Would this make Jury Duty better for you?

[auntfrannie]

I agree that parking should be covered but not that they should cover your meal(s). You have the option to bring your lunch. I don't understand why some feel the court should pay for meals during jury service. Unless you are sequestered and can not bring food from home, it is your choice to go out for lunch.

yep. I'm fine with getting my own lunch. It's the parking that irritates me.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

I agree that parking should be covered but not that they should cover your meal(s). You have the option to bring your lunch. I don't understand why some feel the court should pay for meals during jury service. Unless you are sequestered and can not bring food from home, it is your choice to go out for lunch.

And in my situation where would you propose I eat this lunch since they close the jury waiting room during lunch hour so the staff can eat and there is no cafeteria or other appropriate area to eat a meal. It is crazy how different everyone's experience is and what the facilities are like. It seems more often than not that they really aren't making the jury duty experience palatable/reasonable for people.

 

[disneychrista]

And in my situation where would you propose I eat this lunch since they close the jury waiting room during lunch hour so the staff can eat and there is no cafeteria or other appropriate area to eat a meal. It is crazy how different everyone's experience is and what the facilities are like. It seems more often than not that they really aren't making the jury duty experience palatable/reasonable for people.

Your car? That's where I and many others eat our lunches on a near daily basis.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Your car? That's where I and many others eat our lunches on a near daily basis.

I take public transportation since I live in the city. And there's no reasonably priced parking in Center City Philadelphia anyway. Thanks for the snark though.

 

[tvguy]

And in my situation where would you propose I eat this lunch since they close the jury waiting room during lunch hour so the staff can eat and there is no cafeteria or other appropriate area to eat a meal. It is crazy how different everyone's experience is and what the facilities are like. It seems more often than not that they really aren't making the jury duty experience palatable/reasonable for people.

That's stupid, to be blunt. The Jury Assembly room is open here from 8 am to 5 pm. There is a cafeteria, plus the Courthouse is downtown so lots of food options. And you get a 90 minute lunch break, so you have time for a leisurely lunch.

 

[disneychrista]

I take public transportation since I live in the city. And there's no reasonably priced parking in Center City Philadelphia anyway. Thanks for the snark though.

No snark intended. I just do not think it is the responsibility of the court to pay for your meal. But whether you are at work, home or Jury Duty you have to eat. Parking and transportation I can see.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

That's stupid, to be blunt. The Jury Assembly room is open here from 8 am to 5 pm. There is a cafeteria, plus the Courthouse is downtown so lots of food options. And you get a 90 minute lunch break, so you have time for a leisurely lunch.

It's absolutely stupid. That's my point. I wouldn't be annoyed by the set up you described at all. I always bring something to read so wouldn't mind a long break. They just make it really inconvenient here. We get an hour. Food nearby is incredibly expensive and you'd be lucky to get there and back within the hour. And there really isn't anywhere to eat a lunch you pack yourself. Plus they give you a really hard time with anything you try to bring into the courthouse. So that's another issue. I'm glad other people have much more positive experiences.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

No snark intended. I just do not think it is the responsibility of the court to pay for your meal. But whether you are at work, home or Jury Duty you have to eat. Parking and transportation I can see.

Well it comes across that way when you just are like "well just eat in you car". I would if that was an option. What I am trying to explain is that the burden placed upon people isn't the same in every county/district let alone every state. Eating out options in Center City are incredibly expensive. They make it really difficult to bring a lunch. And don't provide reasonable facilities to eat that lunch even if I could get it through security. The "pay" doesn't even cover public transportation to and from and I am not in the habit of randomly eating lunch out at ridiculous prices. It imposes a real financial burden on people. Then the city wonders why so few people actually show up.

