Remember your basic civics class? Remember your civic duties? Voting? Jury duty? Remember? Evidently, many of you have forgotten. I recently read where the response rate for jury duty summons had fallen from a poor 52% to an abysmal 30%.
Lest we forget, Article VII of the Constitution guarantees all of us the right to trial by jury. It is the duty of each of us to show up to be that jury. So, what happens if we blow it off? When too few people show up in response to their jury summons, civil and criminal trials are delayed. It can already take more than a year to even get on the schedule for a civil jury trial – think of the disappointment of being delayed another year just because your fellow citizens could not be bothered to show up for jury duty. And think of the victims in a criminal trial having to wait for resolution.
I know I would not get picked for a jury. No lawyer wants another lawyer in the jury room – we know too much. But I showed up twice in one year in response to my summons. While I am sure everyone’s job is so important no one else could do it and the world would fall apart if they were not there for a day or two, we all manage to take time off when we want to. Employers are required under Indiana law to give you time off for jury duty and take no adverse job action against you because of it.
You should also know that the courts have the power to fine you, send a Sheriff to bring you in or jail you for contempt for failing to respond to the summons. While courts have not exercised these remedies in the past, many are now considering using these powers. Having said that, be aware that no one will contact you by phone or email and threaten you with jail for not showing up for jury duty unless you pay some sort of fine (with a gift card or wire transfer or credit card). Those are SCAMS.
The next time you get a jury duty summons, and it is an official court summons by the way, do your civic duty.