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Jury Duty?

9K views 33 replies 18 participants last post by  Joker Eh 
#1 ·
I got called up recently to do jury duty,
Went down there today, But I was armed with a doctors note.

Sure, I got off, But it wasn't until I went through a lengthly orientation with 500 others.
I'm awaiting surgery on my knee after a workplace related injury and I can hardly walk.

Have you done your jury duty yet?

What are your thoughts on the process?
 
#2 ·
Recent article in the star said that jury duty in most of Canada is basically medieval. They externalize all costs (meaning they won't call you to tell you you didn't make the final selection, they expect you to show up in person and wait to find out), expect you do do everything in person (no courtesy calls to tell you where and when to show up), and everywhere technology could be employed to speed up the process, it isn't. If even half of the article is true, it's disgraceful.


Toronto News: A Toronto juror?s story: ?It was Middle Ages. It really was.? - thestar.com
 
#4 ·
I've been called twice now and both times wrote them back immediately, using their supplied form telling them of my heart attacks and orders from cardiologist to avoid stress. Both times I was excused, no doctor's certificate required.

EDIT:

When my wife was called, she had to go to the court house and wait for over four hours before she was released and told her services were no required. Sounds like AB is much like ON.
 
#6 ·
I have been called three times -- once released due to being a single parent of a disabled 7 year old girl and a 4 year old boy with no family to help out; once called but then told to go home after two hours since the jury pool was filled up; once called, but was released when questioned by the defense attorney (not sure what the cause was to this day).

I always wanted to be Henry Fonda's character in "Twelve Angry Men".

Twelve Angry Men Trailer - YouTube
 
#7 ·
I was called twice, once in Nova Scotia and once in New Brunswick.

In Nova Scotia when I was called for the Jury Panel for the fall sitting of the court. The process called for the panel members to appear on various days through out the months of October and November to be selected or not.

In New Brunswick the Jury Panel is called for one trail only and in that case there were technical problems ie the accused failed to show for the trial.

In Nova Scotia I happened to know a legal aid lawyer personally so he would advise the Crown of Panel members he knew, so the Crown Prosecutor would "challenge" me which I would wait for and I then would go home.

At the other trails I was not picked.

As I was a Union member and the Collective Agreement that I worked under had a provision that the Company paid all lost wages as a result of Jury Duty I was not concerned if I was picked.

My wife was called for Jury Duty in Nova Scotia and she was excused as she was six months pregnant with our twins as a high risk medical condition.
 
#8 ·
Got the summons for the first time last year. Fortunately, I was listening when the case was described to us, so when I was selected, I was able to be excused for being the next-door neighbour of one of the officers involved.

Had to go back a second time, but this time the case was settled just before the selection process was to begin.
 
#9 ·
It's a valuable public service that I would be happy to perform, but my concerns, as I'm sure is the case with most people, are with the compensation and the potential time demands. I'd like to think that when I am retired, I would serve.
 
#13 ·
I served on a jury last year.

I think there were about 100 of us called up. Lots of people had valid medical reasons not to serve. Quite a few people tried to tell the judge that it would cause them severe financial hardship. She allowed several people to defer their service until the fall. None of them got off altogether. The bailiff later told us that the big LONG trials start in the fall so these folks may have screwed themselves! After all that weeding out, there were about 50 panelists left for 12 positions on the jury. Therefore, I figured the odds of being selected were about 1 in 4...and then my name was pulled out the box first!! Why doesn't the lottery work that way for me??

If you get the chance you should do it! Fascinating both in the courtroom and the jury room! It was a domestic assault trial. A lot of it boiled down to "he said, she said"--neither one with much credibility. Given the rules about jury room confidentiality, that is about all I can say. Oh, and we were sequestered for a night as it took most of a day for the summations and judge's instructions and our jury couldn't reach a verdict (on the seven counts) in a reasonable time.

Craig
 
#14 ·
I just recently was called up. 2 court rooms were full of possible jurors for 9 cases. By the end of the morning 5 cases had been settled before any jurors were selected. For the remaining 4 I was called up 3 times. For the first 2 before I was rejected by counsel. 3rd time was a charm. Waited for phone call for when the cases was going to start and wouldn't you know it, it was settled out of court so I did not need to go. Was actually looking forward to doing it.

