Call the clerk a couple of days prior to your date. Mention you're concerned about showing up at the courthouse as you are presently experiencing several COVID symptoms (mild fever, loss of smell, etc.).

I've been called several times and served twice. It's a really good experience once you get on a jury. The process to get there is a PITA, however. Showing up in the morning, sitting in a room full of all manner of people, then not getting selected and just sent home after two hours. Or getting selected for a jury of a case that settles before you even get upstairs.

And don't try to get cute in the voir dire. They've seen and heard it all.

I was on a panel one time, the judge was an Aggie and a friend. I was #13 and they of course only took 12. I gave him crap about it as I was walking out, cutting a fellow Aggie like that, and every time I saw him for weeks after.

The times I actually served I was elected foreman both times because I was the only one in a coat and tie. One of those judges was an Aggie also. Lots of Aggie judges here in Lubbock thanks to the large contingent of Aggies in Tech Law School.

I've also had to reschedule a couple of times and it was pretty easy, especially now that it's online.

Tell the judge you're in a Madden tournament….

Beer Baron said:

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If you actually make it to voir dire, talk any chance you get. Don't say anything outrageous or obviously geared toward getting out of it, but the more you say and the more you share your opinions, the more chances you give one side or the other to want to strike you.

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This guy lawyers.

Green2Maroon said:

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80s Guy said:

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Walk in with a noose in one hand and a half empty bottle of whiskey in the other, muttering "Hang the m-fer " under your breath.

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What if this is a civil case and not a criminal case?

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doesn't matter

Geralt of Rivia said:

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You could always just not show up

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This... or call them ahead of time and tell them some excuse about your spouse (out of town, planned medical procedure, etc) for that day and therefore jury duty will leave your children with inadequate care. They will most likely excuse you and put you back in the "pool" or will push your summons date

Beer Baron said:

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If you actually make it to voir dire, talk any chance you get. Don't say anything outrageous or obviously geared toward getting out of it, but the more you say and the more you share your opinions, the more chances you give one side or the other to want to strike you.

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Last time I had jury duty, I was in a murder pool of about 70. Pretty obvious several guys were employing this strategy early on.

Lawyers started directing their questions pretty early. They didn't tell us our numbers, but they weren't calling anyone in my row so I figured I had a high one. Each side must have had a ton of exclusions, cause the actual jury got to about 4 people from me.

FIDO*98* said:

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barnag said:

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hoosier-daddy said:

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barnag said:

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hoosier-daddy said:

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What's this cant miss event?

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Annual event my company puts on

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Yeah that's definitely more important.

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I founded the company and the event. It's important I'm there

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If your business is successful and you're white, you'll never serve. I'd definitely make the effort to re-schedule and "do your civic duty", but the outcome wouldn't change.

Nothing in my adult life has been a bigger waste of time than showing up for jury duty. I'm either dismissed or the case is dismissed every f'ing time.

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I've been selected twice (A DWI and An assault/False Imprisonment/etc) and most of the juries were composed of white business men.

One I did not get selected for was a Boating While Intoxicated. But there was a black man there that was actively trying to not be selected using some of the strategies above. They introduced the case as a BWI and he exclaimed in faux outrage, "What's that? Driving While Black??" He was dismissed.

Quote:

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I've been selected twice (A DWI and An assault/False Imprisonment/etc) and most of the juries were composed of white business men.

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Yeah, I've been involved in about 50 jury selections and FIDO is full of *****

THE_CHOSEN_ONE said:

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Geralt of Rivia said:

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You could always just not show up

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This. They're not gonna hunt you down if you don't go and even if they for whatever reason did you could say you never received the summons, must have got lost in the mail.

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USPS where I live ****s up all the time, misdelivers mail to wrong addresses or not at all. It's 100% the excuse I'm using next time.

If summons was sent via first class mail, just ignore it.

If you really want to do your civic duty, call in and reschedule.

If you get to voir dire, just threaten the judge.

