It only took 15 years, but my group number finally got called to report at Civil Court at 8:45am tomorrow. Does anyone know what I should expect and how long I will be stuck there tomorrow? I work in hospitality and am already stressing out having to miss out on much needed income.
Posted Aug 29, 2023, 2:11 AM UTC
It’s possible you’ll be there all day. It really depends on the court case and the applicant pool. I’m sorry you’re feeling stressed and hope you are let go early.
If you earn under $74,600/yr, you can receive $100/day for jury service. It is at least something that can help:
https://sf.courts.ca.gov/system/files/be-jury_one-pager_v5.pdf
If it is a financial hardship for you to be on a jury, you can disclose that and the judge might assign you to a shorter trial, but you have to let them know on the first day of jury selection.
Dont have sharp objects in your pocket they will take them They only let you in just on time no sooner. They scan your jury form they might make you fill out a form bring pen Then you sit for 2 or 3 hours they may settle case if so you can go home.if not you go to court room i did not get to that court room but other cases i got to federal court You can fill out a form why you cant do jury duty the judge will probably make most people then they call 14 people to jury box Then both sides will dismiss jury that does not suit them in my cases both sides could dismiss 20 people thats another 2 hours or another day.the later in week the less chance you will be picked,i went down to civil court friday as i missed my date and did not want a warrant but they settled after waiting 2 hours they want yes people that dont think They have not called me in 5 years,they used to call me every year ask for hardship To be dismissed bring in paystup or rent recieprt or written reason rather than just telling judge
Expect to sit around for a good while. Whether in the waiting room or in a courtroom or both.
Bring a book of some kind and portable power supply.
Who says you got the letter? You never got it. There you go your civic duty is done.
If James Marsden is there just go with it
If your employer won't pay you while you're on jury duty you can plead economic hardship usually works
I’ve only been called in once but here’s my experience.
The first day you’ll sit around a big room waiting for the judge to come in with a bunch of forms that you’ll need to fill out and sign, either saying that you have no legitimate reason to be disqualified from jury duty or have some reason to be disqualified. The requirements for being disqualified are very specific and there’s absolutely no leeway, you can’t argue or negotiate with the judge on this (there is a financial hardship option but you’d need to meet those requirements). For this the faster you fill out your form if you qualify to serve the faster you’re out. But you will sit around for a few hours waiting for the judge to show up as she can only do that when most people have checked in.
The next day will be lawyers from both teams interviewing and agreeing who to pick to be on the jury. They’ll ask about biases and such. For this, you’ll probably be there all day. Personally, I never got called up to be interviewed. I had no legitimate reason to be disqualified so I just filled out the I was ok to sever and turned in my form. I was one of the earlier people to submit my form so I think mine was at the near bottom of the pile. They already filled their jury before they got to mine.
I agree with this summary, but I don't remember filling out forms!
Served 9 weeks on a jury for a felony case while working full time.
Not fun.
It's crazy that cases can potentially take up this much time. The pay is ridiculously low.
There's morning and afternoon groups. They'll ask you to fill out a couple packets.
One paper will be about something that prevents you from serving. Unless it's something major, it will be a waste of time and will be denied.
The other long paperwork will be about your background and see if you're familiar with the case. Moat likely once you fill it out you'll be excused.
I miss the covid19 protocols where you could just fill out the paperwork online.
Bring a book...I had to report at 7 or 7:30 and we sat around until 10am at which point the judge came out to talk to us for 5-10 minutes and told us to come back the next day.
So many sighs and moans when the judge said the trial could last 6-8 months.
Seconding the book. For one, you're not supposed to use your phone in a courtroom. For two, the courtrooms at 850 have very little signal. I'm not sure about the ones at 400 McAllister because I haven't had to go there before, but just assume they were not designed for cell phones when constructing the place. You might want to bring a snack or drink in case you get stuck in the dreaded 90 minute lunch if you don't feel like paying for the food nearby.
Just take the time to take a break. Relax.
I wanted to get selected. They shut me down.
Hours of boredom.
Show up to the courthouse with some of these printed:
https://fija.org/library-and-resources/library/fija-publications/brochures-and-rack-cards.html
They'll dismiss your entire group.
How did you get on
$16 per hour?
It 18 now. If I told you what I make in tips it might send you into a coma
How did your day of jury duty go?
Despite being half asleep, I got put onto a juror selection for a domestic violence and child abuse charge. Judge asked to raise our hands if we felt like we couldn't be impartial, and honestly felt like I couldn't be and got dismissed. Was only there for about 2 hours
You can just not show up. They'll send you a threatening letter and you can kick the can down the road and do it some other time that works out better for you.
How often can you do that? This is postponed from a few months ago already so I'm unsure if I can do it again
Dont risk it. the fine is 1500 dollars if they enforce it and you dont seem like u can risk losing money
Just go. Consequences to not going range from nothing to legal action against you. Do your civic duty, friend. I get called up like clockwork. I cannot fathom how you missed it for 15 years.
I've been summoned before but my group was never called in. I didn't show up last time because I rushed out of state to put my mother in hospice until she died. I got home a month later to a letter saying I have to reschedule, so I picked the end of August, not knowing I was going to lose my job in between taking a month off work and my summons week. If I qualify for financial hardship, I'm going for it
Oh, definitely explain your situation on the form and with the judge. Just don’t avoid going this morning!