There are a few things we as American citizens dread finding in our mail. Bills are of course our most unwelcome friend in the mailbox. On a more rare occasion another dreaded item will appear mixed within our incoming mail. This piece of paper can not only make a good day go bad, but it has the possibility to take a portion of your life from you. This piece of paper is the almighty jury duty letter.
The almighty jury duty letter a very powerful piece of paper. It is not wise to underestimate the letter. If you are unable to outwit the system that this piece of paper is a part of you may very well have your life turned upside down for an indefinite period of time. During this time you will have less contact with your family, you will not be able to work, and you will have to spend countless hours in a courtroom. The court will own you. It will own you because you could not outsmart the system.
The system is not perfect. There are ways to avoid this hell that is jury duty. The first method is to throw this paper away once receiving it. This is one of the more risky methods. Believe it or not courts do go after people who do not respond to the letter. More often than not they do not pursue those who “do not receive the letter,” but it does happen. Be careful if this is the method you choose when attempting to dodge your civic duty.
There is a safer way to avoid jury duty. The first paper that you are sent regarding jury duty should provide you space to enter a reason why you are unable to serve. Now is the time to take advantage of those health problems that have been a thorn in your side for as long as you can remember. You can of course exaggerate as well. Do you find yourself using the restroom more than the average person? Write in that blank space that you have bladder problems, or Irritable Bowl Syndrome. This should work in most cases. What judge or lawyer wants a juror who must be constantly dismissed for restroom breaks?
You may be one of the many who had not considered the above options and has already sent the paper back. Do not worry friend! It is not too late. There are many options that can get you out of serving jury duty that can be applied later in the process. There are many people who find the jury duty letter in the mail and return it believing there are no options allowing them to avoid this. Even if you have sent this letter back it is not hopeless, there are ways out.
Having missed the easier and more convenient methods of escape, these later options can be implied at the interview portion of the process. At this point a group of jurors are examined by the prosecutor, the defense, and in some cases the judge. These people want to find out if you have any bias, they want to know if you are objective. You want to show them that you are not objective. This is also the time to bring out your inner actor.
Both the defense and the prosecutor want you to side with them. When being questioned make it appear to them that you are not who they are looking for. If you have a friend or a relative who was in the situation that the defendant is currently in, by all means let them know. Let the lawyers know you feel very strongly about one side of the issue at hand. If the trial is going to be over a drunk driving incident let the defense know how strongly you feel about the issue. Let them know that you occasionally have the urge to beat drunk drivers to a point of near death. This will ensure that you will not end up serving on this jury.
There is a term that the lawyers and the judge to not dare speak in the courtroom, a term they do not want mentioned in the courthouse. Two words will keep you from proceeding to the trial. These are the two magic words that can be a life saver. These two words are JURY NULLIFICATION. A juror who can not find the defendant guilty because they believe the law to be unjust could be in favor of jury nullification. One example of this could be a case over public intoxication. Let the prosecutor know that you believe individuals should have the right to drink and be drunk where they choose. Let them know you feel the jury should nullify this law. For dramatic effect you can stand up, put your fists in the air, and yell “jury nullification!” That will probably not be necessary though. These two words alone will get you out of serving.
There are a few other things that you can do to swing the odds in your favor. Arrive to the courthouse in real bad shape, like you drove over right after rolling out of bed. Nodding off in the middle of the interview session may be of a little help as well. You could also try to cough or sneeze a bit. By a bit I mean a lot. There are many little things you can do to get yourself out of serving jury duty. The important thing is that you have fun coming up with new and unique ideas! The advice found in this article should be more than enough to keep you out of serving, however feel free to be creative.
