TheGrey
05-19-2017, 16:26
So, I just finished with a week-long jury duty in Douglas County.
I know the typical reaction is supposed to be, "I need to weasel out of this," but this was a really good experience.
Here are some tips (and keep in mind that they will vary somewhat per County and per court):
When you receive your summons, read it fully. There is a number and website provided for you to check, the Friday before you are to report in. Just because you received a summons does not mean that you will have to report to the courthouse.
Check the county courthouse's website under the "jury" tab. You will need to find out what you can wear, if you can bring food or beverages, if there is wifi available, and what length of time you can expect to wait in the jury commissioner's room.
If your number is selected, you'll need to arrive a little early. Bring your summons with you. You'll need to go through the courthouse security, and that will take time if the courthouse is a busy one. You won't need to remove your shoes, but you will be expected the take off your belt and any metal objects must go in the bin to go through the x-ray machine. The website will provide information as to what you can take through and what you can't. Douglas county does not allow things like metal forks, nail clippers, lighters/matches, or things of that nature.
In addition to the summons they send you in the mail, the Jury Commissioner will have some paperwork for you to fill out. Bring a pen with you, or you'll have to use the throw-away cheapo pens they provide. Bring a little cash, because courthouses usually have little commissaries inside that workers can grab a bite to eat.
Our courthouse had a fifteen-minute video to watch. The essentials are this: county juries are a three-person jury. District juries are a six-person jury, and Criminal cases require a twelve-person jury. Each of these juries will have an alternate as well, and the alternate is unknown until right before deliberation.
The courts will use the paperwork you filled out to help verify things during Voir Dire, the process of discovering whether you are suited to serve as a jury member. Be honest, but don't be a wiseguy or a jerk. Do not wear your gun tshirt, your politically-slanted pins, or your fighting attitude. The average case takes about three days (the one I was on took four) and although it seems an inconvenience at the time, you will gain insight as to how the process works. From a group of forty-three, a jury of seven (six members, one alternate) was selected. There were some that clearly did not understand that jury selection was a process bigger than themselves, and they were excused after about an hour. Voir Dire is not like it is demonstrated on TV (like so many things.)
The case begins immediately after the jury is selected and the judge provides his/her admonishments: do not talk with anyone outside of the jury about the case, the people involved in the case, or any working of the case. The jurors may speak about the case in the jury room, but only when they are all present. You may not research ANYTHING of the case, to include the parties involved, the lawyers, or any of the minutia involved. That means: no internet searches, no book searches, no speaking to anyone that may know something, etc. You will only be allowed to use what is presented to you in court and that which you already have as personal knowledge. How will they know? I'm not sure if they will, but you will be required to take an oath that states that you will abide by the court's requirements. You would break your oath. The plaintiff attorneys will provide you with a binder of evidentiary documents; do NOT mark on them.
The great thing (at least, about Douglas County- I don't know if other counties allow this) is that jurors are not only allowed to take notes, but to ask questions. They provide you with a legal pad (and more if you need it- I had begun on a second legal pad by the time closing arguments came about,) a crappy pen (which is why you want to provide your own) and your listening ears. The way you ask questions is this: the court provides the jurors with about five paper forms on which you print your questions (and print neatly, so the judge doesn't struggle to read it), and the judge will ask the jury if they have any questions before the witness is dismissed (after the examination and cross-examinations and redirects are done). You indicate that you do, and the bailiff will take your questions up to the judge. The judge will apply the same requirements the lawyers must meet to the questions you submit, and he or she will call the attorneys up to the bench to examine the questions to see if they have an objections. Some questions will not be read, and you won't know why until the deliberations are finished.
Once the attorneys have presented all their evidence and witnesses, they will then move to their closing arguments. Listen closely, because by that time, you will have started to form opinions on how you want to decide. If the trial has been carrying on for a few days or there have been many witnesses, it is easy to forget or lose track of some of the nuances of the case. The closing arguments sum everything up and serve as a form of closure.
Right before the jury is sent to the Jury Room for deliberation, the judge will excuse the alternate juror. They will not let anyone know until that moment who the alternate is, so pay close attention to the case and don't count on the fact that you may be the alternate. The jury will be read the jury instructions, (which are lengthy and detailed, so pay CLOSE attention. I took eight pages of notes and found out later that we would get copies of the juror instructions- but this is not always the case) and given admonishments by the judge- you must all agree, you will not be allowed to leave the jury room until you have come to an agreement, you must elect a jury foreman, and so on.
