Re: My Saga Continued

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

@ninjawife wrote:

All I do know is, after all of this, I don't want to get another jury summons for at least a year.
@Anonymous032819 In my state you can't be summoned for at least two years after you have been called to serve.

@ninjawife That's true here too. However, there are different courts and I don't think serving on one releases you from serving on the others, but I'm not sure. There's County and there's District. Around here, they are also held at different courthouses. And then there are Grand Juries.

I have serve twice on County juries. If you get pulled for a trial but then get struck from that jury you go back in the pool for that week until they have struck all juries for the week.

I got a summons for District court last summer. At first I thought it was going to be a 2 hour drive, but found out they had a courthouse nearby. I got a questionaire to fill out that included any reasons I felt I wouldn't be able to serve. I didn't choose any of those reasons. However, I got a letter about a week before I was to show up that they had decided not to have cases at that time due to Covid but that it counted as jury duty for me, so I would not be called again for at least 2 years even though I never even had to show up for duty. So, I guess my willingness to serve even though I really didn't want to paid off.

They recently had a local news segment talking about the differences in court now due to the pandemic. One of the things mentioned was that the jury no longer sits in the jury box, but are spread out in the gallery.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

I know everyone's situation is different but my DH was exposed directly to someone with Covid. He was around the guy for several hours, no masks. The guy called him 2 days later to tell him he had just tested positive for Covid.

We contacted the health department and DH was told he had to quarantine for 2 weeks. My husband was perfectly fine. The health department did send him documentation to give to his employer about the exposure and the quarantine requirement.

My husband was told that should he become symptomatic, that he should go get tested. Otherwise, there was no reason. This was at a time when Covid was really surging and you could only get a test if you had symptoms, unless you went to a pop-up clinic and got the useless rapid test.

GoneButNotForgotten · ‎03-29-2020

@Anonymous032819 wrote:
This is a continuation of my earlier thread "Sometimes Life Throws You a Curve Ball".

I just got off the phone with the courthouse, and I have been exposed to a person who has Covid.

Great.

That does not mean that I have it, just that I was in the vicinity of someone who does.

So tomorrow I will get the nose swab, and I should know within 24 - 48 hours of the test results.

Until then, I am off of work until the 22nd.

I asked if the trial was put on hold because of this, and I was told that it was, because the exposure was from the courtroom.

So that means everybody in that courtroom from the judge, to the attorneys, to the bailiff, to the court reporter, to the defendant, to us potential jurors are all in quarantine.

I am trying to stay positive about this, but it isn't easy.

My supervisor wasn't happy that I will be gone until the 22nd, (because we are short handed to begin with), but out of an abundance of caution, they want us to stay home.

I 100% wholeheartedly and completely understand that.

You know, all I was trying to do was fulfil my civic duty.

1) Sometimes you can't win for losing
2) No good deed goes unpunished.

I totally sympathize with you.

Anonymous032819 · ‎03-29-2019

@Icegoddess wrote:
@ninjawife wrote:

All I do know is, after all of this, I don't want to get another jury summons for at least a year.
@Anonymous032819 In my state you can't be summoned for at least two years after you have been called to serve.
@ninjawife That's true here too. However, there are different courts and I don't think serving on one releases you from serving on the others, but I'm not sure. There's County and there's District. Around here, they are also held at different courthouses. And then there are Grand Juries.

I have serve twice on County juries. If you get pulled for a trial but then get struck from that jury you go back in the pool for that week until they have struck all juries for the week.

I got a summons for District court last summer. At first I thought it was going to be a 2 hour drive, but found out they had a courthouse nearby. I got a questionaire to fill out that included any reasons I felt I wouldn't be able to serve. I didn't choose any of those reasons. However, I got a letter about a week before I was to show up that they had decided not to have cases at that time due to Covid but that it counted as jury duty for me, so I would not be called again for at least 2 years even though I never even had to show up for duty. So, I guess my willingness to serve even though I really didn't want to paid off.

They recently had a local news segment talking about the differences in court now due to the pandemic. One of the things mentioned was that the jury no longer sits in the jury box, but are spread out in the gallery.

That's how it was when we were in the courtroom. We were not in the jury box, but spread out in the gallery.

I have no idea if they are going to dismiss us after all of this and start all over with a fresh group, or not. If they still keep us after this, there will be a lot of unhappy people, understandably.

The Sky looks different when you have someone you love up there.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

I would never have done jury duty during this time. But to each his own...

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

@Anonymous032819 wrote:
@Icegoddess wrote:
@ninjawife wrote:

All I do know is, after all of this, I don't want to get another jury summons for at least a year.
@Anonymous032819 In my state you can't be summoned for at least two years after you have been called to serve.
@ninjawife That's true here too. However, there are different courts and I don't think serving on one releases you from serving on the others, but I'm not sure. There's County and there's District. Around here, they are also held at different courthouses. And then there are Grand Juries.

