Jury Duty

[Rotwiz]

Would not responding to a jury summons disqualify you from joing the force

[seltzer]

Why would you not respond if you were summoned?

[fedhopeful]

Fulfill your obligations as a US citizen and there would be no worries. Jury Duty is not the monster everyone makes it to be! :cool:

[metallicat]

I went to jury duty selection this past week, and the Judge ordered anyone who didn't show to be summoned again, and if they still do not appear a warrant can be issued for their arrest. How can that look good for anyone at all?

[txinvestigator1]

Would not responding to a jury summons disqualify you from joing the force

It will not get you any brownie points. Jury duty is one of your civic responsibilities.

Freedom and responsibility are mutual and inseparable; we can ensure enjoyment of the one only by exercising the other. Freedom for all of us depends on responsibility by each of us.

To secure and expand our liberties, therefore, we accept these responsibilities as individual members of a free society:

1. To be fully responsible for our own actions and for the consequences of those actions. Freedom to choose carries with it the responsibility for our choices.
2. To respect the rights and beliefs of others. In a free society, diversity flourishes. Courtesy and consideration toward others are measures of a civilized society.
3. To give sympathy, understanding and help to others. As we hope others will help us when we are in need, we should help others when they are in need.
4. To do our best to meet our own and our families' needs. There is no personal freedom without economic freedom. By helping ourselves and those closest to us to become productive members of society, we contribute to the strength of the nation.
5. To respect and obey the laws. Laws are mutually accepted rules by which, together, we maintain a free society. Liberty itself is built on a foundation of law. That foundation provides an orderly process for changing laws. It also depends on our obeying laws once they have been freely adopted.
6. To respect the property of others, both private and public. No one has a right to what is not his or hers. The right to enjoy what is ours depends on our respecting the right of others to enjoy what is theirs.
7. To share with others our appreciation of the benefits and obligations of freedom. Freedom shared is freedom strengthened.
8. To participate constructively in the nation's political life. Democracy depends on an active citizenry. It depends equally on an informed citizenry.
9. To help freedom survive by assuming personal responsibility for its defense. Our nation cannot survive unless we defend it. Its security rests on the individual determination of each of us to help preserve it.
10. To respect the rights and to meet the responsibilities on which our liberty rests and our democracy depends. This is the essence of freedom. Maintaining it requires our common effort, all together and each individually.

________________________________________


Fifteen years after the Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution of the United States, the amendments known as the Bill of Rights were ratified. These inspired men believed in a balance between citizen responsibilities and citizen rights. They knew that an emphasis only on rights would inevitably lead to self-interest and anarchy. They also knew that without this balance our nation could not endure. It is time to restore that balance. If they could counsel us today, the Founding Fathers might suggest the following Bill of Responsibilities:

1.

You have the responsibility to be a loyal citizen of the United States of America and to expect the same of every other citizen or immigrant to this great land. You have the responsibility to honor the flag and everything she stands for, and to pledge your allegiance to your country.
2.

Accepting citizenship means that you are, first and foremost, an American, not a hyphenated American or an expatriate of another country who is here solely for economic advantage. While you do not need to agree with every law that is passed, you do have the obligation to obey the law and work through peaceful means to achieve change. Further, for as long as you are living in this great country that continues to guarantee more freedom to its citizens than any other, you have the obligation to be grateful for the blessing of living in such a land. In America you have the freedom to leave at any time, should you be dissatisfied. No permission is needed.
3.

You have the responsibility to speak up when the criminal or legislative actions of any persons threaten the welfare of your family or your nation. It is not someone else's responsibility to blow the whistle; it is yours. "They" should not do something about the problems. You are "they." It takes courage and time to stand up against evil and destructive forces, but if you do not do it, who will?
4.

You have the responsibility to consider the welfare of ALL the citizens of the United States of America, even if it requires some personal sacrifice. The nation cannot survive the promulgation of narrow self-interest, be it of the individual, the community, or the state. As long as you judge every law or solution to a problem solely by how it affects you or your surroundings, rather than the country as a whole, there will be no real answers, nor can America remain great.
5.

You have the responsibility to support yourself and your own immediate and extended family. Being self-sustaining, providing for your own family, and helping your neighbor to the extent possible are requisite for a healthy economy and society. No society can flourish when a sizable number of its citizens expect to do nothing while accepting a government dole. Reliance on government entities inevitably destroys individual self-respect and the economic well-being of both citizen and state. If you take care of yourself and family, and the community picks up the slack, this nation will have one-third more funds for worthwhile projects and both you and this nation, will become strong and resilient.
6.

You have the responsibility to make a difference in the lives of your family, your community, and your nation. As a good citizen you are here to make a contribution to this country. America has always been in the forefront in medical advances, scientific research, humanitarianism, and other areas. You have the responsibility to continue this tradition through hard work and good use of your time. You have the responsibility to bypass excuses of race, economic standing, and victimization of any kind because, no matter which excuse you choose, someone has successfully overcome it.
7.

You have the responsibility to be educated and informed. A public education is not enough. Finding truth is a challenging lifetime task that you must pursue diligently. You have the responsibilty to seek truth from many sources. You must question what you read in any publication or listen to in any media report and be willing to consider all sides of any question. You must realize that such a quest for truth will take a tremendous effort to seek it out. The truth is not revealed unless actively sought.
8.

