Jury duty in Tennessee

[lindsey6188]

I was just talking to someone last week how thrilled I was that I have never been on jury duty. Well I checked my mail today and I've been selected for next friday. I spoke too soon.

[Kklynnt]

I don't really know what methods are used nowadays to select you for jury duty. I got nabbed twice...once for a criminal case, and then again at just over the 2 year break you get after sitting on a jury.

Maybe I was just unlucky but it sure looks like they were reading the same list over again.

Got out of the second time due to an illness..in fact I think I still had a name tag on from the hospital when I went there.

Seeing this post reminds me of a story told of a man and his son that were caught for making moonshine.

They were walking up the steps to the courtroom and the son looks over to the father and says "I sure do hope we get justice here today"

The father grabs his hat off his head and swats the son and says
" Shut up boy...I want out of this"

[jrv210]

Well, I've been summoned 8 times in the last 18 years, went the first time,sat all day bored out of my mind, said never again, been throwing them in the garbage ever since.

[alleycat]

I've been on three juries; two murders and a buglary. It was interesting to see how a trial actually worked, but I have no desire to be on another jury.

[Rainna]

I have lived in Tn for 65 years and never been called for jury duty. I have been a property owner for at least 40 of those years and a licensed driver for 49 years. My husband has been summoned several times.


This page applies to jury service in most of the circuit, criminal and chancery courts of Tennessee.

You may receive in the mail a jury summons from the court indicating that you are being called to serve as a prospective juror. This means that your name was drawn from the current list of registered voters or licensed drivers in the county.

All names are selected at random from these sources, which provide the jury system with a fair cross-section of the communities that it represents. At all stages of selection, the jury commissioner must insure that the selection process represents a random cross-section of qualified persons residing within the county. As a necessary part of this requirement, no person or persons can be selectively included or excluded from the list of qualified jurors.

The Tennessee Code spells out the minimum requirements for a person competent to act as a juror. One of the primary requirements is that you must be a citizen of the United States, of the age of 18 or older, and you must reside in your electoral district for a period of at least 12 months prior to service on a jury.

A second requirement is that you be mentally competent, of ordinary intelligence, and not incapacitated or an habitual drunkard. You are not automatically excluded solely because of imperfect loss of sight or partial loss of hearing. If you believe there is a medical reason you should not serve as a juror, it may be necessary to submit a supporting statement in writing from your doctor.

The final requirement for jury duty is that you be able to read and speak simple English.

You will be summoned to serve on either civil or criminal cases depending on the court issuing the summons. Circuit court and criminal court handle the method jurors serve differently, and you will be instructed as to the procedure for your court on the day you are summoned to appear. Each time you come in as a prospective juror, you can expect to go into the courtroom and go through the jury selection process. If you are not selected as a juror on the date summoned, you are excused and given instructions on when you need to return, if at all.

If you cannot serve during the scheduled impanelment period, it may be possible to excuse you to be summoned at a later date. It is expected that if your obligation is deferred, you will make appropriate arrangements so that you can serve during a later impanelment period. Only the judges may excuse a prospective juror. Do not call anyone, please appear on the date summoned.

For each appearance as a trial juror, you are entitled to the nominal fee of $11.00 per day plus $3.00 for parking.

Remember, jury service is your right and duty as a citizen. Failure to respond to a jury summons could result in sanctions against you by the court. Your assistance and participation is needed in order that the courts may operate in the most efficient manner possible.

[lakerat]

One of the funniest responses I have ever heard, during jury selection, was when a defense attorney asked a man if he could place the same credibility in the testimony of a police officer as that of any one else. The man's answer was, "Well, I figure if the police arrested somebody, they must be guilty." He was excused, pronto.

[HillBillyBill]

I have served on juries in several Tennessee counties as well as participated in a courts martial case as a witness. The courts martial system is far superior to the civil jury systems. The decisions are made by professionals that know the military laws and codes of conduct.
Civil court juries are made up of a collection of those not able to be exempted and do not know the laws or courtroom procedures. These people just want to get out of there and go back home or to their jobs. They are drafted because they could not be exempted and are in no way peers of the litigants.
A far better system would be made up of a pool of judges and lawyers and other judicial system personnel that do know or at least have an inkling of the laws & courtroom procedures.
There is no such thing as a jury of one's "peers" (all doctors if a doctor is on trial, or all auto workers if an auto worker is on trial, etc.)
So, a pool of people that do know something about trials (professional jurors, if you please) would be far better than the present practice.

[mimsi]

Rainna has described quite well the way the jury system is here in Illinois. We get the jurors names off the drivers license listing. It is just a random selection.....such as every sixth name is pulled and next jury trials they may pull every ninth name. Whether you own a home or not has nothing to do with having your name taken from the list. It works well.
jrv210 mentioned that he just throws his summons in the garbage. If you do that in this county in Illinois, the Sheriff is ordered by the Judge to go out to the home or workplace and pick up the juror and bring him or her into the Court appear in front of the Judge. I have seen that happen a few times. The Judge usually fines them a few hundred dollars for contempt of court and can order some jail time.