Jury Duty :(

[clo]

On 2/28/2024 at 2:46 AM, CDNPolar said:

It was simple other than having to go to the call and sit for 3 hours to get the deferral.

My situation in Seattle was a Zoom call of everybody. So much easier.

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Yes, I agree that could be the confusion.  It would be similar, or the same, as confusing who is in potential jury pools vs those who might be excused once summoned.  

  

Here it is automatic if requested over 75. If you don't request it you will be in the jury pool. I believe once requested then the exclusion from the pool is permanent from then on. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

Thanks.  Apparently different rules for State vs Federal courts may apply.  

 

 

And federal court rules do not vary by state, so the original contention that the age 70 exclusion was a Colorado thing was wrong.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

Here it is automatic if requested over 75. If you don't request it you will be in the jury pool. I believe once requested then the exclusion from the pool is permanent from then on. 

If I truly need to be exempted for a real reason I wouldn't want it to be permanent. My husband and I have each served and when you look around it's really not a "jury of your peers." Too many people who couldn't get out of it.

[Charles4515]

6 minutes ago, clo said:

If I truly need to be exempted for a real reason I wouldn't want it to be permanent. My husband and I have each served and when you look around it's really not a "jury of your peers." Too many people who couldn't get out of it.

I have served but not sure yet what I will do when I have the option. I don’t have the age yet to get an age exclusion. I was recently summoned, postponed the date, rescheduled, and then a day or two before got an email I would not be needed. I have been stressed every time I received a jury summons because of upcoming travel so I can see opting out permanently as reasonable since I have answered all jury summons and served on a jury.

[Honolulu Blue]

About being 70+ and asked to serve on a jury, I'm not that age, but IIRC, in my county in Michigan I think they have all the options:

 

• They can opt out of the jury pool entirely
• They can get out of the current summons but stay in the pool for future summons
• They can serve if they previously haven't opted out

[47greyfox]

4 hours ago, mnocket said:

I received a notice from the U.S. District Court in Colorado for jury duty.  There was a link to request to be excused from serving.  One of the check boxes for requesting to be excused was stating that you were 70+ years of age.  I don't know if this exemption applies to municipal or other courts, but it does for the U.S. District Court in Colorado.

 

Here's the relevant section from the U.S. District Court in Colorado FAQ...

 

What are grounds for requesting a permanent excuse and how do I request one?

You may request an excuse if:

you are disabled with a permanent or chronic condition that prevents you from serving. (A doctor's note is required. It may be faxed to 303-335-2714 or emailed to jury_clerk@cod.uscourts.gov. Please include your 9 digit participant number.)
you have served as a grand or petit juror in any court within the last two years (Proof must be submitted);
you are a person over 70 years of age;
you are a person who is essential to the care of a child or children under ten years of age;
you are a person who is essential to the care of an aged or infirm person;
you are a person who resides outside the jury division from which you were summoned;
you are a person who serves without compensation as a volunteer fire fighter or a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew for a federal, state, or local government agency;
you are a person employed as a federal law enforcement officer with arresting authority; or
if there is any other reason or undue hardship that would prevent you from serving as a juror in which the court would require additional information. If your situation falls within category (9), please be specific. Excuses must be submitted by the date specified on your written instructions.

 

source: Jury FAQs | US District Court of Colorado (uscourts.gov)

Okay, then it all begins to make sense. One set of eligibility rules for US District Court of CO and another for municipals and counties and etc. Why am I not surprised! 🤔😵‍💫🥴🙄😎

[Mary229]

I looked this up this week.  DH is approaching 70 and his travel deferment was set to after his 70th.   His summons was voided.  Here some of the exemptions are 70, sole caretaker with lots of caveats, mental illness.  Federal courts are also 70

 

https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/jury-service/juror-qualifications-exemptions-and-excuses

Edited May 7 by Mary229

[new_cruiser]

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I looked this up this week.  DH is approaching 70 and his travel deferment was set to after his 70th.   His summons was voided.  Here some of the exemptions are 70, sole caretaker with lots of caveats, mental illness.  Federal courts are also 70

 

https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/jury-service/juror-qualifications-exemptions-and-excuses

That page doesn't say that all federal district courts will exempt over 70. It says "most district courts" offer permanent exemptions to some groups and lists over 70 as one example of a group that may be excluded. It sounds like it is up to the district court to decide which groups to allow permanent exemptions. I expect it is commonly offered, but that page doesn't say it always is. 

 

For our local courts in California, it isn't a blanket exemption for those over 70, but being excused due to serving being a physical or mental hardship doesn't require documentation if you are over 70. 

 

[Mary229]

27 minutes ago, new_cruiser said:

That page doesn't say that all federal district courts will exempt over 70. It says "most district courts" offer permanent exemptions to some groups and lists over 70 as one example of a group that may be excluded. It sounds like it is up to the district court to decide which groups to allow permanent exemptions. I expect it is commonly offered, but that page doesn't say it always is. 

 

For our local courts in California, it isn't a blanket exemption for those over 70, but being excused due to serving being a physical or mental hardship doesn't require documentation if you are over 70. 

