The Tell-All Guide: How to Get Out of Jury Duty

I decided to take on the topic of How to Get Out of Jury Duty because I have lived it. I have lived it myself and watched the topic play out with my family. In no way will I condone lying to the court; however, there are ways to stretch the truth; there are ways to re-frame situations.

I have been called to jury duty on two occasions. If you have never been called you can expect to get a card on which it states to call a number the night before. That call will tell you if the case is a go or not. Oftentimes lawyers settle cases so there is no need for a jury. You may not be called again for a year. In some states it may be longer.

This is a good time to give you another tip, which has to do with the location of your jury duty. For example, I have been called to courthouses an hour away. I do not like to drive. Actually I can have a panic attack if I'm in traffic. If you are in the same boat or close to it and your doctor will vouch for you, then you can ask (on the card) to be moved to a closer court. I have never been denied. You also have one deferment. If for example, the date they gave me was the date my daughter was getting married, I can postpone my duty. I can only do this once; however, per case.

You may have to reach deep and think out of the box. If you have any relationship with any of the parties concerned; if you have had any contact with the judge, or the courthouse, you will be removed from the jury selection. This doesn't have to be a one-on-one relationship. For example one of my children worked with police officers in a child protection program. When she reported to jury duty and the lawyers heard this she was dismissed. Perhaps you or a friend or relative have some financial relationships with anyone involved, for example, perhaps you appealed a parking ticket in front of the judge who would be hearing the case. You will be excused but you will have to remind the court that you were seen in front of the Judge.

In one case one of my children who at the time was in medical school was called for the grand jury. This is a huge commitment and it would have made her lose a year of school. We called someone who works within the system and asked if she could help. One phone call took her off the grand jury and on the regular jury for which she was excused.

I was a Social Worker. I suppose to some that connotes a bleeding heart. Perhaps it means I will be more lenient or for some lawyers it might mean that I will be harsher. In any case that particular job has gotten me out of jury duty every time I have been called. I haven't intended to get out - I just told the truth.A jurist has to be impartial, objective, not racist, and unbiased.

Can you be impartial, objective and unbiased? If the defendant belongs to a neo-Nazi group and you are a member of the Anti-Defamation League, his or her lawyer is not going to want you. Perhaps you are a teacher in an inner city school. That might work for or against you. However, once you hear the details of the trial you can use your job to your advantage. You just have to think!!

Finally you may truly be scared. For example, one of my children works in an inner city hospital. She sees gang members. When she appeared for jury duty she found out that the defendant was a gang member. In spite of her telling the Judge that she is a doctor in a county hospital she was still accepted as a juror. It seems the pool they had was made up of gang members of relatives of gang members. My daughter was truly afraid for her safety. The next day she met with the Judge privately and told her that she truly was afraid. She lives in the inner city and could not be unbiased and was too scared to do a good job. She was released from jury duty.

Jury duty is our civic obligation. I truly feel we must serve but there are circumstances for which we just have to get out of it. I hope this helps you get out of jury duty when you really have to.

This is the work of jobythebay. Any resemblance to what is written online is purely circumstantial.