Well I get to drive to Billings, (145 miles), this afternoon so I can be at the Federal District Court Building at 7:45 am in the morning.
Received notice that I have been selected for the jury pool.
Will see if I get picked.
Based on my past history I will!!

I read your post and knocked on wood, Jim! I hate jury duty as it is not close to my house either and Mark and I seemed to get picked more than anyone I know!

Good luck to you!

Ugh, jury duty. Greg and I have both had to report in here, even though we've only lived here less than 2 years. Luckily neither one of us was selected to hear a trial. They wanted me for a major one - a local cop allegedly molested a child - and it was to be 4 days a week for the next 4 months (at minimum). Nooooooooo way.

Best of luck, Jim - all I can say is, read up on the news of upcoming trials. If you know some of the details of a case in advance, they will likely not select you.

I had to go to downtown LA a few weeks ago to serve mine. If selected, we were informed to be prepared for a 30+ day asbestos trial. Mercifully the parties settled out of court and we were dismissed.

Good luck Jim!

I was called right after 9/11; then I got into the pool for a drug bust-gone bad, cop-killing, prostitution, racial thing. The judge was very careful about asking everybody if it bothered them to be downtown. The defense attorney was rabid about asking everybody if they could ignore the racial thing (he seemed to make sure nobody could). I was totally sick with a sinus something, the judge dismissed me on that grounds. It was going to be a sequestered jury. I found out later that there was a plea bargain.

Mark was called a few years later, he served on a jury and talked everybody into voting the way he thought. He was highly entertained by the whole thing.

We have a "one week, one trial every ten years" thing, and we'll have moved out of the county before either of our ten years is up.

Thanks everyone.
I am in Billings so will see what happens tommorrow.
I almost always get picked. Been on 4 trials
called up 2 times but let go for some reason.
This is my 1st Federal jury duty.
Worried that it might be grand jury.

Jim: It is because you are so "nice" and fair -

Crossing my fingers for you, Jim!

Oh Jim, that is a much longer haul than when we get summoned to federal jury duty. For us, that means going into downtown Detroit. We’ve never been called to this but a neighbor of mine once was – in mid winter! At least Amtrak had a schedule that worked between Ann Arbor and Detroit that worked for the commute at that time so she was able to use it. Needless to say, her expenses were also more than her pay.

Local jury duty for us is less than 5 miles away. My husband served on two or three juries several years ago. Our daughter was called once when she was a medical student at U of M but since the case was about someone suing the university the plaintiff’s lawyer dismissed her from the jury pool. I’ve only been summoned once, but the night before when I checked in by telephone I learned that my group of numbers did not have to report. I’d be pleased to serve on a local jury so long as it was a case I could handle emotionally. I think they would find out readily by questioning me if they should send me home. But I dread that call for Federal jury duty.

You're in my thoughts.

Bad news good news.

Bad news is I was picked for Federal Grand Jury.
Good news is I was picked as one of three alternates.
We had to stay there and listen to all the instructions but then were sent home before the remaining 23 looked at cases.
I'm on for a full year!!
They meet the 3rd Wednesday,Thursday, and sometimes Friday of EVERY month. Will see later how many times I will need to go.

This could be very interesting in a way Jim. Could be a unique experience. Like you, I could probably do without the traveling.

I never get picked for jury duty.... once they find out I am an auditor I get dismissed... we have a reputaion of wanting too much "evidence" before we make decisions!

What a bummer. That would not work well at all with my calendar. At least Thanksgiving is late this year and won't be a conflict. But then, being the federal government, if it were a conflict you would have that month off, I'm sue.

Considering the distance, do they cover hotel expense?

If I have this correct.
They pay .48.5 cents a mile for travel
$117.90 per day for food & lodging.
(If you stay with a relative or friends they still pay you $39.00)
They pay for parking.
And you get $40.00 per day.

Jim, we'd much rather have our federal tax dollars subsidize your next cruise than be used by politicians on junkets! (Unless the junkets were one-way!)

I agree with you Ted!!

Well I got "the letter" Saturday.
Need to report Wednesday May 21st!
Means I have a minimum of 9 months
of going to Billings the third week of the month.

So, if I understand this correctly, once they notified you in February you had to clear your calendar for the third week of the month for the next 12 months just in case you were called. And now you have been called (with a four day notice.) I wish you well as you fulfill your duty.

My husband just missed being called to county jury duty. He was summoned to begin today, but when he checked by recorded message on Friday night he learned that #'s 5-521 had to report and that #'s 522-6?? were excused. He was # 536.

Wow! Jim I truly believe in doing your civic duty but this does kind of tie you up for the next 9 months. Does it impact any current travel plans you already have or can you schedule around the every third week? I've yet been called but my husband has. I would find it very interesting but I don't know if I'd like to have my next 9 months spoken for and not being able to plan things....been there...done that....being pregnant.
Pat

Of course they pay for it but when you live
over 100 miles, (I'm 145), from Billings they
want you there on Tuesday evening so you won't be late for Wednesday, and Thursday's meeting.
So that means on the 3rd Tuesday of each month I have to drive there and spend at least two nights
and normally can drive home Thursday evening.
Have been told that maybe about 4 times you have to stay over Thursday night and work Friday morning!!
So far I don't have any trips planned that this will be a problem UNLESS we get extended
beyond February 2009. My "FUN" cruise March of 2009 is a problem.
I do have a problem next month, (June), as
our Mon/Dak "BADLANDS BOWL" is that week, and as a original committee member this is going to cause some problems. Will be back for the game but it is all my jobs during the week leading up to the game.

