July has been taken away.........

[mikeflys]

No travel for us. We went on our first trip just a few weeks ago. When we returned I was looking through the stack of mail. On the very bottom was a jury duty summons for my wife. She is on call for jury duty for the entire month of July. There goes our summer, or at least a good chunk of it.

[timmac]

mikeflys wrote:
No travel for us. We went on our first trip just a few weeks ago. When we returned I was looking through the stack of mail. On the very bottom was a jury duty summons for my wife. She is on call for jury duty for the entire month of July. There goes our summer, or at least a good chunk of it.

Big mistake, you should have not responded to the letter, now the courts know you got the letter, I just circle file mine and have for years with no issues, they always send out more than needed because they know not all respond..

[rexlion]

Well, I hope they tell her she is not needed, so you can take off.

Personally I'd be delighted to get a call to jury duty during summer months when I'm off work. I would like to serve on one... never have gotten the call. But I'm always worried they will call me during the school year when I need to work. Being self-employed, no work means no income, so I do not want to miss any work days.

[kknowlton]

I also live in Idaho, although in Payette County, rather than Ada. I had absolutely no problem getting a change through the courthouse. We have lived in Clearwater and Custer Counties and had no problem there, either. They realize that life happens.

Ditto for Bannock County. I did have specific travel plans when I got my jury duty summons, called and talked with them about it, and they even allowed me to choose a time when I was pretty sure I would be available. That worked out well for all concerned. Good luck with the situation, mikeflys. Best case scenario, your wife serves on a 2-day jury and is then excused for the remainder of the month.

[rickeoni]

happybooker1 wrote:
2 years ago in April I got a summons for May. At the first of May I found out I had cancer. Then there was a whirlwind of blood tests, CAT, PET, & I don't remember the other scans, setting up for surgery for a PIC line, starting chemo, etc.

I completely forgot about the summons until MONTHS later when I found it again. To date, no one has been looking for me. The good news is I'm 1.5 years cancer-free.

That's not good news, that's GREAT news.

[moonlightrunner]

I look forward to serving on a jury (never have before). I'm a firm believer in the death penalty and love to read/watch who dun its. I think pedofiles should be put down like a rabid dog. I think if someone breaks into a house to rob (or worse) the occupants, they should expect to be shot. Think I can get on a jury? I get to ask questions too, right? I think being on a jury would be fun.

[happybooker1]

2 years ago in April I got a summons for May. At the first of May I found out I had cancer. Then there was a whirlwind of blood tests, CAT, PET, & I don't remember the other scans, setting up for surgery for a PIC line, starting chemo, etc.

I completely forgot about the summons until MONTHS later when I found it again. To date, no one has been looking for me. The good news is I'm 1.5 years cancer-free.

[mikeflys]

This topic sure sparked a lively debate! Planning on taking a weekend trip does not work for me. My first day off is Sunday and I have mostly weekdays off. This generally works well for us. We are pulling into camping places when everyone else is leaving. My DW was in for jury selection today. She was not picked for the jury and a comment was made by the court clerk that makes her think she is off the hook for the rest of the month. I told her she needs to call and get that figured out.

[westend]

Goducks10 wrote:
Never known anyone getting issued a warrant for a no show. Personally know several people that didn't go and nothing happened.

From the Multnomah County Jurors Handbook;

What happens if someone ignores a summons for jury service?
The court may issue an order requiring that person to appear in court. If the person ignores the summons, the court may hold the person in contempt. Similarly, a person who fails to complete jury service without first getting permission from the court may be punished for contempt. If you receive a summons but cannot comply with the summons, you must follow the procedures to be “excused” by the court.

[BurbMan]

mikeflys wrote:
We did not have any specific plans.....yet.

Why requesting a postponement is bad advice...you use your free postponement now and next time DW comes up in the queue you may wind up missing a family wedding or other important event. Do it and get it over with.

[GordonThree]

westend wrote:
The way I look at it, it's a small price to pay for having a court system with jury that is comprised of my neighbors. The alternative is pretty scary.

x2

[Murphsmom]

I also live in Idaho, although in Payette County, rather than Ada. I had absolutely no problem getting a change through the courthouse. We have lived in Clearwater and Custer Counties and had no problem there, either. They realize that life happens.

[Campfire_Time]

goducks10 wrote:

Never known anyone getting issued a warrant for a no show. Personally know several people that didn't go and nothing happened.

A long time friend I know from work told me about the time his wife had a jury summons and totally forgot about it. Nothing ever came of it. It's total BS that they will come after you with a warrant. They purposely over book for jury selection knowing there will be no shows.

Maybe where you live, but not BS at all in most counties across the country. So giving this kind of advice can get someone in a lot of trouble that could easily be avoided. I know for fact they do it where I live. The judges must be VERY forgiving in your county (BTW, this is up to the judges to issue the warrant. Better hope you don't get a zealous judge any time soon!). Most courts issue bench warrants for no shows. It even tells you that on the summons. I personally don't know anyone who's had to go through it mostly because no one I know is foolish enough to test out that theory.

goducks10 wrote:

Here's an interesting story about jury duty. I was told this by someone who actually saw it happening. One morning at the Marion County Court House in Salem Oregon they didn't have enough jurors to choose from. The bailiff went outside in front of the court house and literally pulled people in from the sidewalk. They were asked the typical 'Are you a U.S. citizen, etc. If they answered yes then they were taken inside to begin the selection process. True story.

I've heard that most courts have this latitude pretty much every where. It's rare, but it does happen.

[Campfire_Time]

goducks10 wrote:

Never known anyone getting issued a warrant for a no show. Personally know several people that didn't go and nothing happened.

A long time friend I know from work told me about the time his wife had a jury summons and totally forgot about it. Nothing ever came of it. It's total BS that they will come after you with a warrant. They purposely over book for jury selection knowing there will be no shows.

Maybe where you live, but not BS at all in most counties across the country. I know for fact they do it where I live. The judges must be VERY forgiving in your county (BTW, this is up to the judges to issue the warrant. Better hope you don't get a zealous judge any time soon!). Most courts issue bench warrants for no shows. It even tells you that on the summons. I personally don't know anyone who's had to go through it mostly because no one I know is foolish enough to test out that theory.

goducks10 wrote:

Here's an interesting story about jury duty. I was told this by someone who actually saw it happening. One morning at the Marion County Court House in Salem Oregon they didn't have enough jurors to choose from. The bailiff went outside in front of the court house and literally pulled people in from the sidewalk. They were asked the typical 'Are you a U.S. citizen, etc. If they answered yes then they were taken inside to begin the selection process. True story.

I've heard that most courts have this latitude pretty much every where. It's rare, but it does happen.

[opnspaces]

In San Diego we can just call the phone number on the summons and ask for an extension. They also allow you to show up anywhere from 2 weeks before to two weeks after the summons date.

It can't hurt to call and ask for an extension the worst that can happen is they say no.