 

[Diznygrl]

They call our system standby jury duty. Twice a day for two weeks you have to check the website or call the jury recording. At 5 pm the previous day they post which groups have to report the next morning. At 11:30 am you check again, and see if you need to report at 1 pm. The have a huge pool of people to call in for two weeks, but only call in enough to cover the anticipated number needed each half of the day. Sure it isn't exact, but in theory only 1/10th of the people on jury duty for that two week period are ever actually in the jury assembly room. If you get called in, and not picked that day for a jury pool, your service is complete.

When is the last time you were summoned? You are in Sacramento County, are you not?

I've been summoned 5 times since 2007, the latest being 2023, and the standby has always been just one week. Also not everyone has to check back at 11:30 for a possible 1:00 report. If your group is chosen to do this (usually only about two or three groups), you will know if you need to check the next afternoon by the evening before. The remaining groups will be told to check back after 5 the next day. One time I made it ALL THE WAY to the end of the week until they told me "check back at 11:30 tomorrow morning" (which would be a Friday). "No problem!" I thought. "No way will they need more jurors in the middle of the afternoon on a Friday!" Well wouldn't you know it, they called us in. Virtually unheard of! So I went all the way to the courthouse only to sit in the jury room, fill out the form and about 45 minutes later they just released us. What a waste of time!

But anyway, to answer your question, no, the extra money wouldn't make me happy to go to jury duty. I hate it.

 

[disneychrista]

Well it comes across that way when you just are like "well just eat in you car". I would if that was an option. What I am trying to explain is that the burden placed upon people isn't the same in every county/district let alone every state. Eating out options in Center City are incredibly expensive. They make it really difficult to bring a lunch. And don't provide reasonable facilities to eat that lunch even if I could get it through security. The "pay" doesn't even cover public transportation to and from and I am not in the habit of randomly eating lunch out at ridiculous prices. It imposes a real financial burden on people. Then the city wonders why so few people actually show up.

The question was where do I eat. I answered that I personally eat lunch in my car most days. I wasn't suggesting something that I and many others don't do on a daily basis. Yes if you don't have a car to eat in that makes it more difficult. Still don't think the court should be responsible to feed jurors.

 

[tvguy]

When is the last time you were summoned? You are in Sacramento County, are you not?

I've been summoned 5 times since 2007, the latest being 2023, and the standby has always been just one week. Also not everyone has to check back at 11:30 for a possible 1:00 report. If your group is chosen to do this (usually only about two or three groups), you will know if you need to check the next afternoon by the evening before. The remaining groups will be told to check back after 5 the next day. One time I made it ALL THE WAY to the end of the week until they told me "check back at 11:30 tomorrow morning" (which would be a Friday). "No problem!" I thought. "No way will they need more jurors in the middle of the afternoon on a Friday!" Well wouldn't you know it, they called us in. Virtually unheard of! So I went all the way to the courthouse only to sit in the jury room, fill out the form and about 45 minutes later they just released us. What a waste of time!

But anyway, to answer your question, no, the extra money wouldn't make me happy to go to jury duty. I hate it.

Yes, Sacramento County. Probably been 5 years since I got a summons. I've gotten summons 4 times in my life (67 years), had to go in to court 3 of them, called into a court room all 3 times, only made to a jury once.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

The question was where do I eat. I answered that I personally eat lunch in my car most days. I wasn't suggesting something that I and many others don't do on a daily basis. Yes if you don't have a car to eat in that makes it more difficult. Still don't think the court should be responsible to feed jurors.

No, the question was where you propose I eat. At work with my husband I eat in our one car. Your assumption for jury duty that there are reasonable parking options or that we are a 2 car family is where I said you were snarky. I am not eating a sandwich while standing over the homeless on the street outside the court. Sorry you can’t accept that.

 

[Skippy918]

I got called for grand jury once. At least in that jury pool they first asked for volunteers after they explained the time commitment. Those of us working full time would have had difficulty with the schedule. It was 3 half days per week for 3 months. Work would have paid me, but half days are really disruptive.

