Jury duty!

[humuhumu]

I just got a summons in the mail today. My term of service falls right during the last week of class this year, including the day of the final exam. I really really hope I can get it postponed one week so I can serve during winter break. I'll call the District Court on Monday, then talk to Student Affairs if that doesn't work.

Any of you been summoned lately?

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[Law2Doc]

I'll call the District Court on Monday, then talk to Student Affairs if that doesn't work.

I would probably do this the other way round. Sometimes med schools can fix these things.

 

[thedelicatessen]

Is it possible to postpone it in your state? When I lived in CA, I was called for jury duty during the school year, but there's a 3 month window or something for you to reschedule if you need a more convenient time. I pushed it until the end of the quarter, but fortunately, I was never actually called. My big dramatic fear, though, was being called into a long, drawn out trial like the OJ trial from way back when .

 

[humuhumu]

Is it possible to postpone it in your state? When I lived in CA, I was called for jury duty during the school year, but there's a 3 month window or something for you to reschedule if you need a more convenient time. I pushed it until the end of the quarter, but fortunately, I was never actually called. My big dramatic fear, though, was being called into a long, drawn out trial like the OJ trial from way back when .

I hope it's possible to postpone. And I hope it's not a long trial. Wouldn't that be a fun way to spend the holidays....

 

[lord_jeebus]

I would probably do this the other way round. Sometimes med schools can fix these things.

Yeah, work with student affairs first.

I tried doing it the official way by contacting the court, and I ended up in jury duty over Spring Break (but got out after one day because of my use of the term "jury nullification" -- the magic ticket out of any case)

 

[TMP-SMX]

I hope it's possible to postpone. And I hope it's not a long trial. Wouldn't that be a fun way to spend the holidays....

Talk to student affairs. They fix these things.

 

[seriously]

wow, in texas you don't even have to go if you're a full-time student.

 

[njbmd]

I just got a summons in the mail today. My term of service falls right during the last week of class this year, including the day of the final exam. I really really hope I can get it postponed one week so I can serve during winter break. I'll call the District Court on Monday, then talk to Student Affairs if that doesn't work.

Any of you been summoned lately?

When I was summoned, I showed up and was promptly dismissed because service on the jury would have created a hardship. The judge dismissed me quite early and I only missed part of my first class. I did take a note from my Dean of Student Affairs with me when I reported. As soon as he read the note from my Dean, I was history.

 

[Ashers]

I've been summoned so many times probably 3 out of the last 4 years when I'm in school, fortunately, I live out of state, so I have to have a letter sent in saying I'm in school, and I can't return home. The first time I was summoned, I was 17, in high school, and not registered to vote, because my home state bases it on driver's lisences.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Just toss the summons!

 

[Sondra]

My big dramatic fear, though, was being called into a long, drawn out trial like the OJ trial from way back when .

During undergrad, I went in for jury duty thinking it would last a week or two tops. It ended up being so drawn out that I had to drop 15 of 18 hours of classes (I kept 3 hours evening classes). Such a waste of good tuition!

 

[TMP-SMX]

During undergrad, I went in for jury duty thinking it would last a week or two tops. It ended up being so drawn out that I had to drop 15 of 18 hours of classes (I kept 3 hours evening classes). Such a waste of good tuition!

Were you trying to make money on the jury duty? Come on. That wasn't very bright.

 

[Law2Doc]

Just toss the summons!

Bad idea. You can actually be subject to warrant for ignoring a jury summons, and may end up having outstanding warrants next time you get pulled over for a traffic ticket. Better to deal with the summons now then spend a night in jail sometime down the road.

 

[wanabdoc]

Talk to student affairs. They fix these things.

Our student affairs office gets us out of these minor things, for which we are all grateful.

 

[tncekm]

I just got a summons in the mail today. My term of service falls right during the last week of class this year, including the day of the final exam. I really really hope I can get it postponed one week so I can serve during winter break. I'll call the District Court on Monday, then talk to Student Affairs if that doesn't work.

Any of you been summoned lately?

You'll absolutely get out. Getting jury duty during finals week is most definitely a hardship a student cannot endure, and a judge will be sympathetic to that.

You're cool, no worries. At least, that's been my experience.

 

[MWK]

Honestly this is quasi-unethical, but call the jury people and tell them you hate *insert race/people group* here. Gets you off the list immediately.

 

[humuhumu]

I talked to Student Affairs today. Unfortunately they've tried writing letters before but it hasn't made a difference. So...I called the courthouse and they were willing to assign me to a one-day term of service. Unfortunately that day happens to be the day before my final exam....

 

[tncekm]

I talked to Student Affairs today. Unfortunately they've tried writing letters before but it hasn't made a difference. So...I called the courthouse and they were willing to assign me to a one-day term of service. Unfortunately that day happens to be the day before my final exam....

When you're in before the judge and the judge allows each potential jury member who believes he/she has a reason to be excused from jury duty service just be sure to detail your situation. I'm confident you'll be excused. You may lose an hour or two, but I think you'll be okay.

Having said that I have "missed" days and then reported when I had the time. I'm not recommending it, but it sure didn't hurt me any. I said I forgot, apologized, and they just assigned me a new day for service. But, like Law2Doc said, there is the possibility of having a warrant as a result of not going.

 

[pseudoknot]

Honestly this is quasi-unethical, but call the jury people and tell them you hate *insert race/people group* here. Gets you off the list immediately.

Since judges aren't *****s, this may very well get you a contempt charge. Even if you try to get out of a particular trial by claiming some more subtle bias, they may kick you over to the civil division for a different trial. I've seen this in Los Angeles.

