L.I. to Buckeye
West side/Galloway
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Hey everyone,
I'm scheduled to start jury duty next week. I've never had to report before. I received a jury duty summons back in New York years ago, but they had an on-call system and I never had to actually go.
Anyone been recently? What was your experience? Anything I should know about the process? I'm half looking forward to it and half scared that I'll be bored to death for two weeks...
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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I was summoned about 5 years ago so things could have changed. In my experience, its actually really good in Franklin County. They respect the fact that you've actually showed up to something and have a reasonably comfortable lounge. A bunch of the judges come and talk to you and you can tour the Supreme Court. They encourage you to go watch cases if you're not called (environmental court is very interesting, and I was there during the whole Woodland Meadows debacle). If there are no more cases for the day, they let you go home early. It really was worth going and not getting out of provided 2 weeks of marginal pay won't hurt you. I was unemployed at the time so it worked out great.
ja
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L.I. to Buckeye wrote >>
Hey everyone,
I'm scheduled to start jury duty next week. I've never had to report before. I received a jury duty summons back in New York years ago, but they had an on-call system and I never had to actually go.
Anyone been recently? What was your experience? Anything I should know about the process? I'm half looking forward to it and half scared that I'll be bored to death for two weeks...
Great experience!
jennyw
Clintonville
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I was called a couple of years ago, and it was a great experience. The court employees treated us with respect and we were told time and time again that we were well-serving our community. I was actually called as an alternate on the first afternoon I was there; our trial, a pretty nasty assault/kidnapping/theft/other stuff case, lasted the entire week, so the time went quickly.
The one thing they're strict about is promptness; other than that, the jury room is a pretty relaxed atmosphere. There's WiFi, board games and puzzles and magazines galore. And the great thing about meeting 13 other people right away in the trial the first week was that we were able to hang together the second week and chat.
In truth, it was hard to get motivated to return to work after having such a positive experience. (Plus Katzinger's is a short walk away--yum.)
futureman
Grandview Heights
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Wow, I had a great time at Jury duty in January. It really depends on what court you get assigned to.
If you got the two week notification, you probably got municipal court like me. More or less it's DUI cases, and other minor things. Rarely do they get to the point where they require a jury. I think we had maybe 60 people and only two cases the entire time. I had to be there everyday, BUT if you weren't on a case you didn't have to be there until around 1pm! Also, for me if you weren't on a case on Thursday you didn't have to appear on Friday. We pretty much watched movies the whole time and they had wifi. I never actually served on a jury during my two weeks, but those who did said it was a good experience. On the final Thursday we got pizza from planks (you gotta pay though). Good times overall! Some days I was only there for maybe two hours.
A little heads up, just park at the city center garage. It's $5 for the whole day and the franklin county garage fills up early.
Honestly, it was a two week vacation.
Krobar
Victorian Village
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I actually just got done serving 2 weeks a week ago. I was with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. I think the experience does vary a bit, the first week I was on a murder trial and the 2nd week I ended up on a civil case. I actually made some pretty good friends in the jury of the murder trial and we hung out the 2nd week for lunch and have kept in touch on facebook and via email.
Everyone told me that I'd be sitting around bored, so I took my laptop and barely got to use it due to being selected. I'd say plan on doing nothing but hang out, but prepared for more. It was a great experience though...and yeah if you're going to be there after 8:30am don't bother with the Franklin County garage, just hit City Center. :)
columbusfoodie
West Side
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I wonder how I've managed to make it damn near to 38 yrs old without being called once yet some people my age have been called multiple times? I'd love to serve on a jury, just wondering what one has to do to increase their chances of being called?
Matthew
Hilltop
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I did a murder case this past year at the US District level. It too was a great experience for me, however I STRONGLY urge that you A. Turn off your cell phone, and B. Don't give stupid excuses for why you shouldn't have to serve. Both instances can piss the judge off and earn you a night in the clink. (seriously not joking) Not sure how the lower level courts handle those two. Also as someone said above, be PROMPT and if you are late communicate or they will send out a search or possibly a warrant for you. Other than that everyone was wonderful, expecially Fran who handles the jury pool. Totally cool awesome lady.