The whole jury selection process was long and was made long by people and their excuses, like they have something better to do or try to put off they don't speak English. The judge scolded a women who said she was in Canada for 30 years yet did not know how to speak or understand English. I have a full time job and cannot sit for long period of times due to my back and tail bone from a fall I had last year and yet I felt it was my duty to do it and do it properly. I would want the same if I needed to be in court. The case was for a traffic accident that happened over 10 years ago, do you believe that? 10 years!
 
#15 ·
I was called just before Christmas to participate in jury selection for a trial that was scheduled to last 6 months!!! I spent the longest day of my life sitting with about 1,000 other potential jurors in the ballroom of an hotel here in Toronto.
They had everyone's name in a drum and over the course of the day, called out about 500-600 people. The remaining group were told they would be called if they hadn't selected 12 from the pool. Fortunately I was called and advised that I wouldn't be required.
What really ticked me off is that nowhere in the summons did they mention that there would be no lunch break, and all that was available was iced water. We had 3 x 10 minute breaks during which there was a stampede for the doors to get out. The worst part was getting back in each time - full search by police and a walk through one of those metal detector thingys.
So from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. I endured the mind numbing experience of listening to endless "Juror #xxxxx's" and then waiting for Juror #xxxxx to realize they were calling him/her, then waiting for them to get to the top of the ballroom, have their papers verified, and the process repeated over and over and over.
An ghastly experience for everyone there, and one that could be avoided if they'd modernize what is an antiquated process....and tell us to bring a lunch!!!
 
#16 ·
I was called just before Christmas to participate in jury selection for a trial that was scheduled to last 6 months!!! I spent the longest day of my life sitting with about 1,000 other potential jurors in the ballroom of an hotel here in Toronto.
They had everyone's name in a drum and over the course of the day, called out about 500-600 people. The remaining group were told they would be called if they hadn't selected 12 from the pool. Fortunately I was called and advised that I wouldn't be required.
What really ticked me off is that nowhere in the summons did they mention that there would be no lunch break, and all that was available was iced water. We had 3 x 10 minute breaks during which there was a stampede for the doors to get out. The worst part was getting back in each time - full search by police and a walk through one of those metal detector thingys.
So from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. I endured the mind numbing experience of listening to endless "Juror #xxxxx's" and then waiting for Juror #xxxxx to realize they were calling him/her, then waiting for them to get to the top of the ballroom, have their papers verified, and the process repeated over and over and over.
An ghastly experience for everyone there, and one that could be avoided if they'd modernize what is an antiquated process....and tell us to bring a lunch!!!
You want 1000 people bringing stinking food to a hall? No thanks.

I have never heard of a lawyer or judge not taking an hour lunch and 15 mintute breaks in between. They are government and union employees they don't miss breaks.
 
#17 ·
My memory is a bit hazy, but I seem to remember getting a notice and replying that I was busy with school work and that seemed to go over OK. I got another notice that I would be placed on a list of people who would not be called for a year and a vaguely disapproving statement to the effect that eventually they would call me for duty. That was about eight years ago so I guess I've slipped off the radar :)

Now that I've jinxed myself, I'll probably get a jury duty notice in the mail tomorrow.
 
#24 ·
screature, you have no idea about bureaucracy, do you?

I think there are better things to spend my tax payer dollars on than checking the incomes of prospective jurors. Right now criminals are being released because the justice system moves too slowly to get them a trial in a 'reasonable' amount of time. This would just clog the wheels of justice even more.

BC has a somewhat adequate system in place:
$20 a day for each of the first 10 days;
$60 a day for the 11 to the 49 days; and
$100 a day commencing on the 50th day of sitting.

Your employer can choose to pay you your regular salary during jury duty, or not, but you cannot lose your job or any accrued benefits due to serving on a jury.

(It's doubtful I'll ever be called to jury duty, as all the cases that require a jury are transferred into the big smoke.)
 
#25 ·
screature, you have no idea about bureaucracy, do you?

I think there are better things to spend my tax payer dollars on than checking the incomes of prospective jurors. Right now criminals are being released because the justice system moves too slowly to get them a trial in a 'reasonable' amount of time. This would just clog the wheels of justice even more.

