I received a jury summons notice yesterday. For a date in 2 weeks! It’s the day after Easter and I’ve had a trip planned for months. My daughter is flying in but we are driving to the location.
I called and I was told that I need to write a letter to the judge asking to be excused.
Please help me with the wording on this request?
I do not remember getting any notice that I would be on jury duty during this time. I received another summons a month ago but that trial was dismissed
Strange that you are being called again. The last time I had jury duty, my trial was also dismissed but they counted it as it being served.
I would be as straight forward as possible. Ask for a postponement because you will be traveling for the Easter holiday. Include your dates. If you’ve already paid for hotels and such, include that information too.
If you didn’t actually serve during the original date (just had to call in?) that most likely didn’t count. Different jurisdictions have different rules, but most have something like ‘one day or one trial’ and you have to be called into the courthouse and either selected for a trial or forced to sit there all day waiting to be called.
just be very direct. “I received a summons on Feb 20 for a trial set for March 15. I was prepared to serve. I now have received a summons to appear on April 21. I have a trip scheduled with prepaid travel expenses. I request that my jury service be continued until sometime after April 28.”
Thanks, I was wondering how to put this. Appreciate it
Yes, the trial was dismissed before I had to go, I called in. Actually it was on their website. I thought that my duty was done at that point.
Many of the mechanics of jury summons are very state and county specific.
Just state that you can’t serve on that specific day due to previously arranged travel. They’ll just flip you to the next opportunity.
In my county you have to call in each day for a week. If you have to go in, then you serve that one day, or for the length of the trial, if you get picked.
Funny, I just got a summons yesterday myself.
On my summons it clearly states “Requests to be rescheduled or to be excused can be done once online…”
Then there’s a bunch of other stuff that indicates it’s harder to do a second time.
Good luck with your request. I agree with the info. above. Give as much “proof” of your claim as you can.
Every time I read one of these threads I wonder when I am going to get called again. I filled out a 30+ page form for the Martha Stewart jury (happily did not have to do it!) and got dismissed from a construction case (I’m an architect), I’d guess a good 10 years ago.
I postponed until June. I can’t imagine calling in each day and having to cancel all appointments for that day and more. Within a year, I’ll be 70. Just hoping there is a way to stall or ignore I won’t mind serving after I retire, whenever that will be.
I am 60 years old. I’ve always registered to vote and I’ve had a car, registered, since I was 21. I have never even been summoned.
My daughter registered to vote in 2016 but doesn’t have a car registered here and her license is in a different state. She was summoned last year, had to report the first day; her number was like 2027 and the first number required to report was 2025. Of course she was picked for a criminal jury, and it was supposed to be a 2 day trial. Four days later they were still going and she had a vacation set for the 5th day. Her employer refused to pay her the $50/day required. (Jerk). It was actually an interesting experience for her.
Small town here. H, me, and both D’s have gotten called. Seems at least once a year one of us gets called. When I have requested to postpone I usually give a time period like- June 1- November 1 that would be preferable to serve. Depends on the rules in your area. I always worried I would be on an extended vacation with mail held and would be in contempt.
I was called 2 years ago. It was a trial that involved police. I stated that I had a general distrust of policemen and I was promptly dismissed.
Here in NYC the rule is that you are able to postpone the date a few times without explanation. Is that an option or you need to straight up explain? But here you have to go on the day prescribed and then explain your circumstances.
I’m sure by just reading this I’ll be called. I get it like clockwork. There is probably an online questionnaire you have to do. For me there is even a thing to check about postponing. Tip, postpone to thanksgiving time, it’s the slowest time of year.
I’m a believer in doing my civic duty, but that just seems completely unreasonable!
I get called every 6-18 months. It’s been like this for decades. I’ve been called for civic, criminal, but so far never federal. I was called for a date in January, but in our county you can ask to be postponed. I was put off for another month, went, made it to voir dire, then the parties settled.
In my county you have to call in each day for a week.
I’m a believer in doing my civic duty, but that just seems completely unreasonable!
The alternative, which we used to use, was showing up every day for a week. We had everyone appear and then sorted them, and those not picked in the first day kept showing up every day for the week (or until there were no more trials scheduled). They went to the call-in system and then you might only have had to show up on a Wednesday and not have spent the last 2 days reading the newspaper in a big room.
We did mental health commitments hearing/trials on Fridays at 3 pm. We had one person who requested a jury trial. If we hadn’t gone to a call in system, those jurors would have been sitting around all week waiting for Friday at 3 pm. And not only those 6 who were picked because we needed a pool of jurors, so probably 30 people sitting around all week.
I have to say that I consider it a privilege to serve on a jury. Think of all the many countries where those accused of a criminal act do not have the luxury of a trial, with a jury of their peers. I know so many people whose first reaction is to try to find a way out of reporting for jury duty, and that makes me sad. If I or someone I care about was on trial, I’d want the jury to include people other than just those who show up because they have nothing else to do with their time.
I have been summoned about half a dozen times, just once I ended up sitting around all day and getting dismissed at 3PM. Twice I sat on juries where the case was settled just before we began deliberations. And a couple of months ago, I was selected for a criminal jury, and was the foreman. I’m really glad to have done it; it’s been a really valuable experience.
My daughter, however, began receiving jury summons notices when she was 12 years old. Every year. Very strange!!
I wrote letters explaining why she was not an appropriate choice, LOL, but it kept happening. I finally had her show up at the required time and show her school ID and birth certificate to the judge. She hasn’t received a notice for a couple of years now. But now she is looking forward to serving when they summon her next.
My D1 was summoned while in college. She postponed to Christmas break. They didn’t like her dates, and put her on the schedule in the middle of finals. She no-showed, then called and rescheduled.
I was picked to serve on a jury once. It was beyond entertaining. It was a drunk driving case in which the guy had driven from a neighboring state to check on his mother. His brother, who lived far away, had told him there might be something wrong, and I am guessing he had had a few before getting the call. He was found dazed in his car on someone’s front lawn, with a wheel missing from his car. He had driven that way for over a mile, according to police. Turned down a breathalyzer test and flunked every field sobriety test, including the alphabet. He had an excuse for everything. Bad knees so he couldn’t walk straight. Multiple blows to the head causing neurologic damage and blackouts (because that would make it better that he got behind the wheel of a car?). And my favorite: the man had a masters degree, but didn’t know the alphabet because his first grade teacher died before she could finish teaching it. He was either the worst liar I have ever met, or else the unluckiest person ever to cross the state line. But I think it was the former.
Another alternative is one day or one trial. I.e. if you are not needed to report on that day (by calling or checking the web site the evening before and the morning of) then you are done. Same if you do report but are not put on a trial.
Of course, this can mean more frequent jury calls if each potential juror is for one day instead of five days.