Jury Duty

[KG Erwin]

So, I've been summoned to serve as a petit juror for the US District Court. This is cool in its own way, and I've done jury duty before.

The Federal Courthouse is within walking distance of my workplace, so I can park there and walk the few blocks. Also, while earning my regular pay, the feds pay you $40 a day just to show up.

[sven]

In personal OT non-gaming news on the Sven front I have been asked to critique my military doctor and the army medical clinic I received care at.  Nice deal I get paid nothing and I have to drive 13.75 miles according to my Earthrate GPS.  In other news the sun rose in the east and water is still wet.

sven

[KG Erwin]

BTW, Sven, the federal building is the Robert C. Byrd Courthouse (no surprise there, huh?)

The Feds pay 48.5 cents per mile for travel reimbursement.

[sven]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

BTW, Sven, the federal building is the Robert C. Byrd Courthouse (no surprise there, huh?)

The Feds pay 48.5 cents per mile for travel reimbursement.

I hear the corn crop here is suffering from some global malady, and the fireants and lovebugs came out early......

shoestrings are pre-tied in stores these days?

What are the connections, what is the pattern?

sven

[KG Erwin]

One more thing -- it's no big deal to be summoned as a juror, but I think every American citizen should experience it at least once. If you're lucky enough to be actually selected as a trial juror, then it's your chance to see how the American judicial system actually works, not the version we see on TV series and in movies.

Having previously served as a juror in a murder trial, most of it is just waiting to be called. It's important to have a good book handy.

It's unlikely that I'd be needed for maybe more than a day or two, but the possibility does exist that I'd get picked as a trial juror, which means I could disappear under the radar for awhile. We'll see.

[Doggie]

Gee, me too.  I just got a letter threatening me with jail if I don't show up at the county courthouse on May 29.  The pay is twelve, count 'em twelve, dollars a day.[8|]  And no, your employer is not required to pay your regular salary if you end up on jury duty for months.  They don't pay shit for mileage, or even a bus ticket.  How you get there is your problem.  It's your duty as citizen to just suck it up and get thrown out on the street when you can't pay your rent.
 
And this while blood sucking lawyers are pulling down eight hundred dollars an hour.  No, not just eight hundred bucks an hour for every hour they actually spend in the courtroom boring the jurors to death, but eight hundred bucks an hour for every hour they claim they spend thinking about the case, even when they're out on the links.  They spend billable hours dreaming about the case, too.[8|]

[Fred98]

I was a juror in a drug case. Naturally I volunteered to be foreman!
 
It took 3 days. He was not guilty
 
 
 

[11Bravo]

What was your cut?

[KG Erwin]

ORIGINAL: Doggie

Gee, me too.  I just got a letter threatening me with jail if I don't show up at the county courthouse on May 29.  The pay is twelve, count 'em twelve, dollars a day.[8|]  And no, your employer is not required to pay your regular salary if you end up on jury duty for months.  They don't pay shit for mileage, or even a bus ticket.  How you get there is your problem.  It's your duty as citizen to just suck it up and get thrown out on the street when you can't pay your rent.

And this while blood sucking lawyers are pulling down eight hundred dollars an hour.  No, not just eight hundred bucks an hour for every hour they actually spend in the courtroom boring the jurors to death, but eight hundred bucks an hour for every hour they claim they spend thinking about the case, even when they're out on the links.  They spend billable hours dreaming about the case, too.[8|]

Doggie, county reimbursement DOES suck, BUT, your employer IS required by federal law to pay you your regular salary while serving as a juror. Let me look it up.

[KG Erwin]

Hmm, the West Virginia code says, basically:

"WEST VIRGINIA: WEST VIRGINIA CODE §52-3-1(b)

West Virginia Code specifically provides that employers are not required to pay an employee wages or compensation for the time he or she is away from employment for jury service or responding to a jury summons. Other subsections of this statute, however, prohibit any employer from terminating or threatening to terminate an employee who is called to jury service, decreasing his or her compensation for time not actually away from employment, or otherwise discriminating against any employee on the basis of his or her summoning for jury service.

WEST VIRGINIA CODE §52-2-13,

The statutory rate of compensation for jurors is “between fifteen and forty dollars” per day. The actual amount of juror compensation within this range is determined on a county-by-county basis, by the chief judge of the county. Jurors are reimbursed for their mileage at a rate of 32.5cents per mile."

However, as I am a state employee, there are no restrictions imposed on my accrual of pay or annual/sick leave due to jury service.

[mjk428]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

BUT, your employer IS required by federal law to pay you your regular salary while serving as a juror. Let me look it up.

