Riddle: What will put a smile on your face but not mine?

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 1:15 am

It seems that in Los Angeles County if you ask for a Jury Duty Service delay you'll only end up getting another date within the next eight weeks. So asking for one doesn't help you very much.

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 8:51 am

- graymouser, that sounds a lot like the case I was on (trip, fall, sue) .. except mine had an experienced lawyer representing someone who obviously couldn't pay the bill. We all wondered who was pulling the favor.

It lasted 5 days ... and took us one time of going around the table to make the decision unanimous. After that, we all enjoyed our free lunch before returning with our verdict.

I've gotten out of a couple of calls for jury duty--one while I was away in college, and another just a year ago because I was in the middle of moving out of that county and into another. I'm sure I'll be summoned again in no time.

Moop · Post by **Moop** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 12:31 pm

gundamx2 wrote:I know some people go their whole life without having to go to jury duty at all or at least very few times

I've never even been called, much less picked...and somehow I just can't seem to muster any righteous indignation.

I hope your luck holds out this time, gx2!

gundamx2 · Post by **gundamx2** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:55 pm

Update: Monday 12/15

It seems that..............I managed to evade jury duty with today's # picks. 4 more days to go. This is torturing. They picked 8 numbers already. Unbelievable.

Thanks for everyone's support. Maybe all our anti-jury duty chi power is gathering like a spirit bomb.

I still get the feeling my # will get picked though. Too bad we're so far away, Iwakuralain. If I was picked, you could've been my clone and go to jury duty since you like it and I don't.

And about Gray's first post about the case about trip, fall, sue, that reminded me of that episode from Zetsubou Sensei when there was an American transfer student, and the Japanese teacher wouldn't even look at her and tried to avoid all contact with her because he feared that anything he did might result in her suing him. LOL.

Anyways, I'll keep everyone updated when the next set of #'s get picked tomorrow.

lcatino · Post by **lcatino** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:28 pm

Moop wrote: I've never even been called, much less picked...and somehow I just can't seem to muster any righteous indignation.

Wow, you're so lucky! I've been called 3 times, and hubby gets called all the time.

Good luck Gundam! I hope the next 4 days go by fast!

gundamx2 · Post by **gundamx2** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:46 pm

Update: 12/16

So, they picked only 3 numbers today and it seems that................i got picked.

And it's super early too (8:45 a.m., pssh).

Now let's see if I get picked in tomrrow's group. I'm not feeling lucky though. Lots of fun waiting, so I better bring my notebook and work on my story.

I'll keep you updated tomorrow on what happens on "I hate jury duty" drama tv.

gundamx2 · Post by **gundamx2** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:10 pm

Update: 12/17

Well, I went to the darn courtroom today.

In the waiting area, the announcer started calling names for people who were selected to be potential jurors. To my amazing disbelief, my name wasn't called.

. Then, one minute later, the guy says there's another trial that just called for more members, and, yep, you guessed it, my name was called. They called pretty much everyone except like 4 people (who got off the hook).

So there was a bunch of us in the room. The judge said that 24 of us would be chosen before juror screening. And, guess what, yep, (man, you are on a role today) I got picked within those 24 spots. And what's even more amazing was I knew which number I was going to be before I was called, which was seat #12.

So, yada yada yada, we all have to give brief backgrounds of ourselves and share embarrasing facts with a bunch of people you don't know.

There were a few jurors who very openly stated that they would probably be biased towards the case no matter what, and they were hammered with questions from the judge and lawyer, but they still stood their ground, so you know those people won't be staying long.

So after many ridiculous breaks and a 1 and a 1/2 hour lunch (why so long man? I would've died of boredom if I didn't bring my notebook and work on my story), the people were starting to screen out jurors. To no surprise, the first group of people who were excused were the ones who stated they wouldn't be impartial. Then, they started excusing the ones whose english was poor.

The people who were excused left their seats, and the empty seats were replaced by people in the next row (in this case, my row).

Then the judge declares who the absolute jurors will be, and that was the people in the 1st row. I phewed a sigh of relief as I wasn't in that row. Then, the judge says nothing works according to plan all the time, so the trial would need 2 spare jurors, and he was picking people in my row from right to left. Yep, you guessed it, I was LUCKY enough to be picked as one of the spare jurors. Yay.

Then, it happened. The lawyer saw that I was part of the spare jurors and immediately excused me. hahaha.

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 5:13 pm

Good to hear you made out of it.

lcatino · Post by **lcatino** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:21 pm

Glad to hear it's over!

gundamx2 · Post by **gundamx2** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:37 pm

Thanks, "Biri Biri" and Ica.

P.S. = So I checked the website afterwards to see what other #'s would be called. The next day after mine, they called only 1 number. The last day they called no numbers. So, basically, they pretty much stopped calling numbers after mine was called. It is so irritating. It's all part of a conspiracy, I tell you. Welcome to the NHK.

duotrouble · Post by **duotrouble** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:55 am

Yeah, so many people know the "say you're biased and you get off the hook" routine that judges and lawyers will grill you as to why. So unless you really are, it's much easier just to tell the truth.

I've been called twice. The first time I just sent the letter back stating I no longer lived in that county so I didn't go or anything. The second time I had to call every day (Mon-Fri), like you, to see if my number was called. My number got called on Thursday at 8am. I went in and spent 4 hours getting oriented and listening to the lawyers question all the potential jurors. I found it interesting.

They were picking 12 out of my group of 38. After they questioned the first 20 people (2 hours), we took a break. I was juror #28 so I hadn't been questioned yet. We came back from break to be told they had selected the jurors they wanted out of the first 20, 1 being the guy who claimed he was biased. After those people left our group, we were ushered back to the waiting room and told to go home. We were done for the next 3 years. I have 1 more safe year.

When I told my friends later, one of them said, " . . . and that's why I'm not a registered voter." I took such joy in telling them that there are now 5 pools that potential jurors are selected from since they wanted to get more of a variety of people.

1. registered voters
2. home owners
3. active volunteer in community
4. holds an office in the community (ie HOA president)
5. has a valid driver's licence

Glad to hear your experience sounds similar to mine. Interesting yet very thankful neither one of us had to actually spend time listening to the trial.

klet · Post by **klet** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 1:03 am

I got a summons once. I was supposed to call in the day before to see when I had to show up. Luckily, when I called, I got an automated message stating that all jurors for my day had been dismissed.