What is Jury Duty?

Question

What is Jury duty?

and how do you get picked once you attend?

Answer 1

when you register to vote, your name goes on the list for jury duty. then if they call you for it you have to go to court and witness someone's case. then you decide whether they're guilty or innocent... it's really boring.

Answer 2

Every state has different rules about how jury duty is handled.

Jury duty is... the civic obligation of every citizen who is adult, in reasonable health, and not burdened by felony convictions - to participate in our judicial system by helping to decide the best result of a legal charge or question.

Jury duty can be grand jury or petit jury.  The trials you see on a courtroom drama are usually petit jury, meaning you get to see one case.  Grand jury duty might involve seeing evidence on many cases and deciding for each one whether there is enough evidence to go to the next step, a criminal trial.

States have different ways to pick juries.  The State of Louisiana uses driver's licenses, voter registration, and certain local utility bills as ways to assure a person's name is in the rotation for a pool.  In Louisiana, that pool lasts for one day if you aren't chosen for a jury, or one trial if you ARE chosen.  I've never been chosen for a grand jury so I don't know the local rules.

A petit jury is convened by a judge who has a case requiring a jury.  The judge calls for some number of people from the jury pool for the day.  The judge and opposing counselors hold a voix dire session (hear it in your own words, literally "directly by voice") to determine your opinions on general subjects and whether you would qualify for that jury.  If so, you are empaneled.  If not, you return to the general pool.

You get to see and hear one case from opening remarks to presentation of testimony and evidence to closing arguments.  Then the judge gives you final instructions and you go into a jury room to deliberate.  In Louisiana, for non-capital offenses, juries must reach a 10-2 verdict to convict.  (Capital offenses must be unanimous.)  Civil trials have slightly different standards,  but the same concept still applies.  

You have to decide in either case whether the defendant did something wrong.  The jury votes on their beliefs and renders a verdict.  After that verdict, it is up to the judge to assign a final result - jail time and/or fines and/or probation for criminal cases, monetary or behavioral judgements for civil cases.

Answer 3

Veronica G is right!