Jury duty for college students

[Only me]

Does anyone have any experience with their college student being summoned for jury duty? My 20 year old daughter got the summons yesterday. It is for federal court and her date is in a month. She will have to serve at a minimum of one week. The problem is she is 4 hours away at school. She will call tomorrow and ask for them to postpone it. She was originally trying to do it electronically and it says that you can only postpone a maximum of 90 days. Even if she served over spring break (which of course would stink if she actually had to go in every day) but the biggest problem is if she actual ended up in a trial since it could last more than a week. I was just wondering if anyone had experience with this. Again, she is calling tomorrow but in the meantime we are pretty worried. It's not like an employer who has to give her time off. It would not be good for her to miss a week minimum of classes.

[wonderchica]

In my experience college students typically don't have to serve. I don't know any who have been called and actually had to go in.

[Lolly]

Dd was called her freshman year. She was released from duty. It seems like it happens to a lot of college kids. Perfectly normal, and they will let her out/not just postpone.

[Loowit]

I was called several times when I was still in college.  Once was during the summer, so it wasn't a big deal, but the other times I got released.  There is a card in our area that we fill out and turn in.  They are usually pretty good about letting people out of jury duty if it meets the requirements.

[Only me]

Actually she was called previously for the county and it was no problem but this is for federal and it seems more complicated.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I was excused for this.  Well actually they just rescheduled for the summer.  i didn't end up going then either because they canceled it.

 

I guess this varies from place to place, but at the very least I think people are allowed to reschedule it.

 

 

[gardenmom5]

ds was able to get a deferral until after finals, and before the next quarter started.

[JFSinIL]

DS was called, to go in about the first week of his first trimester (his college did trimesters).  Called and asked it to be postponed til summer, since he was going to be starting college three hours away. No problem.

[QueenCat]

Ds had to submit documentation from the college that he was a fulltime student and his expected graduation date. He was deferred and called back the month after he graduated (and the week he started his first real job, but they wouldn't defer for that but his new employer worked with him).

[Azalea]

How frustrating! My daughter doesn't want to register to vote when she turns 18 because of the possibility of jury duty. I will try to convince her, but I have to wonder how many people are discouraged from voting because of jury duty. As a parent paying for college I would raise holy heck if my kid was forced to do jury duty at an inconvenient time.

[QueenCat]

How frustrating! My daughter doesn't want to register to vote when she turns 18 because of the possibility of jury duty. I will try to convince her, but I have to wonder how many people are discouraged from voting because of jury duty. As a parent paying for college I would raise holy heck if my kid was forced to do jury duty at an inconvenient time.

 

I have NEVER heard of a student not being able to get a deferral. Serving on a jury is a civic duty that one should WANT to do but one should also be given deferrals for reasonable reasons. And they do get deferrals for reasonable reasons.

[SparklyUnicorn]

How frustrating! My daughter doesn't want to register to vote when she turns 18 because of the possibility of jury duty. I will try to convince her, but I have to wonder how many people are discouraged from voting because of jury duty. As a parent paying for college I would raise holy heck if my kid was forced to do jury duty at an inconvenient time.

 

They definitely don't just use voter registration for this.  My husband has been called and he is not even allowed to vote or serve on a jury.

[Ravin]

College kids are highly likely to be struck from a jury pool if they do get called.

[Azalea]

They definitely don't just use voter registration for this.  My husband has been called and he is not even allowed to vote or serve on a jury.

 

Hmmm...it varies by location, where I live it is registered voters.

 

First Step: Random Selection

Jury selection happens in two parts. The first part is, essentially, random selection. The state or federal district will randomly pull names off of lists that the state keeps in the regular course of business. These lists could include a list of registered voters, a list of people who hold driver's licenses, or a list of people receiving unemployment benefits.

[Azalea]

I have NEVER heard of a student not being able to get a deferral. Serving on a jury is a civic duty that one should WANT to do but one should also be given deferrals for reasonable reasons. And they do get deferrals for reasonable reasons.