In California at least, it's quite easy to get jury service deferred for a while (a year?) for any reason better than just not feeling like it. You can't get out of it though.

 

[ZagDoc]

Similar situation happened to me. I postponed it until class was over in June. They were generally pretty understanding.

 

[Law2Doc]

Since judges aren't *****s, this may very well get you a contempt charge.

Yeah, I've seen people "detained" in jail for doing this. As well as for wearing racist T shirts to court. I'm not sure that's better than spending the same time sitting on a jury. Also there's that certain matter of getting out of the courthouse and to your car.

You are better off showing up and just pointing to the defendant as he is brought in, and in your best Jeff Spicoli impression say "Hey, I know that dude". Should get you bounced.

 

[soeagerun2or]

For the most part you won't be selected anyway because you are too educated.

 

[pseudoknot]

For the most part you won't be selected anyway because you are too educated.

I served on a jury (while in grad school) with a nuclear medicine doc and a lawyer. You never know.

 

[45408]

My big dramatic fear, though, was being called into a long, drawn out trial like the OJ trial from way back when .

Discuss how the government is turning into a police state, and you are looking forward to being able to utilize your citizen's right to jury nullification, because really, that law is just ridiculous.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Bad idea. You can actually be subject to warrant for ignoring a jury summons, and may end up having outstanding warrants next time you get pulled over for a traffic ticket. Better to deal with the summons now then spend a night in jail sometime down the road.

I estimate between 15-25% of all people ignore their jury summons. This amounts to about 40 million people or so. Likely only a small fraction of them are ever served a bench warrant or given some similar punishment. Statistically that's not bad. But personally I put it off as long as possible and do go in.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

I got summoned.

Our Student Affairs office writes really nice letters to get people off the hook.

 

[Law2Doc]

For the most part you won't be selected anyway because you are too educated.

Depends on the jurisdiction. I have been on two juries as a lawyer. Heck, Rudy Giuliani was impanelled on a rent court jury while he was Mayor of NYC. Most states will go out of their way to get an educated person or two on the jury so their statistics don't look like they pick on poor uneducated people.

 

[Sondra]

Were you trying to make money on the jury duty? Come on. That wasn't very bright.

I wasn't trying to make money. My family convinced me that it was my duty to serve and that school did not count as a hardship that allowed me to excuse myself. I honestly don't regret doing it, and I enjoyed the experience. I actually talked about it in my interview when I told them why I had to drop my classes that semester.

 

[TMP-SMX]

I wasn't trying to make money. My family convinced me that it was my duty to serve and that school did not count as a hardship that allowed me to excuse myself. I honestly don't regret doing it, and I enjoyed the experience. I actually talked about it in my interview when I told them why I had to drop my classes that semester.

Did you at least get some of the tuition money back or was it all just full drop past the deadline? Depending on your school that can be a whole lot of money for a little personal experience that probably could have been avoided.

 

[buffdoc]

I estimate between 15-25% of all people ignore their jury summons. This amounts to about 40 million people or so. Likely only a small fraction of them are ever served a bench warrant or given some similar punishment. Statistically that's not bad. But personally I put it off as long as possible and do go in.

When I was in college I got a jury summons, but I was so busy that I completely forgot about it until I had already missed the date. The date was on a Wednesday, I think, and I didn't realize that I missed it until the Friday evening after. I was looking at the summons to figure out what to do and couldn't help but notice the threat of incarceration or something like that if you just dismissed it.

Well, the next night...Saturday...at about 2am (technically Sunday) a police officer started banging on my bedroom door with his baton. Not the front door to the apartment...my actual bedroom door. I woke up, very confused and thought, "Holy ****, they've come to arrest me for missing jury duty!"

When I opened the door the cop said that he found my roomate drunk and passed out on the street (no surprise) and that I needed to watch him to make sure he didn't suffocate on his own vomit. Boy was I relieved. I didn't mention the jury duty thing to him.

That was many, many years ago and so far nothing bad has happened to me. I hope it doesn't show up on my background check

 

[kdburton]

I just got a summons in the mail today. My term of service falls right during the last week of class this year, including the day of the final exam. I really really hope I can get it postponed one week so I can serve during winter break. I'll call the District Court on Monday, then talk to Student Affairs if that doesn't work.

Any of you been summoned lately?

I know ppl that got summoned for jury duty in undergrad and they got out of it no prob. As long as you're a student its fine as far as i know.

 

[humuhumu]

I talked to Student Affairs today. Unfortunately they've tried writing letters before but it hasn't made a difference. So...I called the courthouse and they were willing to assign me to a one-day term of service. Unfortunately that day happens to be the day before my final exam....

OK, so here's what happened: the day before my jury day, I called the courthouse again and they said that the trial I had been assigned to was canceled, so I was off the hook!

BTW, it's SO nice to be on vacation now.

 

[Isoprop]

i'm so lucky, only times i've been summonned were at my old addresses. sent a utility bill and signed a form saying i moved out of the county.

 

[Law2Doc]

I know ppl that got summoned for jury duty in undergrad and they got out of it no prob. As long as you're a student its fine as far as i know.

Not a good rule of thumb to use --Depends on the jurisdiction. I had to serve on juries in both undergrad and law school and wasn't let out of it no matter how hard I tried. Your med school student affairs may have better luck than you might.

 

[OncHeme2B]

I was summoned on the day of my MCAT!

Even worse...
My friend was summoned on the day of her USMLE Step 1!!!