Yet another jury duty thread (forced work)

CaptainMarvel · 02-02-08, 07:49 PM

The other jury duty thread made me recall something I heard at work. I work in a municipal court that handles (non-jury) criminal matters, so I'm around police officers and other court personnel quite a bit.

It used to be that if you got called out for jury duty, if you told them you were an attorney or law enforcement or something similar, they would almost always excuse you, because one side usually wouldn't want you on the jury.

Now though, I've heard that that once you say "I'm a police officer," they're saying "well you aren't needed on the jury, but we're going to give you some work to do." So police officers/lawyers/etc are set to work filing paperwork, or mailing letters, or doing other office work until their jury service is over.

Has anybody else heard of this? That just seems fundamentally wrong to me. It's one thing to call you in to serve on a jury; I support that, but if they know they don't want you on the jury, you should be released. Forcing you to work against your will seems like it would be illegal, if nothing else than because of the 13th amendment.

antennaball · 02-02-08, 07:52 PM

I've been called twice and when I stated that I was in law enforcement, I was just dismissed. I would kinda have a problem with doing secretarial work for them. I don't really consider THAT my civic duty.

ernestrp · 02-02-08, 07:59 PM

I think they can make you work at McDonalds to cover for someone who is on the jury since you are a municipal employee and you get jury duty. What do you think municipal means?

________________

CaptainMarvel · 02-02-08, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernestrp

I think they can make you work at McDonalds to cover for someone who is on the jury since you are a municipal employee and you get jury duty. What do you think municipal means?

Well it doesn't mean "slave." If the city wants to pay me, they can make me go do whatever they want to do, provided I agree to do it. If I don't agree, I can quit or they can fire me. That's the opposite of compelling you to do labor at $50 a day. which is what making you do clerical work under the guise of jury duty is.

In any case, the city I work for isn't the one with the juries, as I said. The county is the organization that has the juries. So what you're saying is that if I work for City A, which might not even be in County B (where I live), I should be happy to go do clerical work for $50 a day for County B under the pretense of jury duty?

antennaball · 02-02-08, 08:08 PM

I'm also not a municipal employee.

Deftones · 02-02-08, 08:15 PM

I don't think they could legally do that. You are called to serve on a jury, not file papers and shit.

Jacoby Ellsbury · 02-03-08, 12:13 PM

A guy I work with went to jury duty for the first time and he's almost 60. Ive been 3 times by age 30. was selected only once but quickly dismissed. Most of the time was home by lunch.

hitmanjules · 02-03-08, 02:51 PM

You think that's bad, imagine being a former soldier, somewhat legally, though still involuntarily recalled back to active duty from the Individual Ready Reserve. That soldier has already done 1 or 2 years or more in Iraq or Afghanistan. That soldier may already have been stop-lossed. That soldier may even be medically unfit for deployment. They do their "duty," and arrive at the mobilization base. The active duty or reserve soldiers manning the reprocessing station realize the bosses sent them too many recalled soldiers. Do they turn a few lucky ones loose because of command's SNAFU? Nope. You're already there so they'll find something for those soldiers to do, from stateside area beautification to eventual deployment to the sandbox, yet with no real position or duty for you to fill.

al_bundy · 02-03-08, 05:55 PM

that's why i told the reserve recruiter no way when i left active duty in 2000

02-02-08, 07:49 PM	#1
CaptainMarvel DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Population: 436 Posts: 6,534	Yet another jury duty thread (forced work) The other jury duty thread made me recall something I heard at work. I work in a municipal court that handles (non-jury) criminal matters, so I'm around police officers and other court personnel quite a bit. It used to be that if you got called out for jury duty, if you told them you were an attorney or law enforcement or something similar, they would almost always excuse you, because one side usually wouldn't want you on the jury. Now though, I've heard that that once you say "I'm a police officer," they're saying "well you aren't needed on the jury, but we're going to give you some work to do." So police officers/lawyers/etc are set to work filing paperwork, or mailing letters, or doing other office work until their jury service is over. Has anybody else heard of this? That just seems fundamentally wrong to me. It's one thing to call you in to serve on a jury; I support that, but if they know they don't want you on the jury, you should be released. Forcing you to work against your will seems like it would be illegal, if nothing else than because of the 13th amendment. __________________ "If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!" - Futurama's Zapp Brannigan

02-02-08, 07:52 PM	#2
antennaball DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The 7-8-Triple6, Texas Posts: 3,621	I've been called twice and when I stated that I was in law enforcement, I was just dismissed. I would kinda have a problem with doing secretarial work for them. I don't really consider THAT my civic duty. __________________ DVDSpot

02-02-08, 08:08 PM	#5
antennaball DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The 7-8-Triple6, Texas Posts: 3,621	I'm also not a municipal employee. __________________ DVDSpot

02-02-08, 08:15 PM	#6
Deftones DVD Talk Godfather Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Arizona Posts: 59,453	I don't think they could legally do that. You are called to serve on a jury, not file papers and shit. __________________ John Henson: McDonald's has dumped Kobe Bryant as their spokesperson and have replaced him with Yao Ming. Apparently McDonald's prefers Yao because he is a bigger international star, and he doesn't rape so much. "You are everything that's wrong with this forum".---SleepyW

02-02-08, 07:59 PM	#3
ernestrp DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Oct 1999 Posts: 6,390	I think they can make you work at McDonalds to cover for someone who is on the jury since you are a municipal employee and you get jury duty. What do you think municipal means? ________________

02-03-08, 12:13 PM	#7
Jacoby Ellsbury DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,520	A guy I work with went to jury duty for the first time and he's almost 60. Ive been 3 times by age 30. was selected only once but quickly dismissed. Most of the time was home by lunch.

02-03-08, 02:51 PM	#8
hitmanjules Senior Member Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 536	You think that's bad, imagine being a former soldier, somewhat legally, though still involuntarily recalled back to active duty from the Individual Ready Reserve. That soldier has already done 1 or 2 years or more in Iraq or Afghanistan. That soldier may already have been stop-lossed. That soldier may even be medically unfit for deployment. They do their "duty," and arrive at the mobilization base. The active duty or reserve soldiers manning the reprocessing station realize the bosses sent them too many recalled soldiers. Do they turn a few lucky ones loose because of command's SNAFU? Nope. You're already there so they'll find something for those soldiers to do, from stateside area beautification to eventual deployment to the sandbox, yet with no real position or duty for you to fill.

02-03-08, 05:55 PM	#9
al_bundy DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: in da cloud Posts: 26,196	that's why i told the reserve recruiter no way when i left active duty in 2000