The Sherriff’s department has continued to inform me that I’m selected for jury duty, all my adult life.

That I’ve never been 100% fit for jury duty is something I’ve always informed them of. Not that they’ve believed me because they keep asking. I’ve never yet been allocated a seat on the jury bench, I’ve never bothered to hang around in the milling crowd waiting for my money apart from the first time when we were a small group and the case had been settled out of court, so they called us up and gave us our money.

I really would like to be on the jury but if history continues as it has done, I’ll be in my grave before that happens.

Who is going to pay for the new tests to prove that I’m not as able as other jurors?
The local GP who was involved in testing me in the beginning doesn’t even remember.

The reason it annoys me is more that it can interrupt my daily life. Mostly I’ve been an independent person who needs to be doing just that ie: sole implementer, I usually cannot use the standard that all bosses have to give me the time off because I am the boss.

Once they tried to fine me for not showing up to waste one or more days waiting to be told that I wasn’t required anyway. The lady on the phone said that being 650 km away at the time wasn’t an excuse. So I told her that it wouldn’t really matter anyway because I wouldn’t be able to hear everything that was said in the courtroom, she hung up.

Now I get a new notification, again. You are required.

Well I’d probably be happier if they had some kind of lottery system that pulled names form a hat, causing the defence and prosecuting solicitors to put up with what they get rather than needing a hundred to select twelve to their liking from.

>I’ve never been 100% fit for jury duty

Why not? If you don’t mind me asking. When it comes down to it, nobody is ever 100% fit for jury duty. But they don’t need to be, the main purpose of the jury is to spread blame for the verdict to make it more difficult for a criminal to exact revenge.

mollwollfumble said:

>I’ve never been 100% fit for jury duty

Why not? If you don’t mind me asking. When it comes down to it, nobody is ever 100% fit for jury duty. But they don’t need to be, the main purpose of the jury is to spread blame for the verdict to make it more difficult for a criminal to exact revenge.

Because of my dead inner ear problem. The wiring is short circuited to and from my brain. It is an invisible disability but quite a serious reduction in my being 100% fit for anything.

I’ve been reading and hearing a bit lately, admittedly in fiction, about how to corrupt a jury. Given enough money, a criminal or lawyer can dig into the background of and study firsthand the opinions of every juror.

mollwollfumble said:

I’ve been reading and hearing a bit lately, admittedly in fiction, about how to corrupt a jury. Given enough money, a criminal or lawyer can dig into the background of and study firsthand the opinions of every juror.

Has been done. Also is done in a different way by the defense being able to reject any jurors they don’t like the look of. The prosecution can also do this if it pleases them.

>>The lady on the phone said that being 650 km away at the time wasn’t an excuse. <<

I’m going to call you on that one. You would not be called to a court 650km from your place of residence.

buffy said:

>>The lady on the phone said that being 650 km away at the time wasn’t an excuse. <<

I’m going to call you on that one. You would not be called to a court 650km from your place of residence.

Ah but I have one official residence and a few that aren’t. The others are temporary but I don’t try and use them to gain any benefits as I know others do.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

>>The lady on the phone said that being 650 km away at the time wasn’t an excuse. <<

I’m going to call you on that one. You would not be called to a court 650km from your place of residence.

Ah but I have one official residence and a few that aren’t. The others are temporary but I don’t try and use them to gain any benefits as I know others do.

My point there was that I couldn’t travel home just because someone wanted me to. A lot of Australia has roads that are impassable, often.

And here are the NSW rules. If you are away, you can apply to be excused. I have only been called once, and I was excused on the basis that if I got involved in a long case, I would have to stand down my employees, causing hardship. If I’m not there, there is no income to the practice.

When we lived in Hawkesdale, we were too far from any court to be called. Outside the 40km mark. Mr buffy is permanently excused from jury duty because he worked for the police at one time.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

>>The lady on the phone said that being 650 km away at the time wasn’t an excuse. <<

I’m going to call you on that one. You would not be called to a court 650km from your place of residence.

Ah but I have one official residence and a few that aren’t. The others are temporary but I don’t try and use them to gain any benefits as I know others do.

My point there was that I couldn’t travel home just because someone wanted me to. A lot of Australia has roads that are impassable, often.

The other part of that point is that If I’m a sole trader or sole implementer of my business, then I should also be able to claim exemption.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

>>The lady on the phone said that being 650 km away at the time wasn’t an excuse. <<

I’m going to call you on that one. You would not be called to a court 650km from your place of residence.

Ah but I have one official residence and a few that aren’t. The others are temporary but I don’t try and use them to gain any benefits as I know others do.

So you should have not tried to be excused if you were called for duty at a court near your official place of residence, or you should have replied to the summons as required.

buffy said:

And here are the NSW rules. If you are away, you can apply to be excused. I have only been called once, and I was excused on the basis that if I got involved in a long case, I would have to stand down my employees, causing hardship. If I’m not there, there is no income to the practice.