Or tell them that you're a Jehovah's Witness and that choosing is a sin.

CDub06 said:

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I've been selected twice (A DWI and An assault/False Imprisonment/etc) and most of the juries were composed of white business men.

One I did not get selected for was a Boating While Intoxicated. But there was a black man there that was actively trying to not be selected using some of the strategies above. They introduced the case as a BWI and he exclaimed in faux outrage, "What's that? Driving While Black??" He was dismissed.

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"White business men" is not the norm.

One jury I was on, one member was a mid-50's Hispanic guy that barely spoke English and had to do his guilty/not guilty vote with a check or an X because he couldn't spell "guilty".

Not sure how he passed through voir dire. Definitely NOT a "peer" of the defendant.

Take the strippers to the courthouse with you. Then when you get dismissed, take the strippers to the company party.

I got summoned twice in two years. Once in 2003 and again in 2004. Served on one jury that only lasted about three hours. The second time, they plea bargained over lunch. Never actually served.

I have never received another summons and am still at the same address.

Aggie Joe 93 said:

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Like others have said it's usually easy to get it postponed.


Also, wet blanket time: what if you are falsely accused of some terrible crime and you wish you had people on the jury capable of understanding your innocence and not just going along with the prosecutor story?

If you 'get out of' jury duty, you lose all credibility to complain about any verdict.

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The amount of dumb in this country is Legion. I think the odds of getting 50% intelligent people on your jury is quite slim.

Well especially if all the intelligent people think it's a waste of their time or are too self-important to serve.

How can they prove you received the summons?

bdgol07 said:

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How can they prove you received the summons?

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Reading this thread would prove it

I was jury foreman on a 2 week murder trial of a 2 year old baby. Needed some therapy. I'll never do it again.

Mines true but feel free to use it as your excuse.

I'm to lazy to edit my post. You get the idea.

After I got out of the Army and moved to Florida, I was there 12 years, never received a notice for jury duty. Moved to the sticks of Missouri and within 6 months I was already notified. In my letter back I told them that I'd be happy to serve but due to my anxiety issues, I'd have a difficult time sitting for long periods of time in a crowd without medication which leaves me less than alert, which is actually true, but if they could make for reasonable accommodations I'd be happy to serve. It didn't take long to get a notice that I would be permanently removed from the pool of prospective jurors going further

It's like reverse Mugshawtys!

THE_CHOSEN_ONE said:

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Jeez, I can't imagine a 2 year old baby could murder someone, that's nuts

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I got summoned once, and based on all the experiences like y'all have described I thought there was no way I would end up serving. Well lo and behold I was juror #3 in a criminal case. Essentially a bum fight that escalated to attempted murder. The trial lasted a week and I had to miss a ton of work. Getting to experience the whole thing was cool I guess but it sucked having my colleagues pick up my slack for 5 days.

I got summoned one, and simply forgot to go.

I called a few days later after realizing it, and the guy said I wasn't selected anyway, so it didn't matter lol.

Throw the summons away. Postal mail is unreliable.

gotsand said:

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Call the clerk a couple of days prior to your date. Mention you're concerned about showing up at the courthouse as you are presently experiencing several COVID symptoms (mild fever, loss of smell, etc.).

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An Aggie does not . . . . . .

Don't just skip it if you're up in Cooke county. Lady judge there takes it personal. As soon as they go through the roll call, she thanks those who showed up and directs deputies to go pick up the ones that didn't.

Mine was going to be a civil case that we were told to expect to last at least 4 days. I'm in a full commission sales role and this was during my busiest time of the year, so when the judge asked if anyone had a hardship excuse i answered truthfully, and was not selected. I don't get vacation days and am only making money if sales are coming in, so it's hard for me to take that much time off. If they had said it would be a 1-2 day trial i would have been happy to serve.

Also the case was a lady suing the local sheriff's office because she was hit by one of their officers during a high speed chase. I likely wouldn't give the amount of money the plaintiff was looking for in damages so they may have cut me for that.