Jury Duty/Failure to appear summons (house, live, cost)

[steel7]

Last month i received via mail a jury summons for a failure to appear. I must report for jury duty tomorrow or i will have to show just cause to the overpaid judge while i ignored the summons. Its turns out san bernardino & riverside county are cracking down on no shows & issuing FTA. I ignored my summons a few months back & that was stupid on my part.

You get one you can go online & request a one time postponement up to 90 days. I didnt cause i just want to get it over with & do my civic duty.

My chances of getting chosed for jury duty are slim to none due to a few health problems & i do have my excuse from my doctor at the va hospital to be excused for jury duty. I would absolutely serve jury duty otherwise.

A jury served for the trial of the murder of my sister & i would do the same for someone else. I respect the court system but it can be time consuming & i cant live off $15.00 a day + one way milage pay. My employer does not pay for jury service. I will tell this to the judge if need be.

How long can i expect to be at the court house & i will never ever ignore a jury summons again. MANY do though & the courts are going after them now. It will cost my gas guzzler about $10.00 in gas round trip.

Lesson learned !

[PinkString]

I have never been in that situation, not responding to a jury summons. The last time they wanted me, I called immediately and postponed mine for a few months. Then when I called back, they didn't need me. This was in Nevada though.
I have no idea how long they will keep you because of the failure to appear. Just be honest and hope you have a compassionate judge that will forgive you and not make you pay in other ways. I wish you luck.

[steel7]

I never got the summons that they sent me a few months back. The previous ones i always sent back & was excused due to financial hardship. I should of just postponed mine till may but im up & ready to go to nasty san bernardino in 1 hour. I expect to be in the courthouse till at least noon & ill bring my readers digest to pass the time.

Im sure they will make me feel like a criminal even though im not.

[iLLz00]

I never let it go that far. I missed my Jurty Duty Day about 3-4 months ago. I called in 2 days after I was suppose to show up. I said that I accidently missed it. The nice lady on the phone said don't worry we can schedule you again. I kept calling in to see if I needed to show up (started the process all over). They never needed me so I was done for the year

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by steel7

I never got the summons that they sent me a few months back. The previous ones i always sent back & was excused due to financial hardship. I should of just postponed mine till may but im up & ready to go to nasty san bernardino in 1 hour. I expect to be in the courthouse till at least noon & ill bring my readers digest to pass the time.

Im sure they will make me feel like a criminal even though im not.

Don't flatter yourself - you're not that special. You're going to be in a room with about 100 other potential jurors. You won't be singled out or made to wear a scarlet letter.

[TBCasino]

It's going to be just like showing up for Jury Duty normally. Bring a book.

[steel7]

I was in & out within 1 hour. My employer doesnt pay for jury duty so i was excused. The clerk was quite nice & the jury assembly room in the san bernardino county court wasnt too full. The clerk told me after the 3rd failure to appear jury summons if you dont show up you will be summoned to appear before a judge to explain why you havent reported or contacted the court after 4 jury duty summons.

If you dont report to court a warrant will be issued for your arrest (failure to appear) & you will go to jail guaranteed. Lets just hope you dont get pulled over by a cop for a traffic violation esp on a fri, sat or long holiday weekend.

The courts in san bernardino & riverside county are cracking down now due to the one day/one trial program & all the no shows.

Its just too bad the state only pays $15.00 day + one way milage. Govt workers (fed, state, county & city) are not paid the jury fee in ca anymore.

[NorCal Dude]

I've never been selected for a Jury. The key is to act out of the norm. The first thing I do is I put a holy cross pin on. Always tell the judge you are racist or don't trust the government or hear voices in your head or that you are mother teresa reincarnate and you will be let loose lickity split.

[Fighter 1]

Originally Posted by steel7

I never got the summons that they sent me a few months back. The previous ones i always sent back & was excused due to financial hardship. I should of just postponed mine till may but im up & ready to go to nasty san bernardino in 1 hour. I expect to be in the courthouse till at least noon & ill bring my readers digest to pass the time.

Im sure they will make me feel like a criminal even though im not.

Most likely you will be held for 1 full day , then released about 2:30-3:00 sent home with a thank you from the clerk. No big deal!

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

I've never been selected for a Jury. The key is to act out of the norm. The first thing I do is I put a holy cross pin on. Always tell the judge you are racist or don't trust the government or hear voices in your head or that you are mother teresa reincarnate and you will be let loose lickity split.

Don't count on it - sometimes we like "quirky" folks on the jury.