PLEASE HELP Grand jury duty during my trip????? Just got summoned

[rosemary4126]

If they send you a letter in the mail not certified or in any way proving you received it- they can arrest you for not showing up/etc? That doesn't seem legal. They'd have to have some PROOF that you actually received it.

Here they do not need proof. If you are called and do not show on time a bench warrant is issued for your arrest the the police come looking for you. Most people who say they never got the letter are simply notified to appear later that day or the next day. Now that the poster has called the office that cannot be an excuse and would likely be jailed and fined for not appearing.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

DH was in a similar situation a few years ago. He filled out the form and explained that we had a paid vacation that was non-refunadable during the time he was requested for grand jury duty. They gave him a six-week notice. Six weeks later he was called for grand jury duty again.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

If they send you a letter in the mail not certified or in any way proving you received it- they can arrest you for not showing up/etc? That doesn't seem legal. They'd have to have some PROOF that you actually received it.

I took a law class in college as an elective. The professor/lawyer told us that anything mailed to your address is assumed to be received and opened by you. He was a bit odd but I assume he is correct.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

If I ever get summoned for a time when I'm scheduled to be on vacation, I would fight tooth and nail to not have to serve. I'm willing to serve, but not when I've got pre-existing plans that will be a hassle to change.

I'd tell them you are not missing your trip and be firm about it and see what happens.

 

[disneytraveler]

Wow sounds bad but heres an example of what happened to me when i got a grand jury notice in my State of Ma. Of course it was around the Christmas holidays but in my case it was federal grand jury which was differerent. I had
to keep calling up by phone every friday. The annoucement on the phones seemed it was choosing people by last names or something. I kept calling and it said i was not needed for this case but call next friday to see if i am still needed for another. Well to make the story short- i finally received a message saying 'The judge thanks you for your patience and you are no longer needed.

 

[crzy4dsny]

Unless things are different where you live, here in New York grand jury is usually a one day thing. What you would be doing is deciding on wether a case is going to go to trial or not. This would be for felony cases only. Unless you get stuck on a major case it should be a one day event. From my experiences the grand jury sits in a room and hears many quick cases.

I went once for jury duty for a trail. The trail was going to start the same week I was going to Disney. I simply told them that and they excused me. Like some others have said bring some proof with you.

 

[DVC-Don]

I did Grand Jury for 3 months the fall of 2003. We always had someone gone for vacation or doctors appointments when we sat. It is much more flexible than regular duty just as long as you give them the dates you'll be gone. We heard cases 1 or 2 days a week and only once sat all day.

People that did not show up without calling (there was about 3) were located by a State Trooper or Sheriffs Deputy and brought in.

 

[DVC-Don]

If they send you a letter in the mail not certified or in any way proving you received it- they can arrest you for not showing up/etc? That doesn't seem legal. They'd have to have some PROOF that you actually received it.

Here all they need is proof they mailed it to your last known address, not that you received it.

 

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

Thanks guys I feel a little better but not completely. I am located in the Franklin county area of New York. The court is in Malone. I hope and pray that I will not have to report any time from 6/23-7/6. I have to call the nite before and see if my # is up( just like regular jury duty) and if it is I will report on the 21st with all of my reservations in hand and lots of tears. If it doesn't involve these dates I don't mind doing my civic duty. But 6/23-7/6 is my Disney Duty.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

As others have said (and a few others may not understand...), GRAND jury duty (if it is Federal) is very much unlike "normal" jury duty.

I had someone in my office called to grand jury duty a few years ago. It was a small company (6 people) so taking that one person (a key employee) away one day a week for six months was painful to the company. Then her jury duty term got extended for an extra 3 months.

(In my opinion the system is ridiculous. It's like getting the "jury duty death penalty".)

We were told (and found out) that it is nearly impossible to get excused from it. There are alternate jurors, so your best bet may be to not try to get out of it, but try to just get excused for that one week.

 

[mybgirl]

I know locally, our best bet is just to go down to the courthouse and talk to the person in charge. I used to be called all of the time and sent home immediately due to the many mental health facilities I had worked in. I knew the majority of the people involved. What was finally decided between all of us was that they would just call me when they were short, and it didn't seem there would be a problem. Not the norm, but I believe most people are pretty reasonable if you just go talk with them.

They will work this out work you , I AM SURE. HAPPEN TO MYSELF AND MY SISTER


TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS


MARY

 

[lovethattink]

My parents were down here for the winter when my mom got her jury summons. She called them and then sent a note. They excused her and said that they would put her name in for a later date.

 

[wendy1974]

I think that you shoukld still fill out the form with copies of your plane tickets and paid reservation as the previous poster stated. If that form is supposed to be mailed send it in ASAP. Chances are of you show up with that in court and try to tell the Judge then he will not listen. I work in a Court and it's better to get those things to them way in advance so they have a chance to review it. Who knows you may even get a call or letter excusing you before the 21st. If you still have to go on the 21st then I would bring the plane tickets and reservation confirmation with me. Most importantly, be polite and calm about it. I know it's hard and very upsetting but if you get irate or upset about it then chances are the Judge will not listen to you. Good Luck!

