Community Chat

[beckyb1012]

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@sann wrote:

Oklahoma has a statutory exemption that allows individuals over a certain age to request exemption from jury duty. Citizens over the age of 70 can be exempt from service under this age exception. Persons over 70 years of age shall not be compelled to serve as jurors.   I did serve on a jury many years ago, but now based on my age things are much different now.

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Right, big difference in the words exempt and excluded.

[Krimpette]

I "served" on one jury.  I went as directed.  We were all in the waiting area when there was a fire alarm.  We had to exit the building till it was cleared to go back in. The jurors were allowed back inside first. While we sat and waited, someone finally came out and told us there would be no cases to be heard, so we were all excused.  After that, I received a summons every two years.  But during that time, my elderly mother came to live with me and I was her sole caregiver.  While not pure dementia, she had issues that made it difficult to be able to leave her for long periods.  After she died, I had then aged out of the system.

[CelticCrafter]

Well @SeaMaiden I'll probably be one of the few that agree with you.

In NJ you still have to wear masks in the juror assembly rooms and court rooms however, I will not subject myself to sitting in overcrowded, overheated windowless rooms for 8 hours with a mask on.

Civic duty my .....

[lgfan]

I was called for jury duty April 2021.  The jury room was different because of Covid.  Only nine people were allowed in the jury selection room with plenty of social distancing space between them.  People were also required to wear masks.  It took longer to pick a jury because fewer people were interviewed at one time.  I was not picked for the jury.  I was told that a person can be called for jury duty every two years.  Being called for jury duty after four years in not considered too frequent.      

[J Town Girl]

Washington is one state that does not have an age exemption and I think that is terrible. To ask people who are over the age of 70 to serve on a jury while many of them have hardships that would make it very difficult for them to go to the courthouse.  I know quite a few ladies who no longer drive and have no one to transport them.  Many of them could not afford an Uber or Taxi.  

Unless you have a serious condition it's difficult to ask your doctor to write you an excuse.  My neighbor who is 78 but is in pretty good health received a jury duty notice.  She is a widow with no children.  She gets nervous being away from her home and is very frightened to take public transportation.  In our area our buses aren't very safe and many seniors have been attacked after getting off a bus.  Not to mention the drug users who are using drugs on the buses or waving guns around.  She tried to be excused based on her age and anxiety but they refused her exemption.  She had to practically beg her doctor to write her an excuse.  

I think that is appalling.  When we are out and about we see young men and women just wandering around during working hours.  Why in the world are they forcing seniors  to leave the safety of their house and face undue hardships while these people just wander the streets looking for trouble.  We live in a large metropolitan area and I know there are many young people who would actually enjoy serving on a jury but instead they force seniors many who have served during their younger years to endure the worry and expense of making it to a courthouse.  

When I was still working I was called and chosen to serve.  The trial lasted 4 weeks and my boss had to make arrangements for someone to cover my position at work.  It was expensive because I had to pay for parking and the amount they paid didn't even cover the parking fees.  Nevertheless I went and did my duty but told my husband that I hoped I was never called again.  

Forcing people over the age of 70 to serve on a jury is a big bone of contention to me.  If you are older and want to serve that's fine but you should not be forced.  

I have researched which states allow age exemptions and find that quite a few of them have the age set at 70.  Washington needs to follow the lead of those states and change our jury duty rules.  

I certainly don't consider a senior citizen who wants to be excused from jury duty to be a bad guy.  

I'm with @SeaMaiden  on this one.

[shoesnbags]

In Louisiana the age exemption for jury service begins at 70.  Mr. Shoes and I were among the lucky ones who received a jury summons every two years for many, MANY years.  When we  each reached 70, the summons just stopped.

[SharkE]

I gotta be near a bathroom, afraid if the air is too dry I'll start a coughing jag, if I don't eat by a certain time I get sick to stomach, just isn't anything

I wanted to commit too.

nothing more boring then a trial.

[SloopJohnB]

I do get summoned from time to time as they get my name from the voter's log and the driver's license log.  So, I mosey on down to the courthouse like a cattle call.  When they select a group of us to go into a smaller room to interview us, they start asking questions to weed out some of us.

When they ask what I do for a living (law enforcement) and they ask about family members (ditto) they dismiss me.  So I get my parking ticket validated and go on my merry way.  Until next time.....

[Goodie2shoes]

I have served on a jury twice (before the pandemic) The last time I was called (again before the pandemic) I contaced my doctor who wrote a statement regarding my lumbar issues so I was permanently excused.  As others have suggested contact your MD regarding your specific issues and you may be able to get an excuse

[reiki604]

Serving on a jury is one of the responsibilities of citizenship.If one tries to get out of it because it's inconvenient or one doesn't feel like it, then they have no business complaining or giving input on when others try to get over on the government or on whether somebody deserves something or services provided by the government..