D&D 5E (2014) Jury duty still ongoing...

[Staffan]

It isn't an automatic excuse. I got to serve jury duty even though I'm a solo practice attorney. I had to close my practice for a week. My father- a solo physician- almost got picked for a murder trial that ultimately required a 36 day sequestration.

You have to prove that you're a sole/main provider of income or care for your household, primary guardian & caregiver for a minor child or disabled adult or the equivalent. Deployment by a superior sovereign - IOW, getting called up for your Army Reerve unit, going on a mission while on active duty, etc.- also gets you out.

You could also be a scientist.

 

[Mr Fixit]

So, do jurors get paid? Are they locked away in the dungeon somewhere to avoid "contamination"? Sounds dreadful.

 

[Henry]

So, do jurors get paid? Are they locked away in the dungeon somewhere to avoid "contamination"? Sounds dreadful.

Yes.

Jury pay is (depending on jurisdiction) something like 8 to 10 dollars PER DAY. Many employers, however, do have policies that they continue to pay employees (salaried or sometimes hourly if you're lucky) though legally they can request you sign over your jury pay if they do - my previous employer paid for my jury time last year, but they also didnt request my jury pay, so my whopping 40 extra bucks was mine to keep.
Never been picked for a grand jury trial though, so i've only served lower court stuff, like traffic court, minor assault, etc. Like any other civic duty, I don't look forward to it, but I don't try to get excused either. Heck, just being a married caucasian male gets me excused many times all by itself, I dont even have to say a word...

 

[Mr Fixit]

If you can't get excused and your employer for whatever reason doesn't want to pay you, you'll receive a grand total of, what, cca $220 for one month of jury duty? Is the judicial system trying to starve you guys out?

 

[S_Dalsgaard]

It is interesting to get a bit more information about the American legal system.

For comparison jury duty is voluntary here in Denmark and the pay is around $165 (US) per day. I don't believe anyone in my immediate circle of friends and family have ever been on jury duty though.

 

[Jester David]

[edit: nothing relevant]

 

[Umbran]

Can we not have the political commentary please? Thanks.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You could also be a scientist.

Sometimes, during voir dire, lawyers do ask some DUMB questions or make stupid statements. Pay attention, and yes, you can be off a jury with head-spinning speed.

My mom was sitting through voir dire once when the defense attorney asked if anyone could pick out the defendant. She raised her hand and said, "Yes, he's the one in the orange DOC jumpsuit flanked by deputies." (They had forgotten to put him in street clothes- he was otherwise quite nondescript.)

In my case, I was sitting among the first 13 jurors called, and the guy sitting next to me was a real conspiracy nut and the rest were regular joes. I knew that if they didn't care about a colleague's fledgeling law practice (they didn't) then I was a shoe-in.

 

[pemerton]

The jury nullification video is pretty interesting. What irks me is the first condition for jury nullification: juries cannot be punished for a wrong decision. Isn't the idea that there is no "right" or "wrong" until determined by the jury? Isn't anything that the jury decides the "right" decision anyway?

In Anglo-Australian law, the term for "jury nullification" is "perverse verdict".

It's a wrong decision in the sense that the jury, believing the accused to be guilty of breaking the law, nevertheless delivers an acquittal. Which is to say, the jury disobeys its obligation to obey and apply the law.

The sense in which this is nevertheless the "right" decision is that a jury's acquittal can't be overturned even if delivered contrary to law (as it is in this sort of case).

 

[Jester David]

Can we not have the political commentary please? Thanks.

Apologies. I was taken aback.