Help! Advice on jury duty call for tomorrow

[goodgraces]

So I have to report for jury duty tomorrow morning. I’ve deferred it twice so no more asking for extensions. I am a stay-at-home mom with school-aged kids. My husband (sole breadwinner) has a newish office job downtown and travels frequently. He has only a couple of days of sick/vacation time accrued. We have no family in the area.

Our daughter is running a fever today and so it seems quite likely she won’t be able to go to school tomorrow. Does my husband really have to miss work so that he can stay home with our daughter so that I can show up for jury duty? Is there any way out of this? It seems so incredibly ridiculous and unfair that that kind of thing will be required, so that I can sit there for 3+days and (likely) not be empaneled because I’m a SAHM with no free childcare options. Anyone have advice?

Thanks,

Cranky Citizen

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[WSB]

Having covered jury selection in some cases and heard what people had to say when questioned .. yes, you pretty much have to show up. Having deferred twice, you don’t seem to have any way around it. Certainly the luck of the draw is unfair – somehow I’ve never been called despite being on voter rolls for 35 years – but that’s just the way it goes. I’m sure there is some provision for people to call in if they are throwing up with a 104-degree fever, even if they’ve deferred before, but I’m sure there’s a really high bar to prove it, as otherwise the system … which is otherwise lacking to say the least (juror makeup was an issue in the last trial I covered, jury pool that didn’t compare to the demographic makeup of the county) … would be down to very few eligible candidates. Hope it all works out OK and hope your child feels better soon – TR

*Also please note we deleted a comment here that violated our civility rules. People come to the forum asking for advice/recommendations. Abusive replies, just because you don’t think they should be asking the question, are not welcome nor allowed. Thanks to those who flag potential rulebreaking posts (editor@westseattleblog.com – “report this post” is still a ways from being fixable).

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[blbl]

I too have many names to call and rude comments to leave that would surely get deleted; however, I’ll just say that collegenannies and tutors dot com has on call babysitters available, or you can search for babysitters in this forum and probably get someone who will be happy to watch your child tomorrow. Or (gasp) have her father use a sick day for exactly what it is for.

I hope you do get impaneled so hopefully you can learn something and contribute to the judicial system we all benefit from.

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[goodgraces]

I appreciate the perspective and concern, TR. Not surprised that comments had to be deleted for civility violations — there are few things as irresistible to trolls as folks being honest about not wanting to follow rules or protesting the status quo. I agree that jury makeup is a real problem in our culture, but the system is broken if nonworking parents of young kids have to pay out-of-pocket for childcare by strangers so that they can show up for jury duty.

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[blbl]

You don’t have to be a troll to find your attitude disgusting. A fair trial is a big freaking deal. Yes, we expect you to show up. That doesn’t mean the system is broken.

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[kgdlg]

I was called for jury duty only once the day before I moved out of state across the country. Can’t believe it has happened again yet. I am probably jinxing myself.

It seems like you have a solution. Your hubby takes a sick day so you can go plead your case and get sent home. Done! That is what sick days are for, no harm no foul. Presuming he has more coming soon at new year? I think it would be a lot harder if you were a single stay at home mom with no other source of income and no one to take a sick day and relieve you of childcare duties.

I don’t look forward to when I get called next but it is our duty as citizens. I actually wish there were more compulsory things like this because I think we all forget how reliant we are in each other in this day and age. Go, you might be surprised by something that happens there. Or you may get sent home at noon!

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[pattilea]

WOW I am surprised you want to decline your right to be an American. We get to do this!

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[skeeter]

Goodgraces – I feel you!

Jury duty is a great civic and social responsibility. I once served on a King County trial that lasted three weeks and it was an amazing experience.

However… some folks are stretched thin and I think it is perfectly acceptable for you to call King County and explain you are unable to serve at this time. Jury duty pays $10/day. I do not think it is reasonable for a stay-at-home parent to have to hire a babysitter at $100+ per day so you can do your civic duty. Let the rest of us with time/ability serve now and you can take your turn later when your kids are older or you have family/friends to take care of your kids.

An alternative might be to show up for the first day while your spouse uses sick leave and explain to the judge that your spouse only has a couple of sick days and you’ll be unable to serve once he/she uses his sick leave up.

Some folks on this board will blast you. But until one of them offers to watch your children at no cost don’t let it bother you. Right now you need to take care of your kids. Later in life you can serve as a juror when you are able.

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[JanS]

While some on here have jumped on the OP for her dilemma, I certainly don’t see anyone on here volunteering to help her out. I love this community…sometimes quick to judge, not too quick to actually help. (When you have a sick child, sometimes it’s the mom that needs to be there, not a strange babysitter)

Since we’re now into the day goodgraces was talking about, it would be interesting to know how she resolved it.