 

[disneychrista]

No, the question was where you propose I eat. At work with my husband I eat in our one car. Your assumption for jury duty that there are reasonable parking options or that we are a 2 car family is where I said you were snarky. I am not eating a sandwich while standing over the homeless on the street outside the court. Sorry you can’t accept that.

I am supposed to just KNOW that you did not have a car? That information was not in your post. Regardless of your situation, I still do not feel the court should pay for jurors meals. To echo what you said "Sorry you can not accept that."

 

[TwoMisfits]

I am supposed to just KNOW that you did not have a car? That information was not in your post. Regardless of your situation, I still do not feel the court should pay for jurors meals. To echo what you said "Sorry you can not accept that."

If the idea is to make sure jurors are comfortable and at lowest stress so they can put their full focus on actually hearing and trying cases, you need to consider what does that.

Jurors who do not have food and drink will be distracted, unhappy, and stressed. It's a small price to pay to make sure all jurors have the ability to have a nice warm meal and drink during duty. Not everyone is middle and upper class who is called. Paying for folks' transit costs (parking or mass transit) and food costs put all jurors in the same comfort-level space. And then, everyone on the jury is treated equally, and feels an equal in deliberations.

No, you don't HAVE to pay for lunch costs. But do you want jurors happier and more willing to serve, or the reverse?

PS - I see jury duty as I see business trips. An out-of-the-norm work trip away from home. In theory, there's no reason businesses need to pay folks for their meals on travel b/c they have to eat anyway. But they do, b/c that makes for better workers on trips.

 

[Minnesota!]

I don't lose money on Jury Duty (company provided PTO, without docking your PTO), I work and/or live (and park) for free near the courthouses I would serve at, etc. But, for someone without the perks, it would certainly help. Or, a federal law that all jury duty is paid for/not docked by employers.

 

[mjkacmom]

My daughter just got excused from jury duty yesterday. She goes to grad school in Boston and MA calls out of state students for jury duty a lot. No car, I’m not sure if she ubered or took public transportation. She missed a day of classes. She told the judge that she had spoken to her professors and they were concerned about the possibility of her missing a week or more of classes in her doctorate program (trial was expected to last 8 days). She got a lecture about her civic duty and how wrong her professors are, but was excused. She got back to campus and her cohorts around 4 pm. Next jury duty is in NJ in June. She graduates in May, hoping to be working full time, and she’d actually love jury duty if she was getting paid.

 

[disneychrista]

If the idea is to make sure jurors are comfortable and at lowest stress so they can put their full focus on actually hearing and trying cases, you need to consider what does that.

Jurors who do not have food and drink will be distracted, unhappy, and stressed. It's a small price to pay to make sure all jurors have the ability to have a nice warm meal and drink during duty. Not everyone is middle and upper class who is called. Paying for folks' transit costs (parking or mass transit) and food costs put all jurors in the same comfort-level space. And then, everyone on the jury is treated equally, and feels an equal in deliberations.

No, you don't HAVE to pay for lunch costs. But do you want jurors happier and more willing to serve, or the reverse?

PS - I see jury duty as I see business trips. An out-of-the-norm work trip away from home. In theory, there's no reason businesses need to pay folks for their meals on travel b/c they have to eat anyway. But they do, b/c that makes for better workers on trips.

And how much in increased taxes are you willing to pay to give $15/day to 100-200 people ?

 

[TwoMisfits]

And how much in increased taxes are you willing to pay to give $15/day to 100-200 people ?

$3000 day for 5 days/week for 50 weeks a year is $750K.

Pretty sure that money could be found as a rounding error in most counties' budgets.

We pay for what matters to us. As a society, we've decided jury duty doesn't. That's not a good thing.

 

[disneychrista]

$3000 day for 5 days/week for 50 weeks a year is $750K.

Pretty sure that money could be found as a rounding error in most counties' budgets.

We pay for what matters to us. As a society, we've decided jury duty doesn't. That's not a good thing.

I think it is funny you think most counties have 3/4 of a million dollars lying around due to rounding errors.