Oh, and about the biopsy -I had to go through a culposcopy last year for pre-cancerous cells. I ended up having to have laser surgery which went really well. I know that this is a very trying time for you right now and I want you to know that you are in my prayers. You are taking care of yourself and it will all work out

 

[mill4023]

Relax everyone. This shouldn't be any problem at all.
Of course they will excuse you if you already have a non-refundable trip planned. Sure, they don't want people just making up excuses to get out of serving, but they also don't want to ruin people's vacations.

I'm currently serving on a federal grand jury. We went through a selection process before being picked. Basically, they had about 40 people show up, then they had a randomly ordered list of those people and they went through picking the first 26 people. When each name was read, the judge asked the person several questions, including whether there was any reason they wouldn't be able to serve. Then the judge either had them stay on the jury or excused them.

We meet one day each month for an 18 month term. I'm 9 months into the term, and I've already had to be excused from 3 of the sessions. Once for our WDW trip, once because my boss asked me to travel for work, and once because I was going out of the state to interview with another company.

You can fill out the form with the information about your trip, but even if they ask you to come to the selection and you get selected, you may not have your first session for several weeks.

 

[DisneyWisher]

http://www.udayton.edu/~grandjur/faq/faq1.htm

Here is a link that explains what a grand jury is. Seems some are confusing it with a regular jury.

When I went to serve for a "regular" jury (after being excused 3 times) the judge was not always quick to excuse anyone. Most of the jurors were City, State, and County employees because they would still get paid by their regular job for serving. I'm not so lucky but I was excused after sitting their all day while they picked the jurors. It was a civil case involving a car accident.

 

[lacy1101]

I realize that not all state courts operate the same, but I work for a judge in Kentucky. Our grand jury meets only on Wednesdays for one month. I have never seen our judges not excuse someone from jury duty when they had a trip planned with air and hotel reservations, etc. Even without those reservations, I have never seen them make someone report when they have a vacation planned. As some have already said, complete the form, indicate that you have a vacation planned for the specific dates and asked to be excused for those dates. They may excuse you only for those dates, or they may defer your service to another month. The more you buck the system, the more trouble you will have getting anyone to cooperate with you.

In our court, if a juror fails to report on the first day, they are given the benefit of the doubt and a telephone call is made directing them to report the following day for qualification. If they continue to fail to report, they are summoned to the judge who may impose a fine (I've seen that happen). If they still refuse to cooperate, the sheriff will be sent to go get them!

I know jury duty is a pain to most people, but remember that a grand jury or a petit (trial) jury of one’s peers "is a right of every American and the cornerstone of our judicial system. As a juror, you participate directly in the execution and application of our laws, and you guarantee the continuation of a basic democratic process that helps to assure American freedom" (taken from a thank you letter that my judge sends to each and every juror following their service). It is a very important service! If you go into it relaxed and open-minded, you may actually enjoy it.

 

[Jackie H.]

I have not read this whole thread (don't have time now) but DON'T PANIC! I know you want to, but don't!

This same thing happened to me last year. It was Federal Jury Duty (and I really think it was for the Eric Rudolph trial, which was a biggie indeed). We had a trip to Yellowstone planned. I was in a panic as well!

My summons had a number to call and I explained but they were very non-committal..sorry, yadda, yadda, yadda. I wrote a letter explaining everything and I was supposed hear something back. Nothing. I waited. As the time got closer, I called the number again and this time I am sure I sounded extremely paniced!!! I told them I had to know! I got a letter 2 days later saying I was "postponed". They didn't excuse me, they just put off my service to the next Federal Jury. (It ended up being a trial for the former Governor on coruption charges! Thank goodness I didn't get picked for the jury!)

So send the letter and then keep calling!

 

[Susan Braunstein]

My husband had the same thing happen. He made a copy of the plane tickets and sent back the form. He said he would be more than happy to serve at at later date but already had plans previously made. They sent back a letter postponing his.

 

[pumba]

I am sure that there are alot of excuses that people will use just to get out of duty......My husband sent a letter with his form and told them that I had been selected to go on a moose hunt which is a big deal up here in Maine and that I would not be happy if my husband could not excort me as he was my second shooter. They called and I was the one that answered the phone and the lady said that he would be allowed that week off and to just come in for the initial talk and film that they show.......I call that reasonable. When they picked jurors for the first case my husband raised his hand for not being able to attend that week and the judge asked why and he told him......he laughed and said to tell his wife (me) good luck.......This was for federal court too....

 

[seashoreCM]

This is for people who work in the judicial system, and not for you and I to say or talk about when asking for a postponement.

It makes no sense to tell a prospective juror to change his plane tickets or vacation plans in order to make a specific jury date. You will surely get a juror of a quality and mindset and impartiality much worse than that of one of the persons who was rejected during the morning interrogation that comes before every jury selection.

This is for everyone.

Make up your excuse and present it in person as soon as possible, even if you have to take time from work. Court clerks are less sympathetic when people come in at the last minute to task for a postponement.

When it comes to asking for a postponement, an important part of making your request is sizing up the costs of changing your vacation and putting that down on paper. The emphasis is showing the court clerk that hardship is involved and having to pay fees to change airplane tickets is a hardship. You would not want to do a postponement just for a driving trip to the next state to shoot moose, for example.

If I could change my vacation plans conveniently I would probably not ask for a postponemtn but I might be more cavalier about taking kids out of school to accommodate the revised vacation.

I have even volunteered for jury duty so I could choose the date and time. The court refused. I never understood why courts won't allow if not emphasize this.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm