How You Are Randomly Selected for Jury Duty
Posted on: 27 February 2018
Share
The judicial system always says that people are randomly selected for jury duty. Well, that is only partially true. The thing is, if you cast a vote in a ballot box or have a driver's license, you would be on the judicial radar as someone that could do jury duty. Never getting called for jury duty your entire life is rather unheard of, but not unlikely. Here is more on this particular method of randomly selecting you as a juror to appear.
You Vote (a Lot) & You Drive
You take pride in voting, so much so that you vote for every election, every office, and every official every chance you get. Guess what that means? Your name will come up on the jury duty list nearly as often as you vote. Of course, it does not mean that you will be picked to serve. It only means that you have to show up when called. Some courts and jurisdictions will select jurors from state-issued lists of licensed drivers, too.
You May Be Cancelled Ahead of Time
Your juror sheet includes a date and time to call the courthouse to find out if you still have to show up. You have to call by the date and time given on your jury letter to find out. If you are still required to appear, you must do so or face a penalty. If you are not required to appear anymore, you are excused without penalty.
Showing up and Getting Picked or Excused
If you are still required to show up at the courthouse, you could still be selected to serve or you might be excused after answering a few questions. Sometimes it is just how you answer a question that may result in your cancellation or selection. Stating that you are against something or for something could be the trigger question.
You cannot predict or know in advance what the lawyers are looking for, which is why you should answer all questions asked of you with absolute honesty. At this point, there is only a limited amount of randomness in the process as the lawyers already know what they want and who they want on the jury. There could also be an approval of your appointment to the jury by one lawyer, and a contestation of your appointment by the other. At that point, the lawyer who contests your appointment has to provide a valid reason, or the judge may overrule and select you to the jury anyway.
To learn more about the process, contact local jury selection services.