My day in court ... (Cuyahoga County jury duty) (Akron, Dent: violent crime, lawyers)

[mbowes80]

I have to go for jury duty (petit jury) at the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court next week.

Has anyone done this and have any tips, pointers, experiences, etc. to share?

[Coco6163]

When you report for duty, you will be sent to a waiting area with all other potential jurors. You are given a little orientation that many people find interesting. Then you wait to see if you get called to a specific courtroom. And you wait. And most people wait. And wait. Did I mention you wait? A lot?

Have a positive attitude about it. Bring something to read to keep you busy. You will likely have a lot of sitting around to do. If you are a person who enjoys networking opportunities, this is one. Bring business cards if that's your thing. You spend plenty of time with a bunch of folks who just like you have not much to do other than sit and wait.

If you get called to a courtroom, there will be a process by which the jurors for the trial are selected. The judge and lawyers will ask you questions. You will be under oath to answer honestly. Don't worry. If you get asked a question that you are worried about answering because it may be an especially sensitive matter, the judge will usually let you answer in a way that only the judge and the lawyers hear you. Oh, and often in the courtroom, you spend a lot of time.....waiting.

Get plenty of rest every night. Serving as a juror is one of our most important civic duties. Try to keep in mind how important you are to the parties who need yo to decide their fate. The court process is usually not nearly as stimulating, dramatic, or even interesting as most tv courtroom dramas. If you do not get good lawyers, you may find much of the trial to be boring. The worst thing for the lawyers, their clients and the judge is to see a juror falling asleep. It happens fairly often. Don't be that juror.

Follow the judge's instructions. You will laws be given instructions about what to do at every step. If you don't understand, you can ask, but jurors rarely need to ask. The instructions tend to be simple and clear.

I have been a trial lawyer, and I have been a juror. Both can be great experiences, especially when you are a juror hearing good lawyers doing their work. Thanks for serving the people of Cuyahoga County!

[bjimmy24]

It's going to be incredibly boring,so bring a book and if you can get out of it, do so.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

It's going to be incredibly boring,so bring a book and if you can get out of it, do so.

I was called for jury duty only once, in Cook County, Illinois. I got as far as being one of about 60 people selected to enter the courtroom, but I didn't get as far as being interviewed and selected as one of the jurors for that case. So I was there only that one day and then got to go home.

It was a very interesting experience, to say the least. It was for a murder trial, and, based on the interviews I heard, apparently an astounding number of us can't be impartial because we've either been the victims of violent crime, or have relatives or other loved ones who have been assaulted and/or murdered. The stories I heard got wilder and wilder with each passing interview... but somehow they managed to select twelve jurors and two alternates before I was called.

[bjimmy24]

I was on a jury in Cuyahoga County in 2009, arson trial. I guess it was interesting, but even that was about 1/10 of the total time of the duty. Kinda weird deciding people's fates though. Will always try to avoid it in the future.

[216facts]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Will always try to avoid it in the future.

Come on, it's part of your civic duty. I was on a jury in Denton, TX. Civil suit but fun nonetheless, got to walk away feeling good that I helped a man recover lost expenses for shoddy work.

Got called for jury duty in Summit County a few years back, downtown Akron courthouse. It was fun, only lasted a day. They plead out as soon as the jury was "seated".

Have fun, you get off work for a while, which is probably good for you. No one ever says on their deathbed: "Gee, wish I could have worked one more day."

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by 216facts

Come on, it's part of your civic duty. I was on a jury in Denton, TX. Civil suit but fun nonetheless, got to walk away feeling good that I helped a man recover lost expenses for shoddy work.

Got called for jury duty in Summit County a few years back, downtown Akron courthouse. It was fun, only lasted a day. They plead out as soon as the jury was "seated".

Have fun, you get off work for a while, which is probably good for you. No one ever says on their deathbed: "Gee, wish I could have worked one more day."

Haha civic duty. Ok.

Absolutely nobody has said on their death bed "I wish I had more jury duty."

[mbowes80]

Thanks, all, for your feedback. I will be prepared to wait. And wait. And wait some more.

A couple questions for anyone with specific experience with the Cuyahoga County court...

Is there a way to obtain caffeinated beverages? Or will I have to bring a giant thermos of coffee?

Their website indicates they have wi-fi, so I was thinking of bringing my work laptop. If I have things with me, will there be a place to safely put them, and/or can I carry them into the courtroom with me?

I suppose I could just call them and ask these questions, but this is more fun. =)

And will Sam Waterston be there?

[Cleveland_Collector]

You should have received a card with a number on it. If it's a high number (mine was 528) you'll never be selected as a juror. They didn't make it past 90 when I last went. Whatever you do, don't arbitrarily skip the process. If you do, you can be held in contempt. If you are selected to be a juror and really can't do it, you can plead hardship. They'll likely excuse you without an issue.

[mbowes80]

So I spent three days there, and did get called to a jury on Monday. The trial lasted until Wednesday evening, at which point we were dismissed for the week and told we didn't need to come back.

There were about 200 people total starting Monday. The jury draw is completely random (via a computer). They call 22 people up for each jury, 10 of which get dismissed. As the week goes, they get a sense of how many juries they'll need, and start dismissing people for Thursday and Friday. Currently you get paid $27 a day.

If anyone sees this someday and wants more deets, let me know.