Once you're in the jury room, the bailiff ensures that you remain there. The bailiff brings all of the evidence that was admitted during the trial (and not in the binders you were presented with at the beginning of the trial), and a copy or two of the jury instructions and documentation that the jury foreman must fill out as the final documents.
The jury foreman's job is keep the discussions within the parameters of the jury instructions, to redirect things if they go off the rails and off on tangents, and to ensure everyone is on the same page and agrees with the verdict and decisions. After the discussions and monetary verdict is determined, the bailiff is summoned and informed that the jury has reached a verdict. The jury will be led into the courtroom, and the judge will ask if the jury has reached a verdict. Upon affirmation, the foreman hands the documents to the bailiff, and the bailiff passes it to the judge. The judge reads the verdict and any monetary decisions (if any) aloud. He or she will ask the attorneys if they want the jury polled (ours did not) and the case is officially over.
Our judge told us we were free to go, but if we wanted to, he would come back to the jury room and talk with us, ask and answer any questions that we had. Everyone stayed and we had a great discussion. After ten minutes, he asked us if we wanted to speak with the attorneys. Some people on the jury were hesitant, but the judge assured us there would be no intimidation or shenanigans because he would stay right there in the room. The lawyers came in (and were very pleased and humbled that we remained) and asked us many questions (without any ego involved) about how we came to the decisions we did, what we found relevant to the case and what we didn't, how we thought they could improve, and so on. We didn't find certain things relevant that they thought for sure we would; and we had a terrific discussion that provided closure for both attorneys and jurors (and the judge.)
In summation, if given a jury summons, don't try to evade it. If you truly have a hardship attending jury duty at the time, there are procedures that will excuse you (ONE time) in a deferment. There are instructions that will walk you through how to go about deferring.
Rules to remember:
Don't be an ass. It's all well and fine to joke about wearing the inappropriate t-shirt or cover yourself head and shoulders in the flag or gun attire; if you actually do that, you are beyond stupid and deserve the contempt of court fine you will earn. And it won't excuse you. Douglas County stated "business casual clothing", but allowed for jeans (not the ripped type.) Don't bring up politics, religion, socioeconomic status, or subjects that you know will ruffle feathers. This is something bigger than you and although it's an inconvenience, it's also a privilege and an opportunity. Believe it or not.
Wear comfortable shoes (not flip-flops.)
Despite the fact that they appear comfortable, the jury chairs are not comfortable. Stand and stretch when given the opportunity.
Take notes. It will keep you awake, keep you engaged, and you may discover information that the attorneys missed. It's hard to determine which information is going to be considered important, so write everything down.
Bring a spare pen.
Do not hesitate to ask questions. You can only ask the witness questions when they are there; once they are dismissed, they are gone- as is your opportunity for clarification. It may hold court a little longer than they had initially intended, but court is not for anyone's convenience. It is for justice, and justice does not always stay within the expected timeframe. That's okay.
Lawyer time does not equal time as we know it. "One question" may equal a flurry of questions; "a few minutes means a minimum of a half hour." "Not long now" means an average of an hour an a half.
For the love of all that's holy, keep your phone turned off or in airplane mode. A vibrating phone in the courtroom sounds like a dentist drill and you will experience a new level of humiliation.
Bring a jacket or a sweater; sometimes courtrooms have excruciatingly efficient air conditioning.
You must leave all of your notes and the jury evidence behind every night. You cannot take anything home and study it; everything remains in the jury room.
In the beginning of your jury duty, you will be given a badge. DO NOT LOSE IT.
The bailiff may be a law clerk or a law enforcement officer; they will give you a number in case you need to contact them for inclement weather or you get into an accident. If they forget to do this, ask them for a number and then keep it with you. Do NOT be late; the court cannot begin without you. Show some respect and be on time. If you are one of those people that flake often or are perpetually late (be honest with yourself) then get yourself to the court a half hour early- you know that Murphy's Law will ensure every light you hit is red, traffic will be terrible, and the line to get through security will be awful on the day you are running late. Your jury duty badge will not help you jump in line.
We had a five-month pregnant juror that required frequent breaks. If you have a condition that requires frequent breaks, don't hesitate to let the judge know. The court understands about these things.
Jury duty isn't the drag that people make it out to be. Enjoy the process, and learn what you can from it. Our justice system has flaws, but it is far better than any alternative.