 

Our local courts will remove you permanently upon request at 70.  They will also permanently send you an absentee ballot for voting.  But of course, these rules are governed at the local and state level. There are other honorable ways to escape jury duty and in this day and age when participation is very low I have found the courts more than willing to work with you to find an acceptable time period. 
 

this sure sounds conclusive to me

 

Most district courts offer permanent excuses from service, on individual request, to designated groups of persons or occupational class on grounds that service by such class or group would entail undue hardship or extreme inconvenience to the members thereof. Such groups may include persons over age 70;

 

 

 

in response to another poster and the concept of a jury of your peers, I often smirk at criminal courts and say I am definitely not a peer member most of the accused 

Edited May 8 by Mary229

[clo]

5 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I have found the courts more than willing to work with you to find an acceptable time period. 

The case I was possibly going to be seated for had a doctor's appointment that I had scheduled months in advance. A pretty important one. The judge said she could halt the trial that day !!! But we're on the Left Coast LOL.

Edited May 8 by clo
typo

[clo]

1 minute ago, clo said:

The case I was possibly going to be seated for had a doctor's appointment that I had scheduled months in advance. A pretty important one. The judge said she could halt the trial that day !!! But we're on the Left Coast LOL.

Oh, and she wasn't joking.

[Mary229]

15 minutes ago, clo said:

Oh, and she wasn't joking.

The stories I could tell from the other end of the spectrum would take a full cruise and a case of wine😁

[clo]

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

The stories I could tell from the other end of the spectrum would take a full cruise and a case of wine😁

I'll 'hawg' a lounge chair for that 🙂

[ldubs]

Mrs Ldubs was in a jury selection.  The judge asked if anyone had travel plans.  Those that said yes were asked to show proof to the bailiff.  Mrs Ldubs had the booking info on her iPhone.   She received what I guess was a postponement.  She was called up again 3 months later.   

[9tee2Sea]

On 2/28/2024 at 11:39 AM, leaveitallbehind said:

PA guidelines:

While there is no age limitation to participate in jury service, citizens who are 70 years of age or older, upon receipt of a Qualification Questionnaire or Summons, may request an age-related excusal that will permanently remove them from the Court's list of prospective jurors.

 

Kind of odd in away in that you would think they would be the more older and wiser of the pool....

that's the reason they dont want them on a jury.  They know the rules of law, rules of civilization, and they have reasoning powers.

[mnocket]

22 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

And federal court rules do not vary by state, so the original contention that the age 70 exclusion was a Colorado thing was wrong.

Please take a look at post #109

[CPT Trips]

3 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

that's the reason they dont want them on a jury.  They know the rules of law, rules of civilization, and they have reasoning powers.

OK Boomer . . . 
Many of us are like a current defendant and need to nap while in court. 
Sincerely, 

An age exempt juror

[clo]

3 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

OK Boomer . . . 
Many of us are like a current defendant and need to nap while in court. 
Sincerely, 

An age exempt juror

I'm a Boomer and love your comment. And I haven't exempted myself.

[CPT Trips]

5 minutes ago, clo said:

I'm a Boomer and love your comment. And I haven't exempted myself.

Do you nap?

Im just pleased that I only need a nap and, unlike the big boomer, not a nappy. 

[clo]

1 minute ago, CPT Trips said:

Do you nap?

Im just pleased that I only need a nap and, unlike the big boomer, not a nappy. 

Just after 3PM here so maybe a nap before cooking dinner (Roasted Pork Belly - a no-no). No nappy.

 

[margeecruiser]

I have served on a jury twice  Very educational and eye-opening about your fellow humans.  The other jurors were just random people and their biases and lack of common sense was scary.  I came away hoping i never had to depend on my fellow human being deciding my fate.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, margeecruiser said:

I have served on a jury twice  Very educational and eye-opening about your fellow humans.  The other jurors were just random people and their biases and lack of common sense was scary.  I came away hoping i never had to depend on my fellow human being deciding my fate.

 

I sure agree.  That is a scary thought.    

 

I'm not following what is meant by the others just being random people.  Other than weathering the selection process, wouldn't all jurors be random people?  

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

I sure agree.  That is a scary thought.    

 

I'm not following what is meant by the others just being random people.  Other than weathering the selection process, wouldn't all jurors be random people?  

agree about randomness, that is built into the system
 

Well, I find people also attribute a lack of common sense when others don’t agree with them.  I have been on juries and I have found that at the beginning of the process many people are in hurry up mode but once someone speaks up and gives a reasoned argument the others are quite attentive.  They may not agree but they are attentive and consider the other view.  Not all trials are splashy but many of them require deep consideration eg. DH was on a jury to remove parental rights - that is difficult and people took it seriously. 

Edited May 9 by Mary229

[clo]

7 hours ago, margeecruiser said:

I have served on a jury twice  Very educational and eye-opening about your fellow humans.  The other jurors were just random people and their biases and lack of common sense was scary.  I came away hoping i never had to depend on my fellow human being deciding my fate.

Which is exactly why I won't try to exempt myself , My one time on jury duty I was appalled at the true lack of being able to understand the facts.