It is extremely hard not to discuss the case with the other jurors when you are together for more than a week of testimony, however our jury managed to do just fine with it.
US District level also pays 40 a day whereas the city courts run 8 I think?
sixby9is42
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futureman wrote >>
Wow, I had a great time at Jury duty in January. It really depends on what court you get assigned to.
If you got the two week notification, you probably got municipal court like me. More or less it's DUI cases, and other minor things. Rarely do they get to the point where they require a jury. I think we had maybe 60 people and only two cases the entire time. I had to be there everyday, BUT if you weren't on a case you didn't have to be there until around 1pm! Also, for me if you weren't on a case on Thursday you didn't have to appear on Friday. We pretty much watched movies the whole time and they had wifi. I never actually served on a jury during my two weeks, but those who did said it was a good experience. On the final Thursday we got pizza from planks (you gotta pay though). Good times overall! Some days I was only there for maybe two hours.
A little heads up, just park at the city center garage. It's $5 for the whole day and the franklin county garage fills up early.
Honestly, it was a two week vacation.
Pretty much the same experience for me, except I was there in early 2008. Tom Shields (Jury Commissioner for Municipal Court) is awesome.
Don't worry if you're late on the first day if you have trouble finding a parking spot; it happens all the time. Do NOT do anything that will get you pulled over; I didn't get pulled over, but as Tom said, "I need to get to jury duty!" isn't a valid excuse for any traffic violation. :-)
sixby9is42
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swampkitty wrote >>
I wonder how I've managed to make it damn near to 38 yrs old without being called once yet some people my age have been called multiple times? I'd love to serve on a jury, just wondering what one has to do to increase their chances of being called?
I don't think there's anything you can do; the picking process is completely randomized.
jarsloth
west side
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futureman wrote >>
Wow, I had a great time at Jury duty in January. It really depends on what court you get assigned to.
If you got the two week notification, you probably got municipal court like me. More or less it's DUI cases, and other minor things. Rarely do they get to the point where they require a jury. I think we had maybe 60 people and only two cases the entire time. I had to be there everyday, BUT if you weren't on a case you didn't have to be there until around 1pm! Also, for me if you weren't on a case on Thursday you didn't have to appear on Friday. We pretty much watched movies the whole time and they had wifi. I never actually served on a jury during my two weeks, but those who did said it was a good experience. On the final Thursday we got pizza from planks (you gotta pay though). Good times overall! Some days I was only there for maybe two hours.
A little heads up, just park at the city center garage. It's $5 for the whole day and the franklin county garage fills up early.
Honestly, it was a two week vacation.
My wife is on jury duty this week and next and has had a very similar experience to futureman. In fact, today she doesn't even have to show up, though I think she wanted to because they were taking them on a tour of the Supreme Court.
She did say everyone has been super nice and she's liking the tours and information sessions they've offered if they're not selected for a jury.
Her only negative experience has been the choice of movies/shows playing in the waiting room :)
ssnyder5
Clintonville
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I was on jury duty a year ago. Worked pretty much exactly how futureman described.
It was a pretty interesting experience. They had tours of the Supreme Court and the jail. Judges came in and talked with us.
Almost nothing goes to trial, so we were released by 1:30 almost every day. I did get seated on a jury at one point, but the case was dismissed the next day.
I didn't bother with the parking garage after the first day. It really does fill up early. I took advantage of the free bus passes instead.
futureman
Grandview Heights
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sixby9is42 wrote >>
futureman wrote >>
Wow, I had a great time at Jury duty in January. It really depends on what court you get assigned to.
If you got the two week notification, you probably got municipal court like me. More or less it's DUI cases, and other minor things. Rarely do they get to the point where they require a jury. I think we had maybe 60 people and only two cases the entire time. I had to be there everyday, BUT if you weren't on a case you didn't have to be there until around 1pm! Also, for me if you weren't on a case on Thursday you didn't have to appear on Friday. We pretty much watched movies the whole time and they had wifi. I never actually served on a jury during my two weeks, but those who did said it was a good experience. On the final Thursday we got pizza from planks (you gotta pay though). Good times overall! Some days I was only there for maybe two hours.
A little heads up, just park at the city center garage. It's $5 for the whole day and the franklin county garage fills up early.
