Jury Duty

[VPS]

There are ways to avoid being selected. Express some extreme points of view. Say out loud that you love true crime and can't wait to research the case. Say that the defendant must be guilty, or else it wouldn't have made it to court etc .... These tips were given to me by a barrister I know....

Sorry but this is a furphy. You don’t get the opportunity

 

[VPS]

I have entered into the website the max 2 x 2 weeks periods which we would be overseas.
I wondered if I should seek an excuse for accommodation booked for BiL's birthday? Or, should I wait until the day when I go to the court for selection process, and tell the court?

If you can prove you have paid accommodation in SA you can get an exemption

 

[Happy Dude]

Sorry but this is a furphy. You don’t get the opportunity

Yeah I think the Barrister was having a lend of @Seat0B. Or everyone would just pull a Homer.

There is an opportunity to reveal any potential conflict of interests that may cause you to be biased prior to being empanelled (for eg knowing the victim/defendant) but you won't get that opportunity until you know the details of the case. Even then, I believe the decision will be made by the Judge, so just saying it may not excuse you. During the empanelling, the lawyers will weed out those they don't want on the jury on grounds of employment, religion (probably assumed), gender and whatever else they have at their disposal. For eg, in a fraud case, if you have a financial background, chances are you'll be challenged or stood down before you've taken a single step towards the bible. Once empanelled the Judge will walk you through what you're allowed and not allowed to do.

 

[Basalt]

You need to match your bias to the case during the preselection. I got called up, went to preselection and it was an arson case. Said I was a volunteer fire-fighter and might be prejudiced, received an instant see ya.
Second time I got called up, phoned in before hand and said happy to do duty, but can I postpone to later in the year as I was in the middle of planting on my farm. The JD coordinator said, if you're self-employed (have ABN), then instant exemption, so avoided it a second time.

 

[Daver6]

Good to see everyone trying to shirk their civic duty. Imagine if you were falsely accused of a crime and all the smart people around managed to get out of jury duty.

 

[Basalt]

Good to see everyone trying to shirk their civic duty. Imagine if you were falsely accused of a crime and all the smart people around managed to get out of jury duty.

Wasn't shirking in either of my call ups, no prosecutor wants a firefighter on an arson panel, and offered to postpone second time, but was effectively told no. I suspect I may have actually sounded keen to do it and that dissuaded the JD coordinator from giving me another bash.

 

[VPS]

Good to see everyone trying to shirk their civic duty. Imagine if you were falsely accused of a crime and all the smart people around managed to get out of jury duty.

After my experience with jury duty I will choose judge alone if I ever have to face a court. The rednecks had decided the guy was guilty before the first break

There were two women on my jury who had been selected for a paedophile case, and they said that they had young children, and they didn’t think they could be objective and the judge excused them

 

[Dutton]

After my experience with jury duty I will choose judge alone if I ever have to face a court. The rednecks had decided the guy was guilty before the first break

Same, VPS, longest 3 weeks of my life, all the way to Christmas Eve with a 1 year old at home. I would always choose a judge rather than a jury. Spent hours in the jury room trying to work through basic deductive reasoning with some of the jury. When it comes to criminal conviction, I want someone who understands the evidence to be making the decisions.

 

[Seat0B]

Well I am pretty gullible @VPS and @Happy Dude! And maybe I did not convey accurately what he said, but the comment by VPS below is the kind of thing he was saying

There were two women on my jury who had been selected for a paedophile case, and they said that they had young children, and they didn’t think they could be objective and the judge excused them

 

[RSD]

If all else fails just turn up wearing a kilt with replica sword and carrying a copy of the Koran and a prayer mat - and ask someone which direction is Mecca - that should be enough to convince a barrister that you are someone they don't want on the jury

 

[Forg]

If all else fails just turn up wearing a kilt with replica sword and carrying a copy of the Koran and a prayer mat - and ask someone which direction is Mecca - that should be enough to convince a barrister that you are someone they don't want on the jury

The security folk with their real sword & kilt fetishes will see through the replica sword scam like a scam-seeing person seeing through a scam!

 

[VPS]

Well I am pretty gullible @VPS and @Happy Dude! And maybe I did not convey accurately what he said, but the comment by VPS below is the kind of thing he was saying

You put your hand up if you have an objection to being on the trial and you are the asked to speak to the judge and it’s not in hearing distance of anyone else

 

[DC3]

If all else fails just turn up wearing a kilt …

Yes, the kilt alone would probably do the trick.

 

[Milefest]

So today i went to the website to activate sms notification. Lo and behold, they immediately told me that I have been randomly selected for JD in a months time They said the case would be expected to go for 2 months! I have already booked and paid 3 nights away on a driving trip for BiL's 70th birthday during this 2 months. Hubby said if it came to it and I could not go, he would travel by himself as we have already paid for the accommodation. I hope that they would not select me for the case

Don't over think it, I've been summond to dozens of these and have never attended.

Your prior commitment will be accepted as a valid excuse.

I know plenty of people that get summoned, don't turn up and just pay the $2.2k fine which also removes you from the roll for 10 years, which for many is a far more economical decision than losing their full salary if they were to serve on a jury for a long trial.

 

[Forg]

I know plenty of people that get summoned, don't turn up and just pay the $2.2k fine which also removes you from the roll for 10 years, which for many is a far more economical decision than losing their full salary if they were to serve on a jury for a long trial.

If you’re a sole trader you’d be scrood, but if you’re on a salary is it legal to not be paid?
Or do companies have to retain you in the position but it’s OK for them to put you on unpaid leave?

 

[kookaburra75]

If you’re a sole trader you’d be scrood, but if you’re on a salary is it legal to not be paid?
Or do companies have to retain you in the position but it’s OK for them to put you on unpaid leave?

If you're an employee, your employer has to cover any difference between the jury duty payment and your normal wage - but only for up to 10 days. It can vary from State to State what happens after that, as well as what is in your employment award or contract.

Jury duty - Fair Work Ombudsman

How much leave can be taken for jury duty? Find out about leave and payment obligations for jury duty.

www.fairwork.gov.au

 

[bcworld]

You put your hand up if you have an objection to being on the trial and you are the asked to speak to the judge and it’s not in hearing distance of anyone else

That's not what I saw in Melbourne last year. If you objected you had to go stand in the witness box...and state your reason. There were some standard ones like you knew someone involved in the case, or you knew one of the lawyers. There was also the option to write it down and that could be handed to the judge. One person did...and the judge essentially humiliated them by reading it out (they had their own court summons during the dates of the trial).

 

[Happy Dude]

If all else fails just turn up wearing a kilt with replica sword and carrying a copy of the Koran and a prayer mat - and ask someone which direction is Mecca - that should be enough to convince a barrister that you are someone they don't want on the jury

Yep, @Forg is right. It didn't work for Liz Lemon either.

 

[Happy Dude]

Same, VPS, longest 3 weeks of my life, all the way to Christmas Eve with a 1 year old at home. I would always choose a judge rather than a jury. Spent hours in the jury room trying to work through basic deductive reasoning with some of the jury. When it comes to criminal conviction, I want someone who understands the evidence to be making the decisions.

"12 good men and true" is what you'll get on a jury, apparently. Nothing about being smart however. You can always questions to the court whilst deliberating too. It's the barristers job to make the jurors understand why evidence is important or relevant.

Also, that quote must have been from when women could excuse themselves from jury duty because they're guilty of not being a man.

 

[kelvedon]

Tell them you have a Police record. Outlandos d'Amour, Regatta de Blanc, or even just their Greatest Hits.