter was addressed to. Also, anyone age 70 or older is also eligible to be released from serving. Here in Pennsylvania, simply ignoring a summons to appear will cause the judge to issue a bench warrant and that person will be booked into jail, unless they are able to post bond.

I know we have all heard that serving on a jury or at least reporting for jury duty, even if not selected is a privilege. I believe in this statement. Unless, someone has an acceptable excuse that would release any of us from serving, we should report as stated on the summons. You would not believe some of the things potential jurors will do or say to be excluded from serving.
 
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Jury Duty rules in Hawaii:

Being elderly does not exclude you from serving on a jury.
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However, you can ask to be excused from federal jury duty if you are 70 or older, and, as of last year, you can be excused from serving on a state jury if you are 80 or older. But unless you claim the age exemption, there is no age limit to serving on any jury.
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http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/06/04/news/kokualine.html
 

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