Waco judges drawing the line on jury duty no-shows with fines

WacoTrib ^ | 11/28/2015 | TOMMY WITHERSPOON

[Rodamala]

If you really want out of jury duty all you have to do is casually drop the n-word a time or 2 or 3 during questioning.

[backwoods-engineer]

Prosecutors don't want citizens on juries that:

• Believe in the Constitution;
  
• Know anything about fundamental rights;
  
• Remember the way the legal system used to be, or especially,
  
• Know anything about jury nullification.

[Elderberry]

I’ve been summoned once or twice a year for forty years or so.

[backwoods-engineer]

Yeah, they don’t want anything that knows anything. They just want the jury to “do what they are told”. (I actually heard this from a district judge.)

[laker_dad]

I lived in my county for 27 years and never got called until last year. I was retired, so missing work did not matter, but I never thought they would choose me because of my conservative values. Well, the only question the attorneys asked me was if I was related to the defendant ( we share a common last name, and I was not related). Interesting case and experience with the system, and we the jury sent an obvious child molester to jail.

[Svartalfiar]

I have been called for jury duty every eighteen months for the past twelve years.

What county are you in? Slash is it in Texas?
From the jury summons I receive (Dallas/Collin County), you've got all this, which should get you out of that much jury duty that close to gether.

You may be exempted from jury service if:

8. you have served as a juror in a county during the 24-month period prior to the date you are required to appear for this summons. (Applies in counties of at least 200,000 unless the county uses a jury plan under Section 62.011, Government Code, and the period authorized under Section 62.011(b)(5) exceeds two years.); or

9. you have been summoned for service in a county with a population of at least 250,000 and you have served as a petit juror in the county during the three-year period preceding the date you are to appear for jury service, unless the jury wheel in your county has been reconstituted after the date you served as a juror.

[kearnyirish2]

I had someone describe how they tossed their summonses in the trash; since they weren’t certified they felt they could get away with it (and they did).

[LegendHasIt]

I’m to the west of Texas.
Our entire county has a full time citizen population of about 10,000 people And that is counting children.

We do have some somewhat similar exemptions, but you have to jump through a bunch of hoops, and it is completely up to each of the three or four district judges that rotate through the County Court whether you are excused from his /her trials.

[minnesota_bound]

I was called to jury duty and when I showed up there were about 150 people waiting. We waited 1 day and went home. A very long day of sitting and reading and daydreaming. The 2nd day I show up and waited several hours not knowing what is going to happen. We finally get called up to the courtroom area and there is more waiting. Now led into the courtroom where we are told the defendant (who is there) stated he started the fight with some guy but he wanted a jury trial.
I heard people being interviewed and there were some funny excuses being made to get out. Hours of this. I planned on saying the truth. The guy says he is guilty. Why are we here at all?

The arrogant judge told one women who stated she had a trip coming up to England in a few days. He told her that she may not be going!
Who the $#@! is he?!

I was never interviewed. The next day we all had to show up and after being led into the courtroom we were told the defendant decided to pled guilty (he did not show up).

So you had 150 people who in most cases are not paid by their employer who had to show up for some one who stated he was GUILTY before all this started! A complete waste of time and lots of money!!

[napscoordinator]

Good for you. I think if you don't show up for jury duty, they should invalidate your divers links for a year. And if you don't have a driver's license then 30 days in jail. I would love to stand a jury especially a big time murder jury. How fun would that be. I know I'd get a pay cut but it would most likely be the last jury you are on.

[sarasmom]

Hey naps,
Did you read post 29?

I'm a bit miffed that I have never been called to jury duty, since I do consider myself a “peer” in my community.

OTOH, if what minnesota_bound said is even partially typical of summoned jurists experiences, I would have a very different opinion of the whole process. But no matter what, I'm not a fan of punishment for citi()ens who for whatever reason, eschew jury duty. I'd probably get in trouble, if what I hear about plea bargains happened while I was seated on a jury, and would wind up in jail myself!