 

Why are you shouting at me? I served jury duty and there were two college girls who sat near me and I overheard some of their conversation. Believe me, they were annoyed at not being excused from serving.

[Penelope]

I got called before and there were college students there. They were asked if they were on break. One was and actually got picked for a jury. Another was not and got excused. But still had to show up.

 

I would think if it is out of town, there would be a way to be excused or deferred until summer. Like a form notarized by the school, something like that. At least here, the form that we get in the mail doesn't include all the information about the laws that would allow you to be excused. It is on you to look up the information and find the right forms, unfortunately.

[Farrar]

Not for being a college student, but I was excused from a federal jury. Yeah, it was a bit more complex and weird than the local ones, which are much simpler in most places, it seems. They need and get large jury pools and around here you can schedule it whenever. But while they made it sound hard to be excused, the federal one was no big deal in the end either.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Hmmm...it varies by location, where I live it is registered voters.

 

First Step: Random Selection

Jury selection happens in two parts. The first part is, essentially, random selection. The state or federal district will randomly pull names off of lists that the state keeps in the regular course of business. These lists could include a list of registered voters, a list of people who hold driver's licenses, or a list of people receiving unemployment benefits.

 

I still wouldn't count on it.  As a college student I was not registered to vote, did not have a driver's license, and was not receiving any benefits.  I was called a couple of times.  I had no trouble getting out of it though.

[JFSinIL]

We were told it doesn't matter if you are a voter or not - they go by driver's license/state i.d. So no real way to avoid being in the potential jury pool.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We were told it doesn't matter if you are a voter or not - they go by driver's license/state i.d. So no real way to avoid being in the potential jury pool.

 

They must use other things as well because I did not have a driver's license nor a state ID when I started college yet I was called.

[foxbridgeacademy]

How frustrating! My daughter doesn't want to register to vote when she turns 18 because of the possibility of jury duty. I will try to convince her, but I have to wonder how many people are discouraged from voting because of jury duty. As a parent paying for college I would raise holy heck if my kid was forced to do jury duty at an inconvenient time.

I don't vote because of the possibility of being called for Jury duty.  Passing judgement on someone else, deciding their guilt or innocence goes against my core beliefs.   People have told me how easy it is to get out of Jury Duty but to do so I'd have to lie or fudge the truth a bit (come up with some other excuse) and I'm not willing to do that. So I don't vote.

[cbollin]

About a month ago, my 20 y.o dd received summons for local court jury duty a few days before Thanksgiving to show up a week later.  In our county, the process is show up on the day you're told... sign up for a week you're available (out of the next 12 weeks).  if you qualify for any of these exceptions, step in this line if you want to be excused.

among the excuses were "full time student" during the specific 12 weeks available.  She was excused and back on campus by afternoon class.   I don't know if she's just deferred until summer, or until she is randomly called again.

 

but it wasn't federal court.

 

[73349]

She should be able to be excused based on residing 4 hours away while attending school. I wouldn't worry about it.

[zoobie]

I have NEVER heard of a student not being able to get a deferral. Serving on a jury is a civic duty that one should WANT to do but one should also be given deferrals for reasonable reasons. And they do get deferrals for reasonable reasons.

 

I went to college and grad school in a college town. The county definitely did not defer students easily because they made up such a high percentage of the jury pool. They used voter registration rolls, which we figured was a way to discourage students from voting. It was a problem for several law school classmates, enough so that we were warned as incoming students NOT to register to vote. Ironic that law professors did not care that you were missing class to serve on a jury, and the judges did not care that you would fail your classes if set on a jury. It was up to the lawyers to have pity and strike you.

[Only me]

Well she called and all they did was change the dates. She politely asked if she could do it over summer break but they insisted she do it over this break. So now she has to go in on the 11th. It wouldn't be a big deal if it was local or for just a few days. It is "at minimum" a week. It is in a big city (we are in a suburb) so she will have to take the train down (at least an hour ride) and then either a bus or taxi.

