jury duty

[Libby Pritchett]

So, I've always always always wanted to be called for jury duty (I know that people who have done it would disagree with me). To me, it's like the ultimate experience of being an American. IDK. Maybe it stems from watching too many episodes of Matlock as a kid.

Anyway, I've always wanted to get a summons. Would you believe that of ALL the times I could get one, I've got one for the month of June - while I'm exclusively breastfeeding AND the 1 month of the year that Kendra is here with me for summer vacation. Grrrrrr I'm going to send in a request to be excused this time as it's just not practical at all for me right now. Even a few months later would be better. Right now though, I nurse Chloe exclusively, we don't have a freezer stash for bottles built up, and even if we did, I'd need to take several breaks to pump while I was there. I know it's a valid excuse, but dang it! I really wanted to do it.

[CA Dreamer]

Libby, check with your state. I know for us, you are excused for a period of time(1 yr, I think) after you give birth because of breastfeeding.

[k23m]

LOL! Well....I am sure you will get another chance, eventually! It is a totally valid reason to opt out this time.

I got called for jury duty once too but my hubby works in the correctional field so I couldnt do it.

[Darcy Baldwin]

You'll get another chance, Libby. At this point, I think you'll probably be automatically excused having an infant.

[Libby Pritchett]

Thanks for the info, Robin! I just googled, and it looks like I'm automatically exempt in Kansas because I breastfeed. I never even thought of that as being a standard excuse.

Well, I guess I don't have to worry about them requiring me to do it then!

[rach3975]

If you want to do it, see if you can defer rather than being excused. But just keep in mind that if you're put on a case, you have no idea how long it will go on and need to have childcare available.

[usaf_wife10]

I did jury duty a few years ago and I loved it!! Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I actually had a lot of fun. My favorite show is law and order SVU, so I felt pretty cool. haha! Hopefully you get called again!!

[ripal]

I did the jury duty for 3 weeks and loved it! I loved to learn about the whole process of. I could've got exempt from it (under financial hardship, because my job doesn't pay for jury duty), but time was right and I wanted to get the experience of jury duty. I didn't regret it for a bit!

[ryliesmom]

Here in Tennessee you get deferred but not excused. They don't always call you back up but possibly could.

I got called when Will was about a month old. I wasn't breastfeeding but I was off work for 4 months and did not have child care. I got deferred until the next year. Ended up I wasn't called until 2 years later but I did finally get my chance to serve.

[Sherri Tierney]

I've been summoned twice and both times were extremely impractical for us.

Once was when my daughter was 5 months old. Not only was I breastfeeding exclusively but we had just bought plane tickets to spend 2 weeks in Arizona during the same time frame. The tickets were bought before the summons was sent. I sent in copies of our itinerary and explained that I also had a young baby. I was excused within a few days of sending the info to them.

The next time I was summoned I had an even younger baby AND a toddler and with my husband's schedule of working midnights it was pretty much impossible. I got a letter that time saying I would be considered exempt from any further participation as a juror. The wording struck me as odd and I haven't been called since then so I don't know if it meant exempt for a period of time or forever. LOL The first time around my paperwork said 'excused' and said for a period of a year.

[Kara]

I was called last year and could not get excused even though I was breast feeding. I could defer, but couldn't get out of it entirely. I ended up having to go down for four days but was never assigned to a case.

[MamaBee]

Oh I know, I totally want to be called for jury duty, too!! I did get requested twice, and both times there was no cases that needed juries... my county only has it for a week long and have to call each day to see if need to report or not...

[Libby Pritchett]

Oh see, here it's for a whole month. You have to call once a week to see if you need to report.

I sent in my request, and I got an automated response saying that it was "under review." So, I'm sure I'll hear something back soon. I do hope that I can just be deferred and maybe get called again next year or something.

[Lyd]

I've never served, but I did get a summons for Arizona after we had already moved to Utah. So, I just had to go fill out their form letting them know that I no longer lived in the state. I agree with you, Libby . . . I think it would be soo interesting to do. Although, I would not like to do one of those super serious life/death kind of cases - too much responsibility - it would eat me up if I wasn't 100% sure about guilt/innocence.

[Megan Turnidge]

Sounds like you'll be good to go this time. I've been called in for jury duty 3 times now and I'm only 26. One was for a domestic violence case and I was excused having been a victim of DV. THey didn't even ask if they thought I could be impartial. They just asked us all if we'd been victim to DV and automatically excused us. Another was for a sexual molestation case of a little girl. SO thankful I got excused for that one too. I don't think I could handle that kind of case, especially being a mom.

[SeattleSheri]

I can totally empathize. I was exclusively BF when I was called too ... and they would not excuse me! I was given a drvitrf area to pump, etc ... luckily I wasn't actually selected for a jury, so it was only 1 1/2 day inconvenience. They will definitely call you back!

[glumirk]

Last time I was called I sent in saying that I had a breastfeeding baby, but by the day before I was supposed to go in I hadn't heard back, so I called in. The lady said that they have nursing moms ALL the time and that they just bring the babies along. They really want a diverse jury, and young mothers have necessary perspectives too. However, the judge had already excused me. I just think a baby would be far too distracting in a trial, but I guess next time I'll call them and ask about it before sending my excuse in (well, if I have a nursing baby again).

