AnonymousBy an edhat reader
I am writing to describe my experience with a jury summons this week and I would be curious to hear about other people’s experiences.
I was summoned to appear Monday at noon. I arrived at 11:40 and found that we were not allowed in the building. Potential jurors kept showing up until there were around 50 of us outside the building, where there was not sufficient space for more than two dozen or so to observe social distancing. At 11:50, a man came out and made an announcement that was inaudible. He spoke very softly and was wearing a mask that muffled his voice. Half the people crowded in to listen, while the rest of us kept back to maintain safe distancing. We tried to find out what the announcement was about, but even those nearer the entrance seemed uncertain what had been said.
Around 12:20, after another half-hour in the hot noon sun, they started admitting people to the building one by one, very, very slowly. This continued until maybe 25 people had been allowed inside. At 12:40, the same man came out and started to make another inaudible announcement. By this time I was closer to the entrance, maybe only 20 feet away, but I could still not make out a word he was saying. I asked him to speak more loudly, and from what I could tell, the plan was for him to pass around a paper and pencil so people could write their names and juror ID numbers to prove they had shown up. Keep in mind that the court website says that they have implemented “no-contact juror check-in.” Heads up: this is completely false.
It was also not clarified whether we had completed our responsibilities by signing the sheet or not. The whole process seems to be completely, err, jury-rigged. Some of the older people were struggling in the sun and heat, and everyone had their COVID exposure risk considerably and unnecessarily increased.
I wonder what the experience is like for those who are admitted to the building. Is there a reason this process cannot be conducted virtually or by phone during a pandemic? I know there are more serious concerns in the world, but this seems like a local problem that could be easily remedied.
Good question. I hope that they figure this out. People shouldn’t be exposed unnecessarily to Covid while doing their civic (and required) duty.
Thank goodness my husband was excused when he told them he was over 80 years old with underlying conditions. We were shocked when he received a recorded message saying that he was NOT excused (that his reason wasn’t accepted!), but then a few hours later received both an e-mail and another call saying he WAS excused. No haircuts, but this? Insanity!
Wondering if you were able to tell if it was a criminal or civil jury you would have been sitting on? Courts are really pressing civil cases to settle without a trial. Either way it sounds like your potential case was resolved last minute. Thats what happened the last time I had jury duty a few years ago and it counted as having done my duty. Oh and if they were really ‘passing around’ a paper and pencil that’s just ridiculous. They should have the one guy walk around with it and collect information you dont need 100 sets of hands on it.
Last year we had the same experience with an incorrect “your excuse is not accepted” message. I called and was told that my very elderly husband’s excuse WAS accepted and that was an error. They need to get their act together—that happened long before the complications of covid.