When we lived in Hawkesdale, we were too far from any court to be called. Outside the 40km mark. Mr buffy is permanently excused from jury duty because he worked for the police at one time.

Yes, however one cannot apply for an exemption if one has not got the information.

Sorry, the link:

http://www.courts.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/cats/jury_service/excused.aspx

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

And here are the NSW rules. If you are away, you can apply to be excused. I have only been called once, and I was excused on the basis that if I got involved in a long case, I would have to stand down my employees, causing hardship. If I’m not there, there is no income to the practice.

When we lived in Hawkesdale, we were too far from any court to be called. Outside the 40km mark. Mr buffy is permanently excused from jury duty because he worked for the police at one time.

Yes, however one cannot apply for an exemption if one has not got the information.

Not an excuse. You are supposed to keep up with your mail. If you are away for a length of time you should arrange for it to be collected and checked by a friend/neighbour, or have it forwarded to you.

buffy said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

>>The lady on the phone said that being 650 km away at the time wasn’t an excuse. <<

I’m going to call you on that one. You would not be called to a court 650km from your place of residence.

Ah but I have one official residence and a few that aren’t. The others are temporary but I don’t try and use them to gain any benefits as I know others do.

So you should have not tried to be excused if you were called for duty at a court near your official place of residence, or you should have replied to the summons as required.

Should have, is a phrase I prefer not to use because if it should have been, then it is way too late.

And how did they contact you if you had not got the information?

Last time Mrs. Rule was called to jury duty she had five if the seven allowable excuses (IIRC), all of which would have been very easy to find in government records. There seems to be no expectation (within the department) that they should only send letters to people who might qualify.

buffy said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

And here are the NSW rules. If you are away, you can apply to be excused. I have only been called once, and I was excused on the basis that if I got involved in a long case, I would have to stand down my employees, causing hardship. If I’m not there, there is no income to the practice.

When we lived in Hawkesdale, we were too far from any court to be called. Outside the 40km mark. Mr buffy is permanently excused from jury duty because he worked for the police at one time.

Yes, however one cannot apply for an exemption if one has not got the information.

Not an excuse. You are supposed to keep up with your mail. If you are away for a length of time you should arrange for it to be collected and checked by a friend/neighbour, or have it forwarded to you.

It is embarrassing for me to accuse someone else of not forwarding mail or the contents of it on a public forum so I do not want to start explaining the intricacies of that.

buffy said:

And how did they contact you if you had not got the information?

After I arrived home, they sent me a fine.

Rule 303 said:

Last time Mrs. Rule was called to jury duty she had five if the seven allowable excuses (IIRC), all of which would have been very easy to find in government records. There seems to be no expectation (within the department) that they should only send letters to people who might qualify.

That’s my point, yes.

roughbarked said:

Rule 303 said:

Last time Mrs. Rule was called to jury duty she had five if the seven allowable excuses (IIRC), all of which would have been very easy to find in government records. There seems to be no expectation (within the department) that they should only send letters to people who might qualify.

That’s my point, yes.

I continue to be requested for jury duty but due to my circumstances cannot attend.

monkey skipper said:

roughbarked said:

Rule 303 said:

Last time Mrs. Rule was called to jury duty she had five if the seven allowable excuses (IIRC), all of which would have been very easy to find in government records. There seems to be no expectation (within the department) that they should only send letters to people who might qualify.

That’s my point, yes.

I continue to be requested for jury duty but due to my circumstances cannot attend.

That is also my point.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

And how did they contact you if you had not got the information?

After I arrived home, they sent me a fine.

That I never had to pay it was indeed due to the fact that I told the lady on the phone of my hearing impairment. She told me not to worry, that she’d fix it all up and hung up. Nobody ever hassled me again about the fine which I never paid. However they still send me the letters requiring my services as a juror.
They require proof of any excuse which does mean that I have to be exhaustively retested.

That I’m actually hearing impaired at all has often been challenged by those who don’t take time to observe more carefully. I am often told, “you reckon you are deaf but you always hear what you weren’t supposed to hear”.

The real issue is that I’m not deaf at all but do have an extreme hearing disability that can often be an advantage if all the conditions are good. Yet is usually very hampering when conditions for hearing deteriorate. In a courtroom there are a lot of sounds that may interfere with what I hear. As well, the placement of myself in the courtroom would perhaps require special consideration. You can’t have one juror sitting alone on the other side of the courtroom.

I’ve never been called for jury duty.

you are continually summoned because people’s circumstances can and do change.

Maybe not in your case, but they do. They need an excess of choice because both sides need to agree on the juror. This is democracy. I like the jury system, though I have never been a juror due to home circumstance I cannot be absent from, but have been summoned about six times. It’s no big deal to respond to a letter.
There must be s register of ‘physically unfit’ people thoug. Mr arts has never been summoned and all I have ever done for exemption is ticked the box and sent back the form. No one has ever asked me to proove the reasons.