Honestly, it was a two week vacation.Pretty much the same experience for me, except I was there in early 2008. Tom Shields (Jury Commissioner for Municipal Court) is awesome.
Don't worry if you're late on the first day if you have trouble finding a parking spot; it happens all the time. Do NOT do anything that will get you pulled over; I didn't get pulled over, but as Tom said, "I need to get to jury duty!" isn't a valid excuse for any traffic violation. :-)
Tom Shields is a great guy, he and the other person (forgot her name) really made the whole experience as easy as possible. As long your employer provides paid leave for jury duty, it's something to look forward to (assuming you get municipal court like me).
pixiecrinkle
Old North Columbus
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I too had a great experience with Tom shields and the Municipal Court. When I was there, we ended up being the first group of folks who didn't get one jury trial in the whole two weeks, so I got tons of knitting and work done (good wifi).
I have heard there's a stark contrast between Municipal and Common Pleas -- each court kind of gets to run it's own program and Municipal has been very proactive in making it an educational experience for those participating. Common Pleas may have caught up by now, since I served two years ago. Don't fear it though!
LBOWACC
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Matthew wrote >>
I did a murder case this past year at the US District level. It too was a great experience for me, however I STRONGLY urge that you A. Turn off your cell phone, and B. Don't give stupid excuses for why you shouldn't have to serve. Both instances can piss the judge off and earn you a night in the clink. (seriously not joking) Not sure how the lower level courts handle those two. Also as someone said above, be PROMPT and if you are late communicate or they will send out a search or possibly a warrant for you. Other than that everyone was wonderful, expecially Fran who handles the jury pool. Totally cool awesome lady.
It is extremely hard not to discuss the case with the other jurors when you are together for more than a week of testimony, however our jury managed to do just fine with it.
US District level also pays 40 a day whereas the city courts run 8 I think?
A federal murder case? Please tell us about it, federal murder cases are fairly rare arent they?
L.I. to Buckeye
West side/Galloway
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Wow! Thanks, everyone, for the responses!
Unfortunately for me, I think I'm going to the Court of Common Pleas, not Muni. I'm not exactly looking at it like a vacation, but it will be nice to not have to do my hour and a half (each way) commute for a couple of weeks!
If I do get put on a case, I'm hoping it happens quickly. My company will pay me my regular salary (minus my jury duty pay) for up to two weeks and no more. The $20 a day they offer isn't going to make it if it's any longer. Since I have to pay $5 to park each day, I'm really only earning $15. :)
I'm interested in seeing the inner-workings of the judicial system, too! I don't want too juicy of a case, but something that's a little scintillating might be kind of cool!
L.I. to Buckeye
West side/Galloway
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Krobar wrote >>
I actually just got done serving 2 weeks a week ago. I was with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. I think the experience does vary a bit, the first week I was on a murder trial and the 2nd week I ended up on a civil case. I actually made some pretty good friends in the jury of the murder trial and we hung out the 2nd week for lunch and have kept in touch on facebook and via email.
Everyone told me that I'd be sitting around bored, so I took my laptop and barely got to use it due to being selected. I'd say plan on doing nothing but hang out, but prepared for more. It was a great experience though...and yeah if you're going to be there after 8:30am don't bother with the Franklin County garage, just hit City Center. :)
I didn't realize you could serve on a couple of different trials. I really thought if you served on one, they'd let you go. That's interesting!
pedex
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sixby9is42 wrote >>
swampkitty wrote >>
I wonder how I've managed to make it damn near to 38 yrs old without being called once yet some people my age have been called multiple times? I'd love to serve on a jury, just wondering what one has to do to increase their chances of being called?I don't think there's anything you can do; the picking process is completely randomized.
the pool of eligible jurors is selected from drivers license holders, before that it used to be based on voter registration rolls
so no drivers license or in the past you didn't vote you won't get called
cc
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I think it still has a lot to do with voting - just recently got an ohio drivers license but i have been called up for jury duty several times (try to vote in every election).
I guess that makes sense - you vote on the system then you have have to participate in it.
(just using licensed drivers makes no sense as it limits demographics to a certian affluence.)
Take a bus or park in City Center garage (what do they call it now? - Columbus Commons parking?????)
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