Jury Duty?! HELP

[psychfriend]

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Has anyone been called for jury duty during rotations? I'm doing an important sub-I month at a program that took months to get an appointment too. I just received my notice today. I'm going to appear on the day I was called in but I may have to serve on lengthy trial or a 2-4 day trial which will hurt me tremendously. I'm all for doing my civic duty but I'm not out of medical school yet. I think I have a legitimate reason. Is there anyone who could offer any relevant advice. Please, no jokes, I've heard them all: "Tell them you are a bigot or a radical" I'm not going to lie and make up something so I'll only avoid jury duty if I can do it honestly.

 

[mules05]

Has anyone been called for jury duty during rotations? I'm doing an important sub-I month at a program that took months to get an appointment too. I just received my notice today. I'm going to appear on the day I was called in but I may have to serve on lengthy trial or a 2-4 day trial which will hurt me tremendously. I'm all for doing my civic duty but I'm not out of medical school yet. I think I have a legitimate reason. Is there anyone who could offer any relevant advice. Please, no jokes, I've heard them all: "Tell them you are a bigot or a radical" I'm not going to lie and make up something so I'll only avoid jury duty if I can do it honestly.

Tell the truth- that you're in school and can't take time off. In most states, they will allow you to defer jury duty for a few years.

 

[Blade28]

See if your school will call or fax the jury duty office for you.

 

[AwesomO]

Sadly they can pretty much tell you that you are SOL. There are a few reasons they will let you out but school is not one of them. The best advice is what Blade gave you.

 

[Phlame217]

When my sister was in med school, she got called up in her third year during rotations and brought in a notarized letter and a transcript/schedule and had it deferred until she was into her residency.

 

[hippiedoc13]

Contact your Student Affairs office and ask them for help ASAP. Plenty of students have this problem every year. My school wrote a letter on my behalf, detailing all the requirements of a 3rd or 4th year student and saying that I did not get any scheduled breaks or vacation time during this 2-year continuum. They concluded the letter by saying that forcing me to serve as a juror on a trial would interrupt my studies and possibly delay my graduation, thus potentially costing me more tuition and thereby incurring an extreme financial hardship. They really outdid themselves on that letter.
It worked.

 

[iwannaplaylock]

lol this is just like 7th heaven..

 

[Blade28]

I've been called to jury duty three times in my life - once, while I was back home during a summer in undergrad (didn't have to serve since I was returning to school and therefore going back out of state), once as a med student (school faxed an official letter asking for my dismissal from jury duty), last time as a resident when I started internship, and my program faxed over a letter to try and excuse me (it worked).

 

[lord_jeebus]

It depends on your state so ignore what people say here (or specify your state so you can get applicable advice) and talk to your school's people. It won't be the first time this has come up.

 

[arthrodisiac]

i had jury duty, and when i was called up to the jury box, they asked me what i do for a living...told them i was in med school...and they excluded me from jury selection. They also excluded a kid in college. Me and him were the first to be excused. My point is, 1# attorneys want middle aged to old senile people on the jury, 2# may have some sympathy for students. So even if you have to miss one day to go in, i doubt you will have to stay for the length of a trial. The best thing about going in this day is that it is not the same as deferring duty. What i mean is, getting excluded counts as serving your duty....deferring will put you back into their computer system and force you to come back at a time of later inconvenience.

 

[taurus70]

If you really want to get out of jury dury, simply go to your courthouse probate court and pull your voter registration card. Your voter card is how they make the jury list.

This is not an illegal act. You can always re-register later. I'm not recommending, it only mentioning it.

 

[Tired]

If you really want to get out of jury dury, simply go to your courthouse probate court and pull your voter registration card. Your voter card is how they make the jury list.

This is not an illegal act. You can always re-register later. I'm not recommending, it only mentioning it.

My state in medical school used drivers license lists as well as voter registration. I know because I've never registered to vote in my life, but was called for Jury duty twice in med school.

Both times I had the school write a letter. Both times I was deferred until my winter break. Bleah. Thanks.

 

[Blade28]

My state in medical school used drivers license lists as well as voter registration. I know because I've never registered to vote in my life, but was called for Jury duty twice in med school.

Both times I had the school write a letter. Both times I was deferred until my winter break. Bleah. Thanks.

Does being in the armed forces also put you on a different "list"?

 

[BSN2DOC]

It all differs from state to state -- most states have updated legislation that states a forbearance is not granted to students. However, during juror selection the judge usually asks if anyone has any extenuating circumstances that would somehow impede them from serving on a jury. That is the time to announce you are in medical school and you are in clinicals X amount of hours per week and would possibly be at risk for having to repeat a rotation if you missed a certain amount of days. Most judges are fairly understanding of students who have demanding schedules.

I work for the Justice Court where I live and our state uses drivers licenses and identification cards to select potential jurors -- not voter registration cards. There are many states that still use voter registration cards though.

 

[Tired]

Does being in the armed forces also put you on a different "list"?

While I was in school I was categorized as "inactive reserve". I don't know how it will work now that I'm on active duty, but I'm praying it never becomes an issue.

Do residents ever get called for Jury Duty? That must be a total CF.

 

[Blade28]

Do residents ever get called for Jury Duty? That must be a total CF.

Yeah, it is.

 

[relema]

I got called a few months ago and just checked deffered due being in school and it seemed to work just fine. I think where i am at they go by drivers liscence because i am registered to vote at a different county.