I know the typical reaction is supposed to be, "I need to weasel out of this," but this was a really good experience.
Here are some tips (and keep in mind that they will vary somewhat per County and per court):
When you receive your summons, read it fully. There is a number and website provided for you to check, the Friday before you are to report in. Just because you received a summons does not mean that you will have to report to the courthouse.
Check the county courthouse's website under the "jury" tab. You will need to find out what you can wear, if you can bring food or beverages, if there is wifi available, and what length of time you can expect to wait in the jury commissioner's room.
If your number is selected, you'll need to arrive a little early. Bring your summons with you. You'll need to go through the courthouse security, and that will take time if the courthouse is a busy one. You won't need to remove your shoes, but you will be expected the take off your belt and any metal objects must go in the bin to go through the x-ray machine. The website will provide information as to what you can take through and what you can't. Douglas county does not allow things like metal forks, nail clippers, lighters/matches, or things of that nature.
In addition to the summons they send you in the mail, the Jury Commissioner will have some paperwork for you to fill out. Bring a pen with you, or you'll have to use the throw-away cheapo pens they provide. Bring a little cash, because courthouses usually have little commissaries inside that workers can grab a bite to eat.
Our courthouse had a fifteen-minute video to watch. The essentials are this: county juries are a three-person jury. District juries are a six-person jury, and Criminal cases require a twelve-person jury. Each of these juries will have an alternate as well, and the alternate is unknown until right before deliberation.
The courts will use the paperwork you filled out to help verify things during Voir Dire, the process of discovering whether you are suited to serve as a jury member. Be honest, but don't be a wiseguy or a jerk. Do not wear your gun tshirt, your politically-slanted pins, or your fighting attitude. The average case takes about three days (the one I was on took four) and although it seems an inconvenience at the time, you will gain insight as to how the process works. From a group of forty-three, a jury of seven (six members, one alternate) was selected. There were some that clearly did not understand that jury selection was a process bigger than themselves, and they were excused after about an hour. Voir Dire is not like it is demonstrated on TV (like so many things.)
The case begins immediately after the jury is selected and the judge provides his/her admonishments: do not talk with anyone outside of the jury about the case, the people involved in the case, or any working of the case. The jurors may speak about the case in the jury room, but only when they are all present. You may not research ANYTHING of the case, to include the parties involved, the lawyers, or any of the minutia involved. That means: no internet searches, no book searches, no speaking to anyone that may know something, etc. You will only be allowed to use what is presented to you in court and that which you already have as personal knowledge. How will they know? I'm not sure if they will, but you will be required to take an oath that states that you will abide by the court's requirements. You would break your oath. The plaintiff attorneys will provide you with a binder of evidentiary documents; do NOT mark on them.
The great thing (at least, about Douglas County- I don't know if other counties allow this) is that jurors are not only allowed to take notes, but to ask questions. They provide you with a legal pad (and more if you need it- I had begun on a second legal pad by the time closing arguments came about,) a crappy pen (which is why you want to provide your own) and your listening ears. The way you ask questions is this: the court provides the jurors with about five paper forms on which you print your questions (and print neatly, so the judge doesn't struggle to read it), and the judge will ask the jury if they have any questions before the witness is dismissed (after the examination and cross-examinations and redirects are done). You indicate that you do, and the bailiff will take your questions up to the judge. The judge will apply the same requirements the lawyers must meet to the questions you submit, and he or she will call the attorneys up to the bench to examine the questions to see if they have an objections. Some questions will not be read, and you won't know why until the deliberations are finished.
Once the attorneys have presented all their evidence and witnesses, they will then move to their closing arguments. Listen closely, because by that time, you will have started to form opinions on how you want to decide. If the trial has been carrying on for a few days or there have been many witnesses, it is easy to forget or lose track of some of the nuances of the case. The closing arguments sum everything up and serve as a form of closure.
Right before the jury is sent to the Jury Room for deliberation, the judge will excuse the alternate juror. They will not let anyone know until that moment who the alternate is, so pay close attention to the case and don't count on the fact that you may be the alternate. The jury will be read the jury instructions, (which are lengthy and detailed, so pay CLOSE attention. I took eight pages of notes and found out later that we would get copies of the juror instructions- but this is not always the case) and given admonishments by the judge- you must all agree, you will not be allowed to leave the jury room until you have come to an agreement, you must elect a jury foreman, and so on.
