US District Court Jury Questionnaire

[kevwun 15797]

I got one of these on Friday.  It says I am eligible to be called for jury duty in the US Southern District in Houston through 2021.  How likely am I to end up being called in between now and then?

[TwiceHorn 31495]

Just now, kevwun said:

I got one of these on Friday.  It says I am eligible to be called for jury duty in the US Southern District in Houston through 2021.  How likely am I to end up being called in between now and then?

I would guess pretty likely.

[kevwun 15797]

That's what I figured, but was hoping they might be more common than I thought.

[deadshank 24653]

Regular jury or grand jury?  Through 2021 sounds like grand jury duty  

I did 18 months on the federal grand jury in the southern discrick of Texas.    Walked in and they said “your in, mate.”   Not a lot of hoopla.  

[kevwun 15797]

I believe it was  regular jury duty.  Through 2021 was how long I will be in the pool of people that get picked for jury duty.

[housious 468]

Throw it in the trash. Move on. 

Edited February 25, 2019 by housious
Or don't

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

I believe it was  regular jury duty.  Through 2021 was how long I will be in the pool of people that get picked for jury duty.

Yes. They use the questionnaire to determine your eligibility, and then keep you in the pool for a few years. If you’re selected, it will be for one jury on one trial.

[TwiceHorn 31495]

1 hour ago, housious said:

Throw it in the trash. Move on. 

If you like having Marshals show up at your door, follow this advice.

[TwiceHorn 31495]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

Regular jury or grand jury?  Through 2021 sounds like grand jury duty  

I did 18 months on the federal grand jury in the southern discrick of Texas.    Walked in and they said “your in, mate.”   Not a lot of hoopla.  

Did they give you an option to decline service?  Moreso than a petit jury, it behooves them not to have reluctant grand jurors.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

I got one and sure enough a few weeks later I got a notice to show up for Jury Duty for which I was chosen for a panel and served four days for drug smuggling case.

The upside is you are paid $50 a day vs the lower rate most counties pay and you get .58 cents a mile round trip to the courthouse.  

[kevwun 15797]

I'm just hoping I don't end up on a case that takes weeks to finish.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

51 minutes ago, kevwun said:

I'm just hoping I don't end up on a case that takes weeks to finish.

I hear you and Federal Cases can take longer than State.   I think one of the reasons why is the Feds have mandatory minimums for many offenses which do not allow for a Judge to sentence someone to probation.   So it's worth the roll of the dice for some to go to trial and see if they can persuade the Jury for not guilty verdict.

With the case I sat on, it was a smuggling ring organized in Beaumont who sent unsuspecting residents from that area down to the McAllen area to pick up shipments.  The actual runners were already convicted or cut deals with the Feds before the trial .    The smuggling ring told these people who really never made it out of the Houston/Beaumont  areas they would go through a check point and all they had to do was say they were US Citizens and they would be clear.  One of them was driving a semi rig and had bundles of weed in plain sight.  Idiots.   They needed to watch a few episodes of Border Wars on Nat Geo to see it wasn't that simple.   Anyhow most of the trial focused on text messages and  cell phone records and who met who at what topless bar and stuff like that.  LOL.  

[deadshank 24653]

8 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Did they give you an option to decline service?  Moreso than a petit jury, it behooves them not to have reluctant grand jurors.

Not really.  Only extreme circumstances got to decline participation.  The time demand wasn't particularly onerous.  And, as you said, the Feds have the US marshals service to insure attendance.  

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

Not really.  Only extreme circumstances got to decline participation.  The time demand wasn't particularly onerous.  And, as you said, the Feds have the US marshals service to insure attendance.  

They use US Marshalls if you don't show up? That seems extreme. 

[Reagan1k 3024]

8 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

They use US Marshalls if you don't show up? That seems extreme. 

Nah - Extreme would be Detective Goines and his narc squad at HPD.

[smwhorn 482]

8 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

They use US Marshalls if you don't show up? That seems extreme. 

I was in McAllen a few weeks ago to pick a jury in a civil case.  They brought a panel of 35 into the courtroom.  One panelist was missing as they had sent out summons for 36 people.  The judge, on the record, ordered a US Marshall to locate the missing panelist if possible to bring him/her to the courtroom and show cause why they should not be held in contempt of court.  Federal Court does not fuck around.  Do not just "not show up."

[TwiceHorn 31495]

9 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

They use US Marshalls if you don't show up? That seems extreme. 

The Marshals are the bailiffs/sheriffs of the federal world.  The state and county courts would do this too, but they call so many jurors every week that it's impossible to send a sheriff out to bring you in if you don't show up for a summons.  Every now and then, though, the district or county court will bring someone in.