(I’m sure some will come back and ask why I didn’t volunteer to help out…I’m on immune suppressing drugs, so taking care of a sick child is verboten)

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[acemotel]

Quite often, when you show up for jury duty, you may be questioned and sent home after the first day, if you are not chosen for a particular trial. At least that has been the experience of some friends. I would LOVE to have jury duty!!! I’ve never been picked :-(

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[wakeflood]

Modern America, with two jobs (or more) and with the high cost of day care/sitters and the relative inflexibility of many companies with regards to this type of thing (forcing someone to go without pay or using PTO), makes what should be not a big deal, a big deal for many – especially with small children.

Do what you can do, make the ones you can and you’ve done enough to satisfy this 5-time jury duty attendee.

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[miws]

When I reported for Day 1 of potential Jury Duty earlier this year, the Judge that came down to talk to us during Orientation, he mentioned that the $10.00/Day Juror Pay has been in effect since 1956, and if it had kept with Inflation, would be over $87.00 today.

Mike

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[JanS]

I’ve only had federal jury duty. You are called for one specific case. If you don’t get on that jury, you go home. You don’t have to go wait for another case. And the pay is $40 per day. A better deal.

I got on the jury.length of whole thing was 4 days. We were treated to lunch en masse at the Sheraton during deliberations.

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[pattilea]

I know there are hardships for people called up for jury duty, but they do give you three tries. I am self employed so I don’t get paid if I don’t work, but I think its awesome that we get to do this. So many cry wolf instead of going. Would you rather have a biased judge make ruling? Off my soap box…

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[wakeflood]

Um…I’ve been on a number of juries. I’m not always enthusiastic about the capacity of my peers to wield common sense. If you don’t want to do something or only do it because you’ve been forced to, that’s generally not conducive to full engagement with an open mind, no?

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[sacatosh]

I’ve also been on a number of juries. In the last one, we spent 3 days deliberating a “slam-dunk” case in which a man was very much guilty of multiple violent crimes, all because a single juror decided that he “doesn’t like how the system works” and “wanted to send a message.” It took three days for the rest of us to convince him that letting a violent man walk free due to a mistrial would only cause them to retry the case, and that he and his lawyers could appeal if they so desired. The basis of his argument was that he felt a certain type of evidence shouldn’t be allowed. We had to explain to him how the legal system works and that both sides had already argued for/against any evidence we saw and come to a conclusion, and that our job was to make a determination based on that evidence.

Quite frankly, it sucked horrendously and was a waste of a lot of people’s time and money because one guy just didn’t like the system. So yeah, after that experience, I’d rather that the people who truly think they’re too special to be there, just make up some BS and stay home. Let those of us who are willing to participate in the process, do so. It’s not ideal, but I’d rather that than gross miscarriages of justice because one person is mad about being there and decides to take some sort of stand.

Granted, before that experience, my answer would have been very different. I’ve been on three major cases: a double homicide (guilty,) a DV (not guilty) and another DV with kidnapping and threatening a witness (guilty.)

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[JKB]

TR, I’m disappointed. I did see that early post before it was taken down. Many, many posts that were far more hostile than that one have been allowed to stay.

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[JanS]

JKB…one of the things that many of us love about these forums (fori?) is the civility shown (most of the time). If one has to be personal and negative to and about a poster, walking away and getting some fresh air might be a better choice. Rule #1..comments on the topic OK, comments about the poster personally? Not so OK. :)

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[YeloRose]

Wish I had seen this earlier. I served on jury duty for King County a few months ago and was impressed that there is a child care center at the justice center. Unfortunately, only jurors who are empaneled can use it, but it is helpful nonetheless.

I’ve served on juries in 5 different states. Each experience was very different. A trial by jury was important enough to most of our founding fathers to include it in the Bill of Rights. Women (and other minorities) had to fight to be on juries along with the right to vote, so I consider it to be a very important civic duty.

Inconvenient? Yes, but so was voting when I was first eligible. No night time hours or voting by mail – I had to vote on lunch or take time off. Maybe in the future someone can come up with a better way for jury duty, but they have to call a large group of people in the first place because so many defer or get excused.

Just my .02

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[service dog academy]

As the daughter of a law enforcement officer, I get to go and wait to be put on a jury only to be immediately kicked off of it. No one wants the po pos daughter on their jury. Inconvenient? Yes. Pointless? Yes. Will I still keep going? Yes, because its part of my job as a citizen of this country.

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[nyuresearchfellow]

If any of you have previously served as jurors in Seattle and are willing to participate in an informal panel next Friday 6/22/18 as part of an NYU Law Civil Jury Project event (aimed at honoring jurors and improving the U.S. jury system) please email aco269@nyu.edu for more information! Free lunch and a modest honorarium will be provided to participants. Many thanks! :)

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