I had jury duty once while I was in college, but I wasn't selected. It was for a traffic accident case. Then I got called again but that date was literally a date that I would have to present for my senior capstone. When they sent it out again, I had already moved across the country. DH has NEVER been called to jury duty, so he teases me about how many times I get the letters.

I must say that after going in that first time I had a greater admiration for how our country's justice system works. Hopefully next time they call me I will be able to serve.

[maryinaz]

I've been summoned multiple times over the past 20 years. I always just wrote in that I had a bunch of kids and no one to look after them. I got excused every time. Now I don't really have an excuse but 2 times ago I called and wasn't needed (you only have to call once), and then I was summoned for last week, but Kent was getting his braces, so I asked for a postponement and got it.

Grant was summoned right after he turned 18!

If I was retired, I would not mind at all being on a jury, but life has always been too busy to want to do it now. My DH and I testified at a criminal trial for the prosecution a few months ago and I said that should have gotten us out of jury duty for the rest of our lives! LOL

[mummytothree]

I find it fascination how some people are called multiple times, to my knowledge only my mom has been called once...out of our family of 8!!! My dad is 77 and he has never been called once. My mom is 71 and she has only been called the one time and it was maybe like 20 years ago.

I don't know how I'd feel if I got called. My hubby got called about 7 years ago but we had just moved out of state.

[Shawna]

I think it's pretty easy to get it deferred here Libby. I got called a year or two ago and I just let them know I was a SAHM with a child not yet in school full time yet and that I was the childcare provider for my niece and nephew while their parents worked and they let me out of it no questions asked. I think it would be interesting to do, but not until all my kids are in school full-time!

[ripal]

My dad gets called every single year! Lately, that's been the case for me too! I've only had to serve once, but I've been required to show up in the court many times. My name doesn't get called and I get to go home. I get excused for a year just for showing up. When I actually did get called for a case and jury selection going on, that's when I learned that if you're a student, you can get excused. If you have travel plans, you need to provide proof of you travels before end of the business day and you'll get excused. If your job doesn't pay for your jury duty, you need to provide a proof from your employer stating that they don't pay for jury duty on their business letterhead by end of the day and you can get excused.

When I accepted the jury duty, it was summer break and I didn't have to worry about picking up kids from school. So, this was perfect time for me if I ever wanted to serve. Court was closed on Fridays, so I could still work on Fridays and worked few hours on weekends or after the jury duty. I'm so glad that I decided to serve even if I could get out.

Now, I keep the letter ready from my employer, call in the day before the court date, if I don't get called, I don't have to worry about it. If I do have to show up at the court, I take the letter with me and wait to see if I get called for the case. If I don't get called, I'm done for my 'once a year' duty for showing up in the court. I'm guaranteed not to get called for a year. On other hand, if I had sent in my request in mail, I would get deferred for time being, but might get called at later time within a year.

None of my other family members get called as much as me and my dad! LOL

[lorigaud]

That's frustrating! I'm sure you will be able to get excused though... and hopefully called again. I had jury duty when I was pregnant with my oldest..... thankfully I wasn't too far along, so I didn't have to get up and pee constantly.

[rach3975]

I served on a jury in college. It was summer so they wouldn't let me out of it, but I was scheduled to move back up to school for a summer job. Being on a case was interesting and in the end it worked out because the case lasted a week or 2 and ended the day before I needed to move, but I was nervous I'd have to miss a few weeks of work that I couldn't afford to miss at the time. I was also called once here, but I was able to fill out a form saying I was a SAHM with no alternate child care so I was excused.

[Sherri Tierney]

My husband was called once. He forgot about it and never showed up to the court house when he was supposed to. He kind of remembered and called to see what date it was supposed to be and was told it was the previous week. The case didn't go to trial so everyone from that batch had been excused from showing up for preliminaries even so it was no big deal that he wasn't there, fortunately. I'd hate to think of what happened if the case HAD gone to trial and he was supposed to have been there!

[kscwgirl]

I've never been called either and I really would love to do it.

[SmallMoments]

I just have to say that you're CRAZY!!!! LOL I always try to find a way out of it... usually being a teacher does it.

[LJSDesigns]

I've been summoned twice and not needed either time, which kinda bummed me. My mom has served three times and loved it each and every time. I have to admit I was surprised that she made it on to the jury because my brother is a state cop and usually law enforcement families are not chosen.

[kristijoy]

I've done jury duty a couple times. I got excused once since I was going to the hospital. But it was simply a deferral. If you ask for a deferral, I would be specific about the amount of deferrel you want, or when you want to come. Like Jan 2013 or something like that.

[Lindsay]

Libby I was summoned last fall reported on the first day and got sent to juvenile court. I wasn't selected but since I was sent to Juv Court I was done. There was a nursing mother there and she was dismissed immediately. So that is my experience with jury duty in Wichita.

[DawnMarch]

I've been called for jury duty three times and have never gotten on a jury. They usually don't want lawyers on a jury.

[Libby Pritchett]

An update on this:

My request was approved, so I don't have to report in June at all.

I still hope I get called again later!