I have serve twice on County juries. If you get pulled for a trial but then get struck from that jury you go back in the pool for that week until they have struck all juries for the week.

I got a summons for District court last summer. At first I thought it was going to be a 2 hour drive, but found out they had a courthouse nearby. I got a questionaire to fill out that included any reasons I felt I wouldn't be able to serve. I didn't choose any of those reasons. However, I got a letter about a week before I was to show up that they had decided not to have cases at that time due to Covid but that it counted as jury duty for me, so I would not be called again for at least 2 years even though I never even had to show up for duty. So, I guess my willingness to serve even though I really didn't want to paid off.

They recently had a local news segment talking about the differences in court now due to the pandemic. One of the things mentioned was that the jury no longer sits in the jury box, but are spread out in the gallery.

That's how it was when we were in the courtroom. We were not in the jury box, but spread out in the gallery.

I have no idea if they are going to dismiss us after all of this and start all over with a fresh group, or not. If they still keep us after this, there will be a lot of unhappy people, understandably.

In NJ they tell you about the case before they start to pick the jurors so I don't know if they'd be able to keep anyone they have already seated.

People that did get picked and are now in limbo could go home and do some research about the case to see what they could find out even though they shouldn't be doing that.

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

@SeaMaiden wrote:
I would never have done jury duty during this time. But to each his own...

@SeaMaiden It was exactly a year ago that my husband was supposed to show up and about a week before he called and told them he wasn't going to report. It was 2 or 3 days later that the courts were shut down.

Anonymous032819 · ‎03-29-2019

@CelticCrafter wrote:
@Anonymous032819 wrote:
@Icegoddess wrote:
@ninjawife wrote:

All I do know is, after all of this, I don't want to get another jury summons for at least a year.
@Anonymous032819 In my state you can't be summoned for at least two years after you have been called to serve.
@ninjawife That's true here too. However, there are different courts and I don't think serving on one releases you from serving on the others, but I'm not sure. There's County and there's District. Around here, they are also held at different courthouses. And then there are Grand Juries.

I have serve twice on County juries. If you get pulled for a trial but then get struck from that jury you go back in the pool for that week until they have struck all juries for the week.

I got a summons for District court last summer. At first I thought it was going to be a 2 hour drive, but found out they had a courthouse nearby. I got a questionaire to fill out that included any reasons I felt I wouldn't be able to serve. I didn't choose any of those reasons. However, I got a letter about a week before I was to show up that they had decided not to have cases at that time due to Covid but that it counted as jury duty for me, so I would not be called again for at least 2 years even though I never even had to show up for duty. So, I guess my willingness to serve even though I really didn't want to paid off.

They recently had a local news segment talking about the differences in court now due to the pandemic. One of the things mentioned was that the jury no longer sits in the jury box, but are spread out in the gallery.

That's how it was when we were in the courtroom. We were not in the jury box, but spread out in the gallery.

I have no idea if they are going to dismiss us after all of this and start all over with a fresh group, or not. If they still keep us after this, there will be a lot of unhappy people, understandably.

In NJ they tell you about the case before they start to pick the jurors so I don't know if they'd be able to keep anyone they have already seated.

People that did get picked and are now in limbo could go home and do some research about the case to see what they could find out even though they shouldn't be doing that.

@CelticCrafter

We were told what the defendant was charged with, and yes, there is always the possibility that one or more prospective jurors could try to research the case. But, to be fair, even if things had run smoothly and normally, that still could've happened anyway after we were dismissed at the end of the day. Short of sequestering, it's always possible that someone could do that.

The Sky looks different when you have someone you love up there.

Lucky Charm · ‎03-09-2010

@Anonymous032819 wrote:

I have no idea if they are going to dismiss us after all of this and start all over with a fresh group, or not. If they still keep us after this, there will be a lot of unhappy people, understandably.

@Anonymous032819

I omitted all the other posts so it would look like a Super Spirograph design. Hope you don't mind....

It's a shame they don't start with another jury because of the added time of the quarantine.

I was paid for time off for jury duty, but know that many aren't. That can cause quite a hardship for people, especially now if their companies don't offer paid time off for sick leave (not sure if quarantine time is considered sick leave?) on top of unpaid leave for jury duty.

I hope to hear soon that you tested negative for covid.

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@teganslaw wrote:
I hope that your test is negative and everything turns out OK. I know it's mandatory, but it doesn't always pay to fulfill a civic duty.

I've wondered: if jury duty is suppose to be such an honor, why do they have to force people to do it? I have been summoned, but the trial was cancelled at the last minute. That was great news for me, as I didn't want to do it in the first place. Covid has nothing to do with my feelings on this.

@teganslaw, the whole idea of a jury is that they are supposed to be a group that represents your community. If people were allowed to volunteer, we would be overrun with those with an agenda and/or an ax to grind.

Personally, I think it's a great experience and a civic duty, but I would not want to be called during a pandemic.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland