PLEASE: JURY DUTY HELP!!! thanks!?

Question

So if I'm a TEACHER at a high school and I get a summons to go to court for JURY DUTY...

1. how did the court get my name and address anyway?

2. Can the PRINCIPAL keep me from going? Why or why not?

3. Is it legal for me to just PITCH the summons and say I'm NOT going? Why or why not?

4. Do I have some kind of moral OBLIGATION or duty to serve on the jury? Please explain.

THANKS EVERYONE

Answer 1

1.  courts get names for jury duty from lists of drivers licenses in their jurisdiction also from voters lists.

2. If you principal tells you can not go then by law you have to report this to the court. The Judge will straighten them out probably by 30 to 90 days in jail for contempt of court. (personal experience my boss told me no)

3. Just pitch the summons will get you the same as your boss as above.

4 " You are an American Citizen with all of the privileges and rights that come with being a citizen. With those rights and privileges come responsibilities and you will either meet those responsibilities or renounce your citizenship! Decide now."  Judge on 9 US Circuit in Sept 1978 to a fellow juror on the initial panel meeting for the Federal court sitting in San Francisco.

Answer 2

This is something I have never understood: Why people have such a dislike for serving on a jury.  The government has given each United States citizen the right to participate on a jury and be a part of the legal system, to exercise their rights, and yet more often than not people would rather not.

1.  The state and local governments keep track of their citizens, their names, their mailing addresses, marital status...everything you thought the government doesn't know about you, they probably do (not to freak you out or anything).  The courts do a random name pull of people living within a general radius of the court you were summoned to and then mail your summons to you.

2.  The principal of the school cannot withhold you from going, it is against the law as is withholding pay from you for being absent from work, although, many places will find loopholes in doing so especially if the trial takes more than a few weeks.  If the trial is anticipated to take several months or yeas even, the courts are required to compensate you for a percentage of your annual salary.

3.  It isn't necessarily ILLEGAL for you to "pitch" the summons, but you will get angry telephone calls and hate mail until you make an appearance as a juror, they anticipate you to show up the first day of jury selection even if it means you sitting in a room all afternoon doing nothing.  

4.  Yes you have every kind of obligation to serve on the jury.  As a U.S. you are obligated to participate when your government summons you. You have to keep in mind that there is a 50/50 chance of you getting picked to your not getting picked.  

For those people who have never served or do not know the process of picking a jury, it is a very long difficult process.  Both sides of the case will present themselves, plaintiff and defense.  They will briefly explain to you what the case is about then ask you if you have ever heard of or met any of the parties involved including the attorneys.  If you have they ask you to leave.  Then they will interview each candidate separately, asking your name, age, occupation ect then ask you questions that will have pertinence to the case.  So in your case, if the case has anything to do with school teachers or students (anything of that nature) they would not consider you because at that point they would consider you to have a biased opinion of the case and would be more apt to lean more one way that the other.  All relative attorneys have a say in which juror candidates are kept and which ones are not.  In a small case, it may run a few days to a few weeks depending on how stubborn the parties involved are, sometimes the attorneys decide to settle the case before the trial even starts and after the jury has been selected.

Answer 3

The court is privy to names, addresses of eyeryone in county.

The Principal has no power here.

It is illegal to not go as it is considered your civic duty.

Yes, you do have a moral obligation as you are a member of society made up of laws. I work for the county and get paid for my time, but I don't know about schools. Eventually, everyone gets summoned. You mightfind it interesting!

Answer 4

1. They get all that through your tax information.

2. No. No employer can prevent you from serving jury duty. It is illegal.

3. Sure you can just ditch those summons...if you'd like to get real acquainted with a jail cell.

4. Not only is a jury of one's peers guarenteed in the constitution, but if we don't do jury duty, then we are one step closer to a police state.

Answer the summons, they gather a bunch of people there and odds are good that you won't actually be selected to serve on the actual jury. Should you actually be selected; look at it this way, depending on the length of the trial you may be given an expenses paid 'vacation'. Also you will probably be compensated for your time.