FEDERAL COURT JURY DUTY

[ann jusko]

I surely hope Ft. Worth is much better than Dallas. It was an agony for someone used to sleeping during the day. At that time, our directions didn't include no cell phones, but they collected them and threw them in a box. I'm surprised that I got the right one back. I also hope no translator is needed. I guess that was the hardest part, besides the sleepiness and pure boredom. We all knew he perfectly understood English but we weren't allowed to say that to each other. Yes, it was in "jury instructions."

[GRANDPA]

I have not been selected for jury duty at this time. I have to call back after 3pm Monday. I have to call in every Friday & Monday, but may be required to call in on other days too. With my luck, I'll get a Tarrant county jury summons when this is done.

[millergrovesue]

Are they going to call you to remind you to call them?

[GRANDPA]

I hope so. It's aggravating because of my job as a truck driver.

[ann jusko]

Uh, I got no reminder phone calls. I appeared at the day and time given. I went home that night and had to return the next day, and the next day. I think we did get one day off and had to call that evening to see if we were needed the next day. Ugh! We were.

[GRANDPA]

Yeah, I'll get a reminder call. And they'll tuck me into bed each night & serve me breakfast in the morning.
I can see this creating an economic problem for me if I have to go in & just sit for several days. I hope it doesn't come to that.

[ann jusko]

Heh! I really hope you won't get picked for any trial.

[millergrovesue]

Once you're picked to you go off the list? If so, might be good to be picked early on and get it over with.

[BillB]

I was on a capital murder jury pool over 20 years ago- the William Wesley Chappell case.
There was a slew of people in the pool. They would call us one day and we had to be there the next morning. We would usually go to the court house, stand around for several hours then be sent home. We were put in a smallish room. About half of us had chairs, the rest of us had to stand. We spent the first trip filling out a questionnaire as thick as a book. On one of the trips we were brought into the court room with Chappell and asked if any of us knew him.
This went on for several weeks. The case was eventually moved from Fort Worth to Amarillo (I think).
I wasn't any fun. It caused a lot of shuffling around at work.

[BigTex]

Jury duty is an odd animal. You may go for years without getting a jury summons. Then once you've gotten one, they seem to start coming with curious regularity.

[BillB]

Jury duty is an odd animal. You may go for years without getting a jury summons. Then once you've gotten one, they seem to start coming with curious regularity.

I had one for this week. I applied for and got a permanent exemption for being 70.

I've had 4 in my life. They came about 10 years apart.

[millergrovesue]

Jury duty is an odd animal. You may go for years without getting a jury summons. Then once you've gotten one, they seem to start coming with curious regularity.

Yes, it seems so.

The last time I got called for jury duty I was amazed that fully 40% of those called didn't show up.

When we finally got to court for our suit against the horrible builder lo and behold the horrible builder had been called for that jury. Needless to say he was excused from jury duty. And he lost in court too. God bless juries!

[GRANDPA]

BTW - I never had to serve. Didn't even have to go downtown.

[ann jusko]

I'm happy for you, Grandpa. Did it wreck havoc with your driving schedule? If you were in say, California, and had to call in and be there the next day.....that wouldn't work at all.

[GRANDPA]

Well, it did get me out going to New England once. That was a win.

[ann jusko]

Bwahahahaha! You might have missed the fall foliage though.

[GRANDPA]

I saw too much of that beautiful fall foliage last year. And the year before.