You have the responsibility to use wisdom in selecting those who will lead you. You must learn to seek men of good character, not those with only charisma or a handsome face. You must become a connoisseur of character rather than a pawn of a salient slogan. You must remember that character is never outdated. A man or woman with no self-control should never be trusted with the welfare of our great country. You must never tolerate leaders who are untruthful, deceitful, or seek to exercise power rather than give service.
9.

You have the responsibility to value and defend human life. Quality of life considerations, age, or handicaps do not in any way lessen the value of life itself. Any life taken by mankind before its time cheapens the life of every other American. You also have the responsibility to educate those who would degrade human life by considering it, at best, equal to or even lower than animal life.
10.

You have the responsibility to honor your freedom of worship and to defend that right for every citizen in this country. We, your Founding Fathers valued religion highly and depended entirely upon God for the inspiration and help needed to form this union. We expect no less of you.

[not5150]

It's very easy to get out of jury duty.... I've always said this,

"If the guy/gal was arrested, then he must have done something wrong."

[fedhopeful]

Maybe I'm way too in-tuned with my duties as a citizen of this great land but it chaps my hide to hear people cry and moan about simple things like jury duty and even worse INTENTIONALLY "get out of it".

It was sickening to sit in court and watch countless individuals plead with the judge to get out of duty for BS reasons. No way that out of 100 people screened in court, 80 that cry have a reason to cry :mad:

[seltzer]

I whole heartedly agree. While I don't like being there anymore than the next guy, it's something we must do as citizens of this country. Sure, it is a burden to sit there for a couple of days, get up on the juror box, only to be tossed out for reasons unknown, then go sit right back in the room for another 4 hours...but it beats the heck out of jail time!!!! I got called up for jury duty this past summer, was tossed off 3 cases that week...all because my brother is a LEO, and my wife is a RN. (At least I think that is why). But you know, I actually WANTED to be on for one of the trials. Seemed interesting.

If you just didn't feel like going to jury duty, I have no pity for you if it does DQ you from LE work, sorry for being honest.

[fedhopeful]

Ok so I'm not the only one in-tuned.

And Seltzer who knows why you got tossed off, but it might not be the LEO family issue. They picked former LEOs and individuals with close relatives as LEOs for the criminal case I sat on. I have no idea how they chose who they chose but I know after watching tons of people cry out of duty they took DAYS to pick through the people that stuck around.

[mcsap]

I think it would be fun to be on a jury but it doesn't look good for me.

[Ranger__101]

To answer your question read on the jury summons what happens if you fail to respond. That should clearly answer your question.

Now a question to those in LE who made in past the jury summons? Have any of you actually been picked to sit on a jury and not have been removed before the full jury was selected?

[fedhopeful]

To answer your question read on the jury summons what happens if you fail to respond. That should clearly answer your question.

Now a question to those in LE who made in past the jury summons? Have any of you actually been picked to sit on a jury and not have been removed before the full jury was selected?

My relative (LEO) in NY could not sit on criminal cases but was allowed to sit on civil cases. The relative couldn't be paid by the state either since the department pays.

Whenever that relative is called for jury duty they simply go to the civil court rather than waiting for the criminal court to say report to civil instead.

[Odin]

It's very easy to get out of jury duty.... I've always said this,

"If the guy/gal was arrested, then he must have done something wrong."

I get called on a regular basis (and always report). The last time I was called the defense attorney asked me during voir dire if I felt that his client being on trial was indicative of his guilt or innocence. I was honest and said "of course".

I explained that I, and everyone else in the room, including the defense attorney himself, would have to believe that his client was most likely guilty. To say that you believe a person has been arrested, charged and indicted but that you don't believe them to be guilty is to say that you believe that the police and district attorney's office have grossly erred. If you believe that the police and the district attorney generally do a good job (and I do) then you believe that they generally arrest the right people. Which means that generally the people who are arrested are guilty. And therefore the odds are that his client is guilty.

I also explained that I understood that as a juror it would be my job to hear the evidence and acquit or convict based solely on the evidence presented in court, and that I was willing and able to do just that. If the prosecution did not prove to me in court that the defendant was guilty as charged then I would acquit. That does not mean that I would believe the defendant to be innocent, it means that the prosecution failed to prove guilt according to the law.

Also, the defense attorney asked if I would consider giving probation if I voted to convict his client. I said "of course not" because I don't believe in probation. I believe that if a person is guilty of a crime then they should serve their sentence. Therefore I cannot condone probation as an alternative to an actual sentence. Part of our legal system is to punish the criminal, and probation does not offer an acceptable punishment in my opinion.

Needless to say, I was not chosen for the jury. But I would have gladly served if I had been chosen.

[fedhopeful]

Interesting take Odin.

I'm sure every wrongly accused defendant is happy you weren't on their jury.

Personally, I don't care what happened before I sat in that jury box. The defendant committed no crime until the prosecution via a strong case and witnesses/LEOs testifying PROVES otherwise.

I will also add that I'm not for criminals getting off based on botched cases. But I will not bury my head in the sand either to think that every single person who is a defendant committed the crime their accused for. It's been proven that that's not the case.

[seltzer]

Very interesting reply there, Odin! I had to read it a couple times!
I work with all kinds of people (not even close to LE related, BTW) who ***** and moan every time they get summoned for JD. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them makes up some sort of excuse..have to work, racist, don't believe in the judicial system, etc... all completely BS! I work closely with these people on a daily basis, and they are making it all up. Then my old supervisor gets mad when I take a week off work to go to jury duty. (I'd rather be there than work some weeks!!). It just burns me up!