Pay for time off/FLSA requirements. The FLSA does not require employers to pay nonexempt salaried employees or hourly employees while on leave for jury service. Exempt employees who are absent from work for part of a workweek to perform jury service should be paid their full salaries, otherwise their exempt status is put at risk under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under the FLSA, exempt employees must be paid their full salary for any workweek in which they perform any work, unless a deduction in pay is specifically provided for. There is no provision that allows for docking exempt employees' pay when they are absent due to jury duty. However, the employer may deduct from the salary any jury duty fees that the employee receives from the court. The FLSA does not require payment when the exempt employee is absent for one or more full weeks during which no work is performed.

A handful of state laws require employers to pay employees while on jury duty. Please see the state Jury Duty/Court Appearance section.



http://compensation.blr.com/display.cfm/id/155052

[Twotribes]

Only ever been summoned for jury Duty once and then I had to miss the first day for medical reasons so was excused completely.

[robpost3]

Any good lawyer jokes...
I served twice, made squat, first time my employer paid me the three weeks I was gone, second time I had to use vacation time, both cases they acquitted a known criminal on some loophole, yahoo!
Arthur Kirkland: That man is guilty! that man, there, that man is a slime! he is a *slime*! If he's allowed to go free, then something really wrong is goin' on here!
Judge Rayford: Mr. Kirkland you are out of order!
Arthur Kirkland: You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order! That man, that sick, crazy, depraved man, raped and beat that woman there, and he'd like to do it again! It's just a show! It's a show! It's "Let's Make A Deal"! "Let's Make A Deal"! Hey Frank, you wanna "Make A Deal"? I got an insane judge who likes to beat the sh"t out of women! Whaddya wanna gimme Frank, 3 weeks probation?
Frank Bowers: DAMMIT!
Arthur Kirkland: [to Judge Fleming] You, you sonofabitch, you! You're supposed to STAND for somethin'! You're supposed to protect people! But instead you rape and murder them!
[dragged out of court by bailiffs]
Arthur Kirkland: You killed McCullough! You killed him! Hold it! Hold it! I just completed my opening statement!
"and justice for all"

[Neilster]

Q: What do you call 10000 lawyers under the ocean?
A: A good start!

Actually I have several friends who are lawyers. They may come in handy one day.

Anyone see Dave Chappelle's jury duty sketch? Bloody funny if you like his style of humour. I'd post a link to a video but it's a bit...err...blue. [;)]

Cheers, Neilster

[Doggie]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

Doggie, county reimbursement DOES suck, BUT, your employer IS required by federal law to pay you your regular salary while serving as a juror. Let me look it up.

So now you know. That stuff about how they can't fire you if you're called up by the National Guard is a load of crap, too. They can and will. They just don't say they're firing you because of the National Guard. All the sudden your job performance takes a sudden downturn.

[Twotribes]

Seldom actually happens. And if it were flagrent the person could sue.

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Doggie

Gee, me too. I just got a letter threatening me with jail if I don't show up at the county courthouse on May 29. The pay is twelve, count 'em twelve, dollars a day.[8|] And no, your employer is not required to pay your regular salary if you end up on jury duty for months. They don't pay shit for mileage, or even a bus ticket. How you get there is your problem. It's your duty as citizen to just suck it up and get thrown out on the street when you can't pay your rent.

And this while blood sucking lawyers are pulling down eight hundred dollars an hour. No, not just eight hundred bucks an hour for every hour they actually spend in the courtroom boring the jurors to death, but eight hundred bucks an hour for every hour they claim they spend thinking about the case, even when they're out on the links. They spend billable hours dreaming about the case, too.[8|]

I agree...having to do your service as a juror stinks. You might as well burn some money and bang your head against a wall!

Especially thebold bit...maybe they should make it down to lawyers to pay you...after all, they choose you, don't they?

[martxyz]

I'm fortunate. I'm permanently exempt from Jury Duty. Juries do a great job though. It can be a pain for those that lose money, but I think it's one of the most important things that a citizen can do, if they do it well. I don't know a great deal about US juries, as all we get to see in the UK are the celebrity "trials/circuses". I'm also surprised when US Jurors are allowed to talk to the media after a trial is over. But good luck KG. You'll be doing a more important job this week than the rest of us.

Cheers,
Martin    [:)]

[KG Erwin]

Well, I was picked as one of the 12 sitting jurors on a trial. The Feds waste no time , and the proceedings lasted from 9:45 am till 4:50 pm, with a 90-minute lunchbreak and two 15-minute smokebreaks. Gotta go back tomorrow.

I'll tell ya about it when it's over.

[martxyz]

Good luck. Best not tell me about it though  [X(]