BC has a somewhat adequate system in place:
$20 a day for each of the first 10 days;
$60 a day for the 11 to the 49 days; and
$100 a day commencing on the 50th day of sitting.

Your employer can choose to pay you your regular salary during jury duty, or not, but you cannot lose your job or any accrued benefits due to serving on a jury.

(It's doubtful I'll ever be called to jury duty, as all the cases that require a jury are transferred into the big smoke.)
That is quite the laugh actually as I have a very intimate knowledge of bureaucracy.

There was no suggestion of checking into the income of prospective jurors, only of those selected so that they are adequately and appropriately compensated (to avoid fraud as was suggested by Joker Eh) compensated... read more closely MLeh and don't be so presumptuous please.

The compensation you list is completely pathetic. The average Canadian makes $128/day.

Why should your employer pay for a civic "duty"?
 
#26 ·
Your intimate knowledge of bureaucracy explains a lot. I only have the benefit of observing it from the outside.

First: I said it's the choice of the employer whether or not to pay a regular wage while the employee is serving on a jury. I think most civic minded employers would consider some payment, and I'm sure any union worth its dues would have it written into a contract.

Notwithstanding: We all benefit from an adequately functioning justice system. It's one of those 'civilization' things. Sometimes sacrifices (yes, even financial ones) have to be made for the 'greater good'.

No one should starve to death or lose their home because of serving on a jury, but there are exemptions for financial hardship which cover that. But I don't see why one person on a jury should get paid more than another just because they make more outside the courthouse. The legal system is supposed to be equal for all, and that would be for jurors as well.

The system BC has assumes that financial hardship increases as the length of the trial increases. I didn't say it was perfect, but I did say it was 'somewhat adequate'.
 
#29 ·
Your intimate knowledge of bureaucracy explains a lot. I only have the benefit of observing it from the outside.

First: I said it's the choice of the employer whether or not to pay a regular wage while the employee is serving on a jury. I think most civic minded employers would consider some payment, and I'm sure any union worth its dues would have it written into a contract.

Notwithstanding: We all benefit from an adequately functioning justice system. It's one of those 'civilization' things. Sometimes sacrifices (yes, even financial ones) have to be made for the 'greater good'.

No one should starve to death or lose their home because of serving on a jury, but there are exemptions for financial hardship which cover that. But I don't see why one person on a jury should get paid more than another just because they make more outside the courthouse. The legal system is supposed to be equal for all, and that would be for jurors as well.

The system BC has assumes that financial hardship increases as the length of the trial increases. I didn't say it was perfect, but I did say it was 'somewhat adequate'.
Fair enough... but then I think the reimbursement should then be equal to that of the average Canadian wage which is currently $128/day. Which would be more for some and substantially less for others than they make on average and infinitely more fair than what is the case for BC that you listed.
 
#27 ·
Interestingly (or not), I was able to be released from jury duty several years ago due to being self-employed. As far as I recall, that was permanent. I called, talked to someone, and was asked to send in a letter explaining why my business prevented me from performing jury duty.

These days, there are times when I could do jury duty with no significant hardship, and times when I cannot. Doesn't seem like I can pick and choose though.
 
#28 ·
Disagree completely as to paying so called salary equivalent. When I was self employed the tax types expected me to be able to predict income a year ahed of time. Truthfully that was not even remotely possible.

Beyond that it would for all practical purposes mean high income earners would be automatically exempted just due to cost.

Better idea:
Jury call; Mileage only, employer on the hook for the days salary.
Jury Serve; 1-5 days modest stipend to cover meals+mileage, again employer on the hook.
Jury serve; 6+ days Minimum wage + 15% + mileage. Job must be kept open, employer
responsible for the balance. Might be a real awakening for those that have no idea how completely inadequate minimum wage is.

I firmly believe that Jury trials should be kept to less than 10 days. I know many months can go into collecting evidence but if it takes more than a week to present, chances are pretty good that all that testimony will confuse rather than clarify. The OJ trial proved that very conclusively.
 
#30 ·
I know how to get out of jury duty: just tell the judge you should be on the jury because you can spot guilty people instantly.
 
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