 

I just wish they would wait for summer. This is the same daughter who just got over being very sick for 10 days. She also has severe clinical insomnia so she really needs this break to recover. I realize she still has a few weeks before she has to go but I still feel bad for her. Again, I realize it is her civic duty but it would be nice if she had more notice. I never realized they gave you such a short notice in general. She also had plans for that week including helping me drive her older sister back to college as well as some physical therapy appointments that she will have to cancel. I don't think anyone should be given such short notice and have to cancel plans. It's fine if they wanted her to do it over summer break.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Midwest mom of 3

[jelbe5]

Since she has been ill and has medical (physical therapy) appointments I wonder if you can get a statement from her doctor excusing her?

 

I believe in our civic duty but I have been excused from Jury Duty twice - once after the birth of my oldest (she was nursing and I told them I would be happy to serve but needed to bring her with) and more recently as I am the primary caretaker of our son with autism (doctor statement was provided).

[QueenCat]

Why are you shouting at me? I served jury duty and there were two college girls who sat near me and I overheard some of their conversation. Believe me, they were annoyed at not being excused from serving.

 

Wasn't shouting at you. Emphasizing one word does not indicate shouting. Caps for the whole sentence would have. I've had many friends, in recent years, have their children get jury summons while in school. All were deferred.

[QueenCat]

I went to college and grad school in a college town. The county definitely did not defer students easily because they made up such a high percentage of the jury pool. They used voter registration rolls, which we figured was a way to discourage students from voting. It was a problem for several law school classmates, enough so that we were warned as incoming students NOT to register to vote. Ironic that law professors did not care that you were missing class to serve on a jury, and the judges did not care that you would fail your classes if set on a jury. It was up to the lawyers to have pity and strike you.

 

My experiences are actually in a college town, within the past few years. The college has a form that you send to the court clerk if you get summoned during the school year. Automatic deferral in this county. It's been interesting to see how varied the experiences have been on this thread.

[Lanny]

The cases in a Federal Court are probably more interesting, and, more important, and might or might not take longer than a case in a State or County Court. They could be Criminal or Civil cases.    

[MyThreeSons]

As a teacher at our Co-op, I was able to receive a postponement to serve during the Summer only. The week I was there, I think about 75% of the people in the pool were teachers. 

 

On the other hand, when I was in college, I was subpoenaed to testify in a criminal trial. The subpoena had a range of potential dates, some of which would have interfered with final exams. I showed it to the head of the department, who was also one of the professors whose exam I could possibly miss, and asked him what I should do. He told me I'd better hope I didn't have to miss an exam, because it would mean a zero for me. The attorneys were not at all open to working around my exam schedule. Thankfully, it worked out. 

Edited December 30, 2015 by MyThreeSons

[SparklyUnicorn]

As a teacher at our Co-op, I was able to receive a postponement to serve during the Summer only. The week I was there, I think about 75% of the people in the pool were teachers. 

 

On the other hand, when I was in college, I was subpoenaed to testify in a criminal trial. The subpoena had a range of potential dates, some of which would have interfered with final exams. I showed it to the head of the department, who was also one of the professors whose exam I could possibly miss, and asked him what I should do. He told me I'd better hope I didn't have to miss an exam, because it would mean a zero for me. The attorneys were not at all open to working around my exam schedule. Thankfully, it worked out. 

 

That seems so wrong to me.

[MyThreeSons]

I don't vote because of the possibility of being called for Jury duty.  Passing judgement on someone else, deciding their guilt or innocence goes against my core beliefs.   People have told me how easy it is to get out of Jury Duty but to do so I'd have to lie or fudge the truth a bit (come up with some other excuse) and I'm not willing to do that. So I don't vote.

 

In many places, the jury duty rosters are drawn from other sources, such drivers licenses.