Federal Grand Jury Duty - How to Get Out of It???(Vanity)

N/A | 30 Dec 02 | Texson66

[texson66]

Instead of winning the Powerball lotto, I just won the federal grand jury lotto. In case you are unaware, the term of a FGJ(Federal Grand Juror) is 18 MONTHS! Sure they "pay" you for your public service: $40/ a day and 36.5 per mile. They are sure not paying the per diem rate for federal workers!

Essentially, you are required to take a 20% pay cut for a year and a half of "public" service!

Well, I am not willing to go into "indentured servitude" for the feds. I have a family and a mortage with a demanding job that requires a lot of travel.Plus 21 yrs of military service has to count for "public duty"!

Any suggestions on how to get out of this "duty"???

[1L]

$40/day is a 20% pay cut? You make $250/week for "a demanding job that requires a lot of travel"? This doesn't sound right.

I think he was referring to the hit he would take in his salary by not being there the days he would serve on jury duty. If he made 100K per year, and missed out on salary (and commissions) because of his absense of 20K per year, the $40 a day doesn't add too much.

I thought GJ duty was once a month, so the better question is where he got the 20%.

[quienyo]

Federal Grand Jury Duty will probably involve two days a month, possible four, depending on the district. Of course, it could be as little as one day a month, also depending on the district.

Of course, you could bring up your opposition the notion of the Grand Jury, but as it is required by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, you'll be unlikely to get it removed from the Constitution before your term of service begins.

As a last resort, you could go in a tell all the other Grand Jurors (who are also being inconviencned), that you are much more worthy of being excused than they because of your prior service to your Country and your much better paying job. This will likely only antagonzie them, but it could be fun.

And last of all, in Shelby County, TN, you recieve exactly $6.00/day for jury service - no mileage allowance, no parking fees, nothing more than the $6.00. So be glad it's the Federal Government that has requested you to perform your Constitutional Duty, because if it were the state, you'd have to find some way to make up that $34.00/day plus mileage you would be missing.

[NittanyLion]

Why don't you tell the judge that your initial reaction was worry about the 20% pay cut you'd effectively be taking. However, upon reflection, you've figured out some "other ways" that will more make up the difference. Then go on to ask if there are any other grand juries in need of someone right now...

[texson66]

Sorry. I meant that I will lose a day's pay ($40 is the feds idea of compensation)(4 days paid out of five= 80%) AND after 10 days of duty my company will not compensate me after that period of time.

[Moose4]

You're making me nervous. I got called for petit jury duty on our local county court next week--first time ever for jury duty for me, so it should at least be interesting. And I get a parking pass and $6/day, w00t!

(How much do I hate my job that I'm looking FORWARD to jury duty?)

}:-)4

[cynicom]

tex...You get paid while in military??? Get a pension now??? Servitude????

[archy]

Of course, it also didn't hurt that my ex-wife had clerked for the federal prosecutor in the case (don't think you'll be able to try that approach, that's why I didn'tmention it.

I managed something similar when faced with a juror background questionaire that asked *occupation* to which I answered, quite accurately *newspaperman/ syndicated columnist.*

The next question stated *describe duties of employment position.* Barely resisting an urge to fill in the blank with *attempt to appear awake* I wrote in *reportage and research into political corruption, to include judicial misconduct and favoritism and judicial impropriety investigations by Commission on Judicial misconduct, impeachment, and/or disbarment*

Guess who did not have to serve on the jury...but who DID cover that trial as a newspaperman. A year or so thereafter, the prosecuting attorney who'd brought the case was arrested on federal charges, convicted and jailed, and oh yes, disbarred. 20 felony counts, including forgery indictments related to charges of defrauding some 14 former clients of a total of at least $790,000....

For some reason, those in the judge's office didn't care to play any more after that....

-archy-/-

[texson66]

My military service was an honor and a duty which I was proud to perform.

You get paid in the military at a rate well below industry standards...retirement "pay" is compenstation for those many
years of such pay and the years of moving around. I fulfilled my duty for 20 years, the US government is now meeting their end of the bargain (in most cases... free medical services come to mind...)

The servitude I am referring to is the unfair jury selection process: no lawyers, teachers etc are ever called. See the links above.

I've done my duty for my country...I dont want to be in the
service of the Feds in their courts as they take over more and more of what should properly be done by the states.

Most Federal procescutors apparently believe they can get the FGJs to "rubber stamp" their plans. I do not want to be a party to endure this type of pressure.

[cynicom]

would you want a lawyer or a teacher sitting on a jury if you were in the dock????

[Grammy]

I believe that your company is REQUIRED to pay you while you are on jury duty, and to give you time off. Sometimes they take your jury duty pay, sometimes they let you keep it. Tell the judge your company won't play ball. He'll handle it for you.

[texson66]

Many teachers would be great...lawyers....wel, I see your point!! LOL! :-)

[texson66]

Yes. My company will pay for 10 days of jury duty. So that might cover 2 and a half months (if I perform jury work once a week). After that, I have to take LWOP (Leave wothout pay)for the next 15 and a half months.

[Grammy]

I think they are required to pay you for ALL the time off. Tell the judge. I had a friend who also did grand jury duty. The judge ordered her company to pay her for all her jury duty time. She did, however, have to give them her jury duty "pay" and work harder on her days there to try to catch up with all her work 8-)

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Tell them that because of the severe financial burden you would bear, combined with your past experiences with the government and knowledge of other bad experiences by others, that you would automatically be prejudiced against the state and therefore could not render a fair judgment.

[ladycop8885]

Of course, it also didn’t hurt that my ex-wife had clerked for the federal prosecutor in the case (don’t think you’ll be able to try that approach, that’s why I didn’t mention it).

Except for you did mention it lol