Starting Nursing School in January and I Got Summoned for Federal Jury Duty!

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I know this topic has been addressed before, but I am always looking for fresh perspective. I think I feel the need to talk about it because I am freaking out! If anyone has had a similar experience, I certainly appreciate your input. I am trying to determine the most succinct and convincing way to request (and be granted) a postponement of service.

I am beginning nursing school at University of Maryland on January 26. Today, I got a summons for Federal jury duty, in U.S. District Court, for a case expected to last about 5 weeks, beginning on January 20. That would mean missing at least the first month of nursing school, including clinicals, which equates to failing the first semester. Or dropping out and reapplying. After 7 years of working through prerequisites, one false start in nursing school last year, waiting on a wait list, I just can't delay school any longer. I'm 37 and only getting older. Furthermore, my prerequisites and TEAS become outdated after this semester, putting me right back at the beginning of the whole process!

I went to the website provided in the summons, to complete the juror questionnaire. There was nowhere on the website to request a postponement of service. (It said there was a link, but there was nothing!) After extreme technical difficulty, I have decided to break their rules, and complete the paper form, in addition to submitting the electronic form, since the electronic form is incomplete! This is just adding to my extreme aggravation over this. I'm quitting my job to go to nursing school full-time. If they don't grant me a postponement, and I still have to appear and hope to be dismissed, I will miss out on my last week of work.

I certainly want to serve, but not at the expense of my schooling and future career. Under other circumstances, I would be excited about serving. (Except for the extreme loss of income! Under my current pay, it results in a 40% loss in income!) But right now, I really can't muster the care. I would be one angry juror!

Thanks for listening to my grumbling. Any advice on how to woo the court and postpone my jury duty? I need to have a winning argument!

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

You need to contact the court clerk and ask directly for either a postponement or release. The judge can release you, but they don't very often. I've been in a federal pool, and municipal ones. Got selected for 2 different murder trials. Lots of people during the jury questioning and selection had good reasons not to be there, but were not released.

You also need to talk to the school, they might reserve you a spot in the next semester; judges really get irritated at employers (and by extension I would think schools) who hassle jury members.

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I've been summoned before. You unfortunately will need to miss one day of school to go to the summons, but when you are selected for a jury pool, the judge will ask if anyone has any hardship that would prevent them from participating. Being a college student is a hardship. I told the judge I cannot miss clinical, it will result in me having to drop the semester, I'm already skipping school to be here today, and I was granted a dismissal from the jury. And be sure to keep the jury summons, tags, or any document that are given during that day. Cause guess what ELSE happened to lucky ole me? I got summoned again for jury duty next year. Somebody at the county office clearly confused not being selected for jury duty as being absent - it still counts whether you were selected for a jury or not. So your next selection won't be for another 3 years. I had everything from that day, pointed it out to the clerk's office in writing, and they dismissed me.

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If school did not start in Jan, I would go. Unfortunately that's not the case. I wouldn't go. Yes, you can try to get out of it, BUT there is no guarantee. If I received a letter, I'm not going. PERIOD. I have worked too hard, invested my time, money, neglected family, friends & my relationship is suffering.

If contacted at a later date, I would simply say, "I never received it" or "I was living with a friend/another location", etc. Could you get fined? Yes. Arrested? Maybe. I would handle that if and when the time comes. Your main goal is school. Don't expect instructors to "understand".

God forbid you end up on a trial that's 4 or 5 months long. The odds are probably slim, but it has happened.

Good luck

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

Plenty of classmates ( including myself) have been summoned for jury duty. It would cause a significant hardship for students. It would cause you to fail or have to drop out for the semester, and that has always been enough to get pardoned from jury duty.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
If school did not start in Jan, I would go. Unfortunately that's not the case. I wouldn't go. Yes, you can try to get out of it, BUT there is no guarantee. If I received a letter, I'm not going. PERIOD. I have worked too hard, invested my time, money, neglected family, friends & my relationship is suffering.

If contacted at a later date, I would simply say, "I never received it" or "I was living with a friend/another location", etc. Could you get fined? Yes. Arrested? Maybe. I would handle that if and when the time comes. Your main goal is school. Don't expect instructors to "understand".

God forbid you end up on a trial that's 4 or 5 months long. The odds are probably slim, but it has happened.

Good luck

Jury duty summons are always hand-delivered by the constable around here. There's no saying you didn't get it, and you face jail time if you skip it without being excused.

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If you go to the summons, the judge will randomly call several of you (but not all) forward. The attorneys will then be able to ask each of you questions in order to determine who they want to be in the jury. (If you're even called up to be "interviewed" or "questioned") you'll be able to inform them why it's not a good time for you to serve. A decent human being would not select you. Also, the attorneys will see how worried you are and will probably decide that your head won't be in the case as you worry about nursing school. I'm 99.9% sure you won't be selected.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
If I received a letter, I'm not going. PERIOD. I have worked too hard, invested my time, money, neglected family, friends & my relationship is suffering.

If contacted at a later date, I would simply say, "I never received it" or "I was living with a friend/another location", etc. Could you get fined? Yes. Arrested? Maybe.

Is that really something you want to risk? Remember, you would then have to check "yes" on any licensure or job application asking related questions about criminal records. You could put your chances of getting a license or job in jeopardy. Are you sure you really want to risk having to deal with those possible consequences?

Failure To Report For Jury Duty

Title 28 United States Code, Section 1864 (b) states that persons who are summoned to appear for Federal Jury Service and fail to appear may then be ordered to show cause why they should not be held in contempt of court for non-compliance with the court summons. Persons then failing to appear or to show cause for non-appearance may be fined $1000.00 and/or imprisoned for not more than three days and/or be required to perform community service.

Source: Additional Federal Jury Duty Information

I highly doubt having classes would be accepted as cause to no show. Might get a release from jury duty, but not more than that.

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In the course of 3 semesters of nursing school I have been received two jury summons.. one local and one federal.. both of them had instructions for a request to be released.. I wrote that I was a full time nursing student and missing classes and/or clinicals would cause me to fail the semester - I also included my class schedule as well as a letter from the Dean stating my case (she had a form letter on file to supply to students and faculty).. and I was released with no problems..

Best of luck...

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Claim hardship....you can postpone. Sometimes you need to show up the first day and plead your case. You can always claim bias that you can't be fair.

My hubby once said when I got called for Grand Jury.....Tell the judge that you think "we should hang them all and let God sort them out"....I told him I didn't want to go to jail.:facepalm:

He was joking of course

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Claim hardship....you can postpone. Sometimes you need to show up the first day and plead your case. You can always claim bias that you can't be fair.

My hubby once said when I got called for Grand Jury.....Tell the judge that you think "we should hang them all and let God sort them out"....I told him I didn't want to go to jail.:facepalm:

Actually this works! In a not quite so dramatic fashion, a man when I was summoned simply said, "I was biased toward a particular side the moment I heard what the case was because of my past experiences." You bet he wasn't selected.

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