My mom has been selected for jury duty but she really doesn't speak English so what do I do?

Question

Lots of people use that for an excuse but she really doesn't. Do I call in and say what...? I'm 14. I don't wanna s***w anything up because nobody wants to get fined like $2000 for not speaking English. Seriously, what am I supposed to say or do?

Answer 1

I think the easiest thing for her to do is show up.  They will dismiss her shortly after she arrives.

Answer 2

She just needs to show up.  If she ends up in the pool, she will get dismissed.

Answer 3

By law, she has to show up at the jury meeting.  Once they see she can't speak English, she will get sent home.

Answer 4

if she shows up and she cant speak english then they will dismiss her.

Answer 5

She still needs to go up there. They will then decide if she is picked on the jury or not. You can go with her that day and translate for her or they have translators there.

Answer 6

Where did you get the idea that she can be fined for not speaking English?  

By the way, if she lives in this country she should learn to speak English.

Answer 7

you get fined for not showing up, if she shows up and she cant speak english then they will dismiss her. no one is going to let a non english speaker serve on a jury

Answer 8

The Judge got to his position by being observant and clear thinking. He'll notice that little issue fairly quickly and make the right decision.

Answer 9

Do you not have to have a passport for the relevant country to be able to sit on a jury for that country?

So I'm guessing that she holds a USA passport but hasn't bothered to learn the language?

Answer 10

She should appear for jury duty, and let the judge if she is selected for jury duty question her as to how much she understands. I know for a fact this takes place, when I was select for jury duty there were a number of people that required to be released because they couldn't understand or speak English.

She now lives in the United States where English is the number one language, she should learn as much as possible to be able to communicate as in this case or if there is an emergency and she needs to be able to be understood.

Answer 11

She absolutely must show up. Failure to do so is unacceptable.

Once they realize her inability to speak or understand English might be a problem, she will be dismissed.

  Let the system work this out. it usually does.

Answer 12

There are exceptions for jury duty, I suggest you fill out one of those stating the reason why she is not able to serve.  If it comes back stating she must still go or if it's too late to file for an exception she should still show up on the date requested as to avoid fines.  Once they speak to her and realize she is not fit for jury duty because of the language problem they should let her off.

Answer 13

There should be a place on her jury duty notice form that allows her to apply for an exemption or change of location or date to appear.  Check that area and see what the stated reasons offered are for exemptions or if there is a phone number to call.  It's better to ask the experts - those who actually have sent out/prepared the notice - since jury regulations can vary from district/state to district/state.  Those people are in the best position to help you address this issue.  If transportation/health or other issues present a hardship, they can be addressed there also.