What are the odds, in a county of 25,000 people, that a person will...

[Maddy McCall]

receive three jury summons in less than one year?

What are the odds of that, eh? I mean, I'm flattered, but I do have an occupation and a kid to raise. :-)

How many jury summons have you received? Did you beg off, or did you get picked and serve? What kind of trial did you hear?

[Padraig18]

1. One summons.

I was picked and served on a wrongful-death/malpractice case. We found against the defendant car driver and the defendant hopsital and in favor of the defendant physicians.

[Misunderestimator]

2. Longest I ever stayed in one place was 10 years in Manhattan...

served jury duty about 6 years in, but just spent a week sitting around and was dismissed, except for one appearance before a judge to select a jury that was then dismissed... I was called again but had already moved from NYC.

Then after moving from the next place I was called from that county.

I have a feeling I might soon be called for the first time here just as I'm about to move again. :)

I thought that there was a time period during which they couldn't call you again, like a couple of YEARS at least, as long as you served. Are you talking about summonses you've received but you haven't yet served, or are you getting summonses within a year of having served?

[Maddy McCall]

6. No, I haven't served.

I "begged off" the first two times, because I was teaching, but I have no excuse now, since I am doing research for my dissertation and don't have as firm a schedule as I did when I was teaching.

So, I don't have a valid reason not to be seated this time. And, silly me, but I feel it's my civic duty to go and to serve if picked.

:-)

[Misunderestimator]

7. AHA! In that case... yes, I begged off a few times, and each time got

another summons within a few months... Once you're on the radar, it just keeps coming back to you. I was quite poor at the time I served, and working without compensation for time off, so it was a pain in the ass.

Funny thing is that for the past ten years, I've had a job that would pay me for jury duty time, but I've not received one summons, even though I wouldn't hesitate to go now. Apparently I move faster than their computers do. :)

[dorktv]

3. I live in a county so big they are thinking of breaking it into

two counties...and I have been called three times! But only one jury.

[hfojvt]

4. I cannot say, unless I know how many trials they have

That sounds like alot though. I only got called once, but the trial was cancelled. That was last May and the big case here at the time was a trans-sexual who filled out "woman" on her marriage license which the state claimed that she was still a man. Anyway, they decided it would cost too much to give her a jury trial. I would have loved to have been on that jury - I would have guaranteed a loss for the state. As it turned out, the state lost anyway.
My mom was apparently on a jury list for about a month. This was in SD and they had moved to Wisconsin, although they still owned the homestead. So they had to drive back three or four times. I seem to remember that she was reimbursed for travel expenses, because I remember her taking my sister to dinner on the expense account. She never did serve in a trial.

[loudestchick]

5. In 15 yrs at this address, I've been called 3 times for regular jury duty.

I served on one trial, personal injury between sisters. I was the foreperson and bullied the other jurors into awarding $0. They felt sorry for the woman although the evidence indicated she herself was at fault for her own injury. I've also been in the grand jury pool, but it wasn't convened during my time (1 month).

[Melynn]

8. What are the odds

Depends on how many court cases there are in the county and how many people are willingly to serve.

I served as a juror on rape case once. One of the hardest things I had to do because I was trying to do the right thing and look at the evidence and render a verdict. We voted to convict the guy based on the physical evidence of the case. At the time I believe that was the right verdict and I still do but its hard to sit in judgment like that.

[Maddy McCall]

9. I was thinking about that today.

It must be difficult to have the victim's family's desire for retribution on one hand, and the accused's future on the other.

I'll probably just get a petty larceny case, or something of the sort. :-)

[GOPisEvil]

10. I've lived in Travis County TX for 5 years.

Not one summons.

I lived in Bexar County, TX for 20 years. Two summons.

I guess it's good to live in populated areas. :D

[Maddy McCall]

16. No kiddin!

Maybe they're just damned and determined to seat me, though, since I begged off the first two times. I had valid excuses, though. :hi:

[SarahB]

11. I heard they get names from voter registration databases.

I'm not sure if that's true, but I wonder, in Mississippi (or any more red-like state), if someone has a "D" by their name, would it have an effect perhaps?

[GOPisEvil]

13. In Texas they use driver's license and ID card information.

[SarahB]

19. I don't know at all.

Just something I once heard. It may be possible in some states. Or I'm a little too :tinfoilhat: when I think about it too much.

[GOPisEvil]

25. I looked it up. It's both!

Answers to Questions about Jury Duty
How was my name selected for jury duty?
The jury wheel, which is the list of potential jurors, comes from three lists:


all registered voters in Travis County,
all registered voters from neighboring counties that reside within Austin city limits, and
all persons in Travis County with either a Texas driver's license or a Department of Public Safety identification card.
Each year, the Voter lists and DPS lists are merged by matching the names as best as is possible to minimize duplications. The merged list is given to the Travis County district clerk. The district clerk, county clerk, and sheriff then meet to 'reconstitute' the jury wheel by replacing the old list with the new one. Jury summonses are sent from the jury wheel on a random basis.

About 120,000 to 150,000 summonses are sent each year.

Our county district attorney is a Democrat, so I doubt they hold being a D against us. Most elected officials in the county are Democrats. :D

[Maddy McCall]

17. I'm pretty sure that you do have to be a registered voter to be in...

the pool. I've heard OH SO many people say, "I'm not registering to vote, cuz I don't want to serve on a jury."

[ComerPerro]

12. Just bias yourself

I have never understood why people who want out of jury duty don't just do that.

[Maddy McCall]

18. I want to serve.

I wasn't able to the first two times I was called because I was teaching at the uni then.

[ComerPerro]

23. Oh. Then, Don't bias yourself

[BlackVelvetElvis]

14. Never ever.

They draw the jurors from voter and driver's registration here. For 20 years, I've had both.
Watch me get picked next week.

[xmas74]

15. One.

They will never pick me. They think that, with what I do for a living, I would be too biased.
The one summons that I received was for a serial killer trial, though. I really wanted to sit on that one.

[Maddy McCall]

20. Oh, MAN!

I'd be terrified to sit on a serial killer's trial...I'd have nightmares forever.

[xmas74]

26. I live in a small county

and had gotten the heads up that was the trial that they were sending summons for.
Wasn't too worried about him. He had already received the death penalty in Kansas, it was Misouri's turn to try him.

[fishnfla]

21. I got three in a year and a half

the way it was explained to me was that once you're in the system, they keep kicking you back to the top. I got out for caring for a sick family member. After the 3rd recusal, no more. that was 7 years ago

[Hans Delbrook]

22. I get called about once every three years

And I never get picked - I'm outta' there as soon as they hear that I'm a scientist. No scientist I know has ever been picked for a jury.

[Thor_MN]

27. I've never been called, but I will second...

NO lawyer wants an educated jury - they want to be able to sway your opinion. And they sure as heck don't want to get caught in a "mistake."

If I were wanting to duck the duty, I'd make sure that my degree in chemistry was noted.

[Maddy McCall]

28. I'm finishing a PhD and have been teaching at a uni for several years...

wonder if they will discard me because of that. I hope not.

[bleedingheart]

24. I am jealous...in a county of 400,000 I have never gotten one...

and I would love to do it once!!!

[koneko]

29. I get hit every 3 years

like clockwork. As soon as my 3 years is up, I get hit again.

My friend who works for the courts told me to not register to vote when I changed counties last year.

YEAH, like that was gonna happen!! Even in blue Massachusetts, I wasn't willing to take that chance.