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Originally Posted by Rodney
I've been called a few times, in San Francisco and where I now live. I did serve on two juries in San Francisco. But here, I've never even gone down to the courthouse. I simply get a notice, a group number and instructions to call a certain number every day and check whether my group was called. It never is.
I've heard that, in California, it's voter registration that they use to find you. Any Californians out there called for jury duty who were _not_ registered to vote at the time?
I had a friend who was almost called for _federal_ jury duty, and that is a ticket you don't really want to get. Some of those federal cases, especially the civil ones, last a long, long time. Fortunately, they turned out not to need him.
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California works from the registered voter lists. The federal courts tried to get me once, and they're complete assholes. Their printed matter says, "We don't give a shit what you've got scheduled, and if you've already bought nonrefundable plane tickets for the time we say you have to be here, tough titty."
PLUS, they tell you to plan on being there for a month. Now who the hell can do that if they are (a) self-employed (b) a student, (c) not independently wealthy, or (d) not employed by some agency that's happy to pay you for not working? Oh, and there's no guarantee that the case will be over in a month, and I doubt you can just walk away if it's not resolved.
I sent them three certified letters pointing out the various reasons I couldn't serve. Their answer was the same--we don't give a shit. However, part of my reason for doing it was to be so difficult that they wouldn't try to get me again.
Fine. I made sure I could name a cop or a judge I knew. Was prepared to say the defendant "looked guilty to me" and that I didn't like whatever ethnic group he/she belonged to. Women have it easy--they can just say they have a bladder infection which makes them use the toilet every 15 minutes. When the day came, my number wasn't called, so I didn't have to use any of my preparations.
When I'm retired, I'll be happy to serve on a jury, but while I'm trying to make a living, don't waste a month of my life in front of a couple of blowhard lawyers.