[TwiceHorn 31495]

The other bummer about federal court is that they have limited voir dire, most often conducted by the judge, so if you're going to try to spin some bullshit about how "everyone did it" or "no one is ever guilty," or "I like drugs," you will have little opportunity to voice such an opinion, and will have to do it, most likely, directly to a federal district judge and answer his or her questions about it.

[kmac30 416]

I just got one too, so this thread hits close to home. I think mine gave the dates I was “available” as Sept 2017 thru Oct 2020 (maybe it was 2021).

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

41 minutes ago, smwhorn said:

I was in McAllen a few weeks ago to pick a jury in a civil case.  They brought a panel of 35 into the courtroom.  One panelist was missing as they had sent out summons for 36 people.  The judge, on the record, ordered a US Marshall to locate the missing panelist if possible to bring him/her to the courtroom and show cause why they should not be held in contempt of court.  Federal Court does not fuck around.  Do not just "not show up."

It's easier to BS to get out of county jury duty and it's a simple as saying your summon got lost in the mail if you are questioned later about it.   The summons  some  counties send out look like junk mailers and have been known to get mis delivered or not even reaching the potential juror at all.    The Federal summons is mailed in a standard envelope with US government mailing official mail markings.   Thank goodness my county has implemented  a system where you can respond on line and if you are lucky and get empaneled with a court who uses the full system, you won't have to show up until they actually need your jury pool for jury selection.  Some courts  still do it the old fashioned way which means this time of year sitting around people with snot coming  out their noses.  

The Federal Marshall Service is increasing becoming a multi level government paid bounty service.   They are all over the place picking up people on warrants who not even being charged on a Federal level.  So yea it wouldn't be that hard for them to make pit stop by your home or place of business if they get a call from court.  

[TwiceHorn 31495]

10 minutes ago, Nueces River Rat said:

It's easier to BS to get out of county jury duty and it's a simple as saying your summon got lost in the mail if you are questioned later about it.   The summons  some  counties send out look like junk mailers and have been known to get mis delivered or not even reaching the potential juror at all.    The Federal summons is mailed in a standard envelope with US government mailing official mail markings.   Thank goodness my county has implemented  a system where you can respond on line and if you are lucky and get empaneled with a court who uses the full system, you won't have to show up until they actually need your jury pool for jury selection.  Some courts  still do it the old fashioned way which means this time of year sitting around people with snot coming  out their noses.  

The Federal Marshall Service is increasing becoming a multi level government paid bounty service.   They are all over the place picking up people on warrants who not even being charged on a Federal level.  So yea it wouldn't be that hard for them to make pit stop by your home or place of business if they get a call from court.  

"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance."

[kmac30 416]

Responded online last week, got notice to appear 4/1 today in the mail. Figured it might at least take a couple months before I got called in.

[kevwun 15797]

I haven't heard back yet, but I guess it won't be very long.

[SKJ 1311]

This may be a dumbass question, but why are felons excluded from jury duty?

I get the argument that they have committed crimes etc... But they allow biased people on juries all the time (who aren't felons)

[TwiceHorn 31495]

6 minutes ago, SKJ said:

This may be a dumbass question, but why are felons excluded from jury duty?

I get the argument that they have committed crimes etc... But they allow biased people on juries all the time (who aren't felons)

It's becoming increasingly unpopular as an idea.  In Texas, once a sentence, including probation, is completed, the voting right is restored.

It was just another punitive measure.

Edited March 6, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31495]

Oh hell, I was confusing jury duty with voting.  But they come from the same vindictive place.  And, perhaps some notion that felons are somehow more unreliable than the average butthead.

Heres an article that goes into the history of it.  It isn't the rule in all states.  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=420840

Edited March 6, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[housious 468]

NM

Edited March 6, 2019 by housious
I’m dumb

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

I don't think the jury prohibition for felons is necessarily just vindictive.  There is probably some validity to the idea that some felons would just not vote to convict anyone.  Besides, I wouldn't want to be locked in a jury room with a convicted axe murderer.

[SKJ 1311]

Yeah, I understand that, but then again, there are those that are just as unreasonable on the other side, those that believe that if they bring charges against someone that they're just guilty as hell.

I understand that it's never going to change, but there's an element to each end of the spectrum that should not serve for lack of fairness.

[kevwun 15797]

Got my summons today for May 20th.  The good news is the Astros are home that night.

[Speedtrucker 2071]

Yeah, I understand that, but then again, there are those that are just as unreasonable on the other side, those that believe that if they bring charges against someone that they're just guilty as hell.
I understand that it's never going to change, but there's an element to each end of the spectrum that should not serve for lack of fairness.

That’s why each side gets strikes and there are also strikes for cause.

Normally defense gets 10 strikes and we get 6. Usually anyone too far either way is getting struck, personally I don’t like having engineers on our panels.

So if you want to be a higher candidate to get struck from a jury panel, get an EE degree.