jury duty summons during a cruise HELP Please

[lklgoodman]

My dh just received a letter today that he needs to report for jury duty. There were a couple of dates that he has to report for. One of the dates is during our upcoming cruise. We are past our PIF date. Does anyone know if a vacation that was booked over a year ago would be excused for him going on that date? He isn't trying to get out of doing it, just doing it on a different date. Neither of us has been called for this before, so not sure how it all works. It has a paper for him to fill out if he can't do it. Just don't know if a cruise would be a valid reason and I'm freaking OUT!! My dd has already declared that she won't go if my dh can't come. Thanks

 

[smiths02]

It depends on the jurisdiction, but most places would consider a booked and paid for vacation. He should just contact the court.

 

[CamColt]

I know in MA you can postpone it. There was an option on the card that you can choose to go at a later date. My DS has had to do this when he got it during the school (college) year.

 

[dclpluto]

My dh just received a letter today that he needs to report for jury duty. There were a couple of dates that he has to report for. One of the dates is during our upcoming cruise. We are past our PIF date. Does anyone know if a vacation that was booked over a year ago would be excused for him going on that date? He isn't trying to get out of doing it, just doing it on a different date. Neither of us has been called for this before, so not sure how it all works. It has a paper for him to fill out if he can't do it. Just don't know if a cruise would be a valid reason and I'm freaking OUT!! My dd has already declared that she won't go if my dh can't come. Thanks

they left me off whe.n I had a vacation already paid for. I just told them I had it paid for and can’t get my money back. They just rescheduled it for a few weeks later.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I know in MA you can postpone it.

You can do that in CA, also. There's a phone number (or email contact) to fill out the form for postponement. My husband just had to do that. He had to supply a date he would be available, and he got it.

 

[jdb in AZ]

AZ lets you postpone too. It shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[TeachersRock]

I received a federal jury notice once time which fell during a trip to Disney World. I believe there was a number I called and told them the trip had already been paid for. They told me they would call me for duty another time. This was 15 years ago and I still haven't been called back.

 

[Rob1872]

We were in the same position in Virginia. My wife had a jury duty period that conflicted with our 2nd cruise. She contacted the courthouse and they moved her duty period back a few months.

In my experience, the court is much more willing to work with you when you are just asking to postpone the service period because of a previous commitment instead of asking to cancel it completely.

 

[lklgoodman]

Thanks everyone, we live in Ohio. Just hearing that it's been excused for some of you makes me feel better. I've always wanted to be called for jury duty, so I'm jealous he got called instead of me, just need it to be a different date.

 

[Geomom]

Have your DH either call or check online (if they have a website with info.) Every state has different rules, but I'm assuming that most would allow 1 postponement within a year. Like @CamColt I live in MA. They allow 1 postponement within 12 months without needing to give a reason. We can go online to select a new date to complete our jury duty. I did that this past year. I moved it from February to May--to avoid possible snowstorms. Lol, and like @CamColt's son--my first jury duty was while I was in college--I postponed it to a break time.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We live in Illinois. On the notice there are instructions about how to postpone due to a previous scheduled event. It’s never been a problem. I did get called for jury duty and was assigned to a jury just a few days before I was to leave on a Disney Cruise. I brought in the reservation including the flight schedule and I was let off.

 

[Geomom]

I just did a quick search with 'ohio, jury duty, postponement'.

This is what I found at this link: https://www.ohsd.uscourts.gov/frequently-asked

"What if I am unable to serve?
If you have a situation which would cause you undue hardship or extreme inconvenience by appearing in court, or if you have a prepaid vacation during the time summoned, you must do the following: notify the court by mail that a postponement of your jury service is essential, and explain all the facts and include the earliest day in the near future when you can attend. Your letter must contain your participant number. A judge will review your letter and you will be able to call the automated system or go online and check your status. Please allow 7 to 10 business days to process your request before you call or check your status online. You will not receive a written response in the mail."

Edited to add: Looks like different counties in Ohio have slightly different rules, so definitely follow whatever his juror notice says, but there really shouldn't be an issue postponing once.

Hamilton County Court says this:
"Postponements:
Ohio law allows you a one-time postponement of your jury service. If you wish to postpone your service, please indicate on the summons the Monday that you would prefer to start your jury service. The new date must be within six months of your original date. If you are making a second request for postponement of your jury service that request must be accompanied by a letter explaining why you need additional time. You will receive a postcard from the Jury Commission Office either granting or denying your request. Please allow at least 10 days to pass before contacting the Jury Commission Office to check on the status of your request."

 

[Calantha]

I was called for jury duty in Virginia and I was going to be away for a week on work travel but you just had to submit a request for a new day within the next month or so (or you had to call them). It was no big deal to change it. If you needed to be completely excused there was other paperwork to fill out.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks everyone, we live in Ohio. Just hearing that it's been excused for some of you makes me feel better. I've always wanted to be called for jury duty, so I'm jealous he got called instead of me, just need it to be a different date.

It happened to me when we lived in Montgomery County OH. Do what they tell you to do, it should be OK.

 

[squirk]

My dh just received a letter today that he needs to report for jury duty. There were a couple of dates that he has to report for. One of the dates is during our upcoming cruise. We are past our PIF date. Does anyone know if a vacation that was booked over a year ago would be excused for him going on that date? He isn't trying to get out of doing it, just doing it on a different date. Neither of us has been called for this before, so not sure how it all works. It has a paper for him to fill out if he can't do it. Just don't know if a cruise would be a valid reason and I'm freaking OUT!! My dd has already declared that she won't go if my dh can't come. Thanks

No need to freak out. Courts are reasonable. They know that some real-life obligations need to take priority, and your husband's presence is really not critical to the jury pool.

In the same time it took you to post here, you probably could have called the court directly and gotten your answer on how to postpone.

 

[lklgoodman]

No need to freak out. Courts are reasonable. They know that some real-life obligations need to take priority, and your husband's presence is really not critical to the jury pool.

In the same time it took you to post here, you probably could have called the court directly and gotten your answer on how to postpone.

I couldn't call since I didn't have the papers with all the info. My dh had gotten them in the mail right before he left for work. I wasn't with him when he got them. He had sent me a text telling me he had gotten the letter. By the time I got home the court house was already closed. I really didn't want to worry all week-end.

 

[squirk]

I couldn't call since I didn't have the papers with all the info. My dh had gotten them in the mail right before he left for work. I wasn't with him when he got them. He had sent me a text telling me he had gotten the letter. By the time I got home the court house was already closed. I really didn't want to worry all week-end.

Did you happen to try the Clerk of Court’s web site (assuming they have one)? Odds are good they have a page discussing jury duty and exemption/deferment policies in general. That might give you some peace of mind.

 

[sethschroeder]

Can't see your DH not getting out completely or being able to postpone.

 

[BruinEd03]

I couldn't call since I didn't have the papers with all the info. My dh had gotten them in the mail right before he left for work. I wasn't with him when he got them. He had sent me a text telling me he had gotten the letter. By the time I got home the court house was already closed. I really didn't want to worry all week-end.

You've gotten some good info above. I think most places these days are just thrilled that you aren't tossing the form in the trash and are being proactive about it.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Since OP has to wait through the weekend, I thought I'd share a funny story to lighten things up. When DH's grandmother was in her mid 90's she received a jury summons.

DH answered the summons on her behalf, as the family attorney doing his legal best. He pointed out that his grandmother was in her mid-90's, didn't drive, used a walker, was in assisted living, and legally blind and hard of hearing, but if the court really needed her, the family would do their best to help her appear in court. We didn't hear back from them, and tho she lived til she was nearly 109, she didn't receive another summons.