"At almost any cost, try to avoid being seated on a grand jury. Duty on a grand jury means that you will be hearing assistant district attorneys asking for indictments on a number of cases over an extended period of time. Grand jury duty is both long and tedious."
I was really worried. Who would take care of my kids for "an extended period of time"? I called to get an extension because I'm breastfeeding. They gave me 6 months. I mentioned this to a friend and she said, in her state, if you are a stay-at-home-mom with children not yet in school, you can get excused from jury duty. I called to give it a try. Here is a rough transcript of the conversation between me and the jury duty lady:
Me: I'm calling to see if I can be excused from jury duty since I stay home with my children
Jury Duty Lady: Sure, you just have to answer some questions.
Me: Okay.
JDL: What are the ages of you children?
Me: Two and four months.
JDL: And you are their primary caregiver?
Me: Yes.
JDL: Will you or do you intend to work outside the home in the next 18 months?
Me: No.
JDL: You have to contact us if you do decide to work outside the home.
Me: Okay.
JDL: And there is no one, friends or family, that can care for your children.
Me: (deciding if what I'm about to say is a lie) No.
JDL: Okay, you just need to fax a copy of your children's birth certificates.
So, truthfully? I probably could have pawned my children off on my friends (who have their own children to care for) for the month that I was on jury duty (being paid $40/day). But I really felt like that would be a bit traumatic for them (and me). Bouncing from one house to the next for who knows how long and being away from me would really disrupt their lives. So, I feel fine about my answers. Oh, and I got a postcard in the mail today telling me I was excused from jury duty for two years.
Me: I'm calling to see if I can be excused from jury duty since I stay home with my children
Jury Duty Lady: Sure, you just have to answer some questions.
Me: Okay.
JDL: What are the ages of you children?
Me: Two and four months.
JDL: And you are their primary caregiver?
Me: Yes.
JDL: Will you or do you intend to work outside the home in the next 18 months?
Me: No.
JDL: You have to contact us if you do decide to work outside the home.
Me: Okay.
JDL: And there is no one, friends or family, that can care for your children.
Me: (deciding if what I'm about to say is a lie) No.
JDL: Okay, you just need to fax a copy of your children's birth certificates.
So, truthfully? I probably could have pawned my children off on my friends (who have their own children to care for) for the month that I was on jury duty (being paid $40/day). But I really felt like that would be a bit traumatic for them (and me). Bouncing from one house to the next for who knows how long and being away from me would really disrupt their lives. So, I feel fine about my answers. Oh, and I got a postcard in the mail today telling me I was excused from jury duty for two years.
6 comments:
Nice!! I would never have known this. The Man also extended his grand jury summons. Im pretty sure he won't be able to use this excuse when his time comes back up.
Bless the kindness of the people at the courthouse and their kind and giving attitude toward stay-at-home moms. (Or just bless laws that protect us!) Next time you get the letter - and it comes around often - be sure to break out the Princess Leia costume.
that is awesome. Chris just went on Monday and the judge canceled so he is done for the next 6 years.
This is actually good to mention to people because I was freaking out when I got summoned and was surprised to see that after several calls this is all you have to do! Great info!
A medical-resident friend just got done with his jury duty. They called him during his vacation, can you believe?
There is no one (person) who can care for your children while you're gone for a month. IT's not like your mom lives with you, which I think is what they're getting at.
I have a friend at work who was on grand jury duty. He said it's not so bad. But he and his wife have a dog, and no kids.
You could just tell them you're Canadian :)
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