Jim,

You just reminded me, it's probably time for me to be called again!

You have my sympathy. Civic duty and all that, but it is still a pain, you know where, to have to do it.

We'll keep our fingers crossed that it does not extend. We need you and Jan on FUN!

Jim, this seems "above and beyond" your civic duty! Guess you just have to grin and bear it.

Thanks Donna.
We will survive!
Talked to the deputy clerk today and
she did not think June was a problem to miss.
Unless a surprise shows up I think I am ok
after that.

Made it through my 1st one.
VERY INTERESTING.
Once there not a bad thing.

Did get excused for June.

Good news about June for you, Jim. Time off for good behaviior?

NO.
Actually our Mon/Dak "BADLANDS BOWL"
football game is here in Miles City that week,(June 21st), and since I am one of the organizers and committee members I have tons of jobs and responsiblities during the entire week. 34 Montana players and 7 coaches arrive June 14th. Need to be there for their needs, and June 19th 34 North Dakota Players, 7 coaches, and 13 committee members arrive.
It gets wild around here!

www.badlandsbowl.com

Jim. I don't know how I missed this thread.
I did Grand Jury work several years ago and found it fascinating. You have such a variety of cases to hear. I think the term of service is too long, but you won't believe some of the things you will hear.
Lynn

I thought I was going to my 2nd to last
Federal Grand Jury meeting today. (Wednesday).
BIG SURPRISE! They extended us another 6 months!!
Guess we are doing to good of job!! :mad: :mad: :mad:
Really has been interesting and not much of a hard ship.(disrupt my golf game a few times).
Out of the next 6 months I am going to miss 3 of them because of obligations.

Jim, some folks seem to get all the fun. ;)

Our daughter-in-law was called to local county jury duty in 2007 while she was still nursing her third child so she had to report on the first day and was granted a postponement of 6 months. She served when that postponement was over and then got summoned again to serve a few weeks ago. Baby number 4 is on the way so she figured she better serve now before the baby is born. We had a big snowstorm the day she was to report and so she did not have to report for duty.

I'm glad that they realize that you may have conflicts with this extended service they are asking of you and allow you to miss when you have other obligations.

Just noticed this thread cause I AM ON CALL this week and next....Federal Court....good news is that I just call in the night before...and this week I have not been 'needed'. One more week to go.

Tell you the truth.
Now that I have been on Federal Grand Jury for almost a year, I think I prefer it to being on Federal trial jury,(which I have done 4 times)! All district court not Federal court.

wow isn't there a closer court that you could have moved that too? I mean really..public service is one thing.. making someone get up to do the public service at 4am or there abouts is nuts ;)

Jim:

Penny has it much easier. I drive her to the RTA commuter train that she takes downtown. She was put on a jury last Friday so we cancelled our western vacation.

Anyway, drive safely.

Hi Claudia : > )

Cheers! Ray & Penny

Claudia:
I'm on FEDERAL grand jury. there are only 3 in Montana. Missoula,(500 miles) Great Falls,(325 miles) & Billings (145 miles)Everybody east of Billings is in that pool. I have a person on my jury panel from Sidney Montana and has to drive 265 miles one way. I feel lucky because I could have been picked for FEDERAL trial jury. That also lasts a year and you have to call every Friday to see if you need to be there Monday morning at 8:00 am. At least with grand jury you know it is the 3rd Wednesday of the month every month.
We do have DISTRICT court located here in Town.
I have been on it 2 times. You are part of the jury pool for a year, and may do a number of trials if selected. I also was selected for district Court 2 times when I lived in Colorado Springs. There it was 6 months and if selected as a juror you were done after the trial was over.
This is because of size of jury pool. When you don't have as many people around you have to hang onto them longer.

BAD News Good news.

Received my jury notice letter Saturday.

BAD NEWS: We will be meeting for at least two days
this month and maybe 1/2 of 3rd.

GOOD NEWS: This will be my last month of one year Federal Grand Jury Duty. YIPPEE!!

I am finished!!! :woh:

Stopped what we were doing yesterday to watch
a Naturalization ceremony of 20 new American Citizens. Now that was neat.
Must tell you it was real emotional when they went up received their certificates and their American Flag. Waving flags and tears flowing, family members trying to take pictures.
So glad I had the opportunity to watch this.
Amazing. Got to tell ya. There were a whole bunch of proud Americans in the court house!!

Congrats, Jim!

I'm sure the Naturalization ceremony must have been a moving experience.

That was a wonderful day for you, Jim! You have proudly fulfilled your citizenship duty, much more than those of us who live in larger areas and grouse about it (speaking of myself at the local level,) and to witness the naturalization ceremony was a big bonus! I tutored my former Taiwanese ESL student for the citizenship test and she was SO proud to pass!

BUT, the most important day for her was to vote in the 2004 Presidential election; she

stood in the rain for hours and was happy to do so! (which I described way back then on LCT!)

Thank you for your service!