Today, I'm at one of the various Los Angeles County courts for jury service. Hopefully, I will not be selected for a trial.

Twelve years ago, I was selected for a jury for a trial that lasted eight weeks, including deliberation. I feel like that was enough, but maybe that I haven't been called in the meantime means they thought that too.

Fortunately, they have wireless, but, and this is a huge one teamliquid.net is blocked on the Los Angeles County Courts network!

Whaaat?

Wound up logging on to work and getting on from there. How baffling!

Edit: Twitter and Facebook are also blocked.

Illusionnist

Ireland97 Posts

May 20 2011 16:26 GMT

Im only 19, maybe this isnt the topic to be posting. but how do u get involved with jury duty. i dont want to do it. but how do u get selected?,
and if u do get select, people tell me you cant see ur family till the sentenced has been said or something? i would like to know a bit more!

Kralic

Canada2628 Posts

May 20 2011 16:27 GMT

I bet the IT guy for the LA court system got banned from TL for spoiling results.

On May 21 2011 01:26 Illusionnist wrote:
Im only 19, maybe this isnt the topic to be posting. but how do u get involved with jury duty. i dont want to do it. but how do u get selected?,
and if u do get select, people tell me you cant see ur family till the sentenced has been said or something? i would like to know a bit more!

In Canada you are eligible to be selected for jury duty if you vote in the federal election(very rare to be chosen though), not sure if it is the same in Ireland.

Lysenko

Iceland2128 Posts

May 20 2011 16:33 GMT

On May 21 2011 01:26 Illusionnist wrote:
Im only 19, maybe this isnt the topic to be posting. but how do u get involved with jury duty. i dont want to do it. but how do u get selected?

I can't speak for Ireland, but here in California, you get a notice in the mail giving you instructions on where or when to show up.

As for not being able to see your family -- that practice is called sequestration, and it's extremely rare, at least here. Most of the time, juries are just told not to discuss the case with each other or their families and are asked to avoid reading about the case in the media. Juries are only sequestered in the most extremely high profile cases that are the subject of wall-to-wall coverage in the media.

calgar

United States1277 Posts

May 20 2011 16:36 GMT

IDK how it is in other countries besides the US but it's a random selection for anyone 18+. You're required by law to do it and they then screen potential people to weed out those who might view the case from an undesirable point of view. Sometimes you can say you've heard of the case or read about it online which disqualifies you, or just try and make it clear that you're biased. But I think that can be risky if they suspect you of trying to get around it and that's contempt of court. You can definitely see your family but you aren't allowed to talk about what goes on.

Illusionnist

Ireland97 Posts

May 20 2011 16:37 GMT

Thanks!, i hope i never do it

Synystyr

United States1446 Posts

May 20 2011 16:37 GMT

You'll get a letter in the mail saying that you have to be at a courthouse at that certain date. You go there and will be given a quick rundown of what the procedures there are. If you're lucky enough, you'll be picked to go to attend a trial as part of a jury. Hopefully you know enough about the legal system to understand the process that happen in the courtroom. You are not allowed to disclose any information regarding the trial to anyone else outside of the courtroom until the trial has ended. Depending on how long the trial lasts, you may have to go back on other days to see the end of it.

Edit: Didn't realize you were from Ireland, justice system there might be a little different xD

Shai

Canada806 Posts

May 20 2011 16:38 GMT

On May 21 2011 01:27 Kralic wrote:
I bet the IT guy for the LA court system got banned from TL for spoiling results.

Priceless.

Also, is it weird that I'm jealous? I'd love to do jury duty at some point in my life. Seems like it would be interesting.

Or maybe I've watched too much Law and Order.

Lysenko

Iceland2128 Posts

May 20 2011 16:44 GMT

On May 21 2011 01:38 Shai wrote:
Also, is it weird that I'm jealous? I'd love to do jury duty at some point in my life. Seems like it would be interesting.

In the event that you are selected for a case, it can be an interesting experience, which is why I don't go way out of my way to avoid doing it. However, since you have no control over when it happens, it can be an unpredictable inconvenience.

xbankx

703 Posts

May 20 2011 16:51 GMT

#10

I pertend Im a racist who believes everything I hear on TV. I don't get picked for jury duty

Illusionnist

Ireland97 Posts

May 20 2011 16:55 GMT

#11

one more question for the OP, if ur able to tell us or just me, what was ur last jury case about?

Lysenko

Iceland2128 Posts

May 20 2011 17:00 GMT

#12

The case for which I was a juror in 1999 was a civil suit. A homeowner in Los Angeles was suing 20th Century Insurance for maliciously mishandling their claim for foundation damage following the Northridge earthquake. We wound up finding for the homeowner, but it appeared from the context that they probably walked away from a larger settlement, since the attorneys looked pretty miserable.

storm44

1293 Posts

May 20 2011 17:02 GMT

#13

Jury duty sucks when you come on time but they make you wait like 4 hours before it starts, and then constantly wait for everything to get ready and started. The case was really strange + Show Spoiler +

some guy was charged with having sex with a dead 15 year old

Gummy

United States2180 Posts

May 20 2011 17:04 GMT

#14

I'd love to get involved in jury duty at least once in my life. As a student, it's not like I have anything better to do, and I think the experience of how the justice system operates will help me in my future criminal endeavors.

PassiveAce

United States18076 Posts

May 20 2011 17:15 GMT

#15

Why do you guys want to be picked for jury duty? It really is not very exciting, there really isnt very much interesting in most cases, I don't see what could be appealing about it :p

A great deal of people just pretend to be racist or something so they don't have to miss work.

Illusionnist

Ireland97 Posts

May 20 2011 17:47 GMT

#16

1999! u must be old lol!

Bibdy

United States3481 Posts

May 20 2011 17:52 GMT

#17

Fortunately I was able to get out of my last (and first) summons between a combination of school and working as a contractor (hourly pay, as opposed to wage). That could have been horribly disruptive.

To get out of jury duty (in a somewhat legitimate fashion - as opposed to faking being a racist dickwagon), I hear that most of the time, if you get called in for selection, you just have to give off an air of being a logically-minded, reasonably person and/or already appear to have made up your mind about the case. Defense lawyers aren't looking for people like that. They'll more-than-likely pick people, and demographics, that appear to be on-the-fence that can be easily persuaded.

Terrakin

United States1440 Posts

May 20 2011 17:54 GMT

#18

On May 21 2011 01:51 xbankx wrote:
I pertend Im a racist who believes everything I hear on TV. I don't get picked for jury duty

this would probably happen to me if I tried..

Ganjamaster

Argentina475 Posts

May 20 2011 17:56 GMT

#19

On May 21 2011 02:02 storm44 wrote:
Jury duty sucks when you come on time but they make you wait like 4 hours before it starts, and then constantly wait for everything to get ready and started. The case was really strange + Show Spoiler +

some guy was charged with having sex with a dead 15 year old

Yo storm, would you care/can you discuss further details about this case? it appears to be pretty ridiculous from your short description.