Once you're in the jury room, the bailiff ensures that you remain there. The bailiff brings all of the evidence that was admitted during the trial (and not in the binders you were presented with at the beginning of the trial), and a copy or two of the jury instructions and documentation that the jury foreman must fill out as the final documents.
The jury foreman's job is keep the discussions within the parameters of the jury instructions, to redirect things if they go off the rails and off on tangents, and to ensure everyone is on the same page and agrees with the verdict and decisions. After the discussions and monetary verdict is determined, the bailiff is summoned and informed that the jury has reached a verdict. The jury will be led into the courtroom, and the judge will ask if the jury has reached a verdict. Upon affirmation, the foreman hands the documents to the bailiff, and the bailiff passes it to the judge. The judge reads the verdict and any monetary decisions (if any) aloud. He or she will ask the attorneys if they want the jury polled (ours did not) and the case is officially over.
Our judge told us we were free to go, but if we wanted to, he would come back to the jury room and talk with us, ask and answer any questions that we had. Everyone stayed and we had a great discussion. After ten minutes, he asked us if we wanted to speak with the attorneys. Some people on the jury were hesitant, but the judge assured us there would be no intimidation or shenanigans because he would stay right there in the room. The lawyers came in (and were very pleased and humbled that we remained) and asked us many questions (without any ego involved) about how we came to the decisions we did, what we found relevant to the case and what we didn't, how we thought they could improve, and so on. We didn't find certain things relevant that they thought for sure we would; and we had a terrific discussion that provided closure for both attorneys and jurors (and the judge.)
In summation, if given a jury summons, don't try to evade it. If you truly have a hardship attending jury duty at the time, there are procedures that will excuse you (ONE time) in a deferment. There are instructions that will walk you through how to go about deferring.
Rules to remember:
Don't be an ass. It's all well and fine to joke about wearing the inappropriate t-shirt or cover yourself head and shoulders in the flag or gun attire; if you actually do that, you are beyond stupid and deserve the contempt of court fine you will earn. And it won't excuse you. Douglas County stated "business casual clothing", but allowed for jeans (not the ripped type.) Don't bring up politics, religion, socioeconomic status, or subjects that you know will ruffle feathers. This is something bigger than you and although it's an inconvenience, it's also a privilege and an opportunity. Believe it or not.
Wear comfortable shoes (not flip-flops.)
Despite the fact that they appear comfortable, the jury chairs are not comfortable. Stand and stretch when given the opportunity.
Take notes. It will keep you awake, keep you engaged, and you may discover information that the attorneys missed. It's hard to determine which information is going to be considered important, so write everything down.
Bring a spare pen.
Do not hesitate to ask questions. You can only ask the witness questions when they are there; once they are dismissed, they are gone- as is your opportunity for clarification. It may hold court a little longer than they had initially intended, but court is not for anyone's convenience. It is for justice, and justice does not always stay within the expected timeframe. That's okay.
Lawyer time does not equal time as we know it. "One question" may equal a flurry of questions; "a few minutes means a minimum of a half hour." "Not long now" means an average of an hour an a half.
For the love of all that's holy, keep your phone turned off or in airplane mode. A vibrating phone in the courtroom sounds like a dentist drill and you will experience a new level of humiliation.
Bring a jacket or a sweater; sometimes courtrooms have excruciatingly efficient air conditioning.
You must leave all of your notes and the jury evidence behind every night. You cannot take anything home and study it; everything remains in the jury room.
In the beginning of your jury duty, you will be given a badge. DO NOT LOSE IT.
The bailiff may be a law clerk or a law enforcement officer; they will give you a number in case you need to contact them for inclement weather or you get into an accident. If they forget to do this, ask them for a number and then keep it with you. Do NOT be late; the court cannot begin without you. Show some respect and be on time. If you are one of those people that flake often or are perpetually late (be honest with yourself) then get yourself to the court a half hour early- you know that Murphy's Law will ensure every light you hit is red, traffic will be terrible, and the line to get through security will be awful on the day you are running late. Your jury duty badge will not help you jump in line.
We had a five-month pregnant juror that required frequent breaks. If you have a condition that requires frequent breaks, don't hesitate to let the judge know. The court understands about these things.
Jury duty isn't the drag that people make it out to be. Enjoy the process, and learn what you can from it. Our justice system has flaws, but it is far better than any alternative.