Arts said:

you are continually summoned because people’s circumstances can and do change.

Maybe not in your case, but they do. They need an excess of choice because both sides need to agree on the juror. This is democracy. I like the jury system, though I have never been a juror due to home circumstance I cannot be absent from, but have been summoned about six times. It’s no big deal to respond to a letter.
There must be s register of ‘physically unfit’ people thoug. Mr arts has never been summoned and all I have ever done for exemption is ticked the box and sent back the form. No one has ever asked me to proove the reasons.

Anyway, I work across the road from the courthouse so I’ll drop in and say; eh? a lot.

Divine Angel said:

I’ve never been called for jury duty.

Same.

>I like the jury system

There is an large body of opinion that says the jury system is frequently not the best option, especially in long running highly technical cases. Jurors doing their own research online is also a worry.

Rule 303 said:

Divine Angel said:

I’ve never been called for jury duty.

Same.

I was. Once. Right after I had started at university as a mature aged student, with two kids, recently separated from their father and working as a casual child care worker to keep the bills paid. It was a version of hell I’d rather not repeat. When I explained my situation – a demanding load of course work including a pre-honours class, unreliable support from the boys’ father for their care, and the need to take whatever casual work was offered…I was told I couldn’t apply for an exemption. In the end the case didn’t go to trial and I wasn’t required to show up :/ I was not impressed.

Rule 303 said:

Divine Angel said:

I’ve never been called for jury duty.

Same.
[/quote

is there an upper age limit for jurors?

>In Victoria the Juries Act says you can be excused if you are of advanced age, but it doesn’t give an upward age limit

I have been called up, but never got to sit on a trial. Went the the start of three trials over two days; ione pleaded guilty and the other two my name wasn’t drawn out of the hat. We went in with a group of about 20 and they picked out 12 names.

i would tell them all about your vast life experience and see what happens

send them back a letter with the message “justice never sleeps”

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

>I’ve never been 100% fit for jury duty

Why not? If you don’t mind me asking. When it comes down to it, nobody is ever 100% fit for jury duty. But they don’t need to be, the main purpose of the jury is to spread blame for the verdict to make it more difficult for a criminal to exact revenge.

Because of my dead inner ear problem. The wiring is short circuited to and from my brain. It is an invisible disability but quite a serious reduction in my being 100% fit for anything.

yeah the laser beams i have for eyes could destroy the whole court

roughbarked said:

The Sherriff’s department has continued to inform me that I’m selected for jury duty, all my adult life.

Did they actually word it like that?

dv said:

roughbarked said:

The Sherriff’s department has continued to inform me that I’m selected for jury duty, all my adult life.

Did they actually word it like that?

most likely also something about roughie getting a judgeship

dv said:

roughbarked said:

The Sherriff’s department has continued to inform me that I’m selected for jury duty, all my adult life.

Did they actually word it like that?

No. They do it for three years at a time.

roughbarked said:

dv said:

roughbarked said:

The Sherriff’s department has continued to inform me that I’m selected for jury duty, all my adult life.

Did they actually word it like that?

No. They do it for three years at a time.

What? You get a notice to attend on a particular date for jury duty.

I’ve been selected for JD a couple of times. I wouldn’t have minded doing it but I couldn’t really be spared at work.

I don’t think rb would have any trouble of not being selected if he got a doctors certificate.

http://www.courts.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/cats/jury_service/summons.aspx

buffy said:

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Did they actually word it like that?

No. They do it for three years at a time.

What? You get a notice to attend on a particular date for jury duty.

Yes you do but only during a three year period each time.

dv said:

I’ve been selected for JD a couple of times. I wouldn’t have minded doing it but I couldn’t really be spared at work.

Yeah same for me.

http://www.courts.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/summons_sample2015.pdf

PermeateFree said:

I don’t think rb would have any trouble of not being selected if he got a doctors certificate.

I know. However, I do remember how much I had to go through to see what was wrong with me in the first instance Why the records are taken for if they aren’t kept and used, boggles me. Why do I need a certificat for something I have had to live with for fifty years I don’t know.

buffy said:

http://www.courts.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/cats/jury_service/summons.aspx

juror.nsw.gov.au

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

>I’ve never been 100% fit for jury duty

Why not? If you don’t mind me asking. When it comes down to it, nobody is ever 100% fit for jury duty. But they don’t need to be, the main purpose of the jury is to spread blame for the verdict to make it more difficult for a criminal to exact revenge.

Because of my dead inner ear problem. The wiring is short circuited to and from my brain. It is an invisible disability but quite a serious reduction in my being 100% fit for anything.

The sort of thing a cochlear implant could fix?