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Originally Posted by ChrisF202
How is this handled in your state/country? Do you have to serve or is their a pool of "professional jurors"?
Here in NY; jury duty for state district court, county criminal and civil courts, town justice courts and village courts are randomly selected and you MUST attend or the deputy sheriff's will come looking for you and arrest you but most people just throw away the summons and say they never got it.
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California jury selection committees do not believe you never got the summons. So the county sheriff comes knocking at your door anyway. Self employed people used to be excused from Jury Duty as being gone for a whole week (or more if you get stuck on a long trial) would provide a financial hardship but not being able to run your business.
But that doesn't count anymore. If your business is ruined they will direct you to the office to file for bankruptcy and SSA.
Jury selection used to be for a whole month (which I served one time many years ago). So the self employed exemption was logical and fair. But not anymore.
Doctor's certificates were needed if you were physically unable to attend due to very serious injuries or illnesses. Even deaf people can't get out of jury service as they will provide staff to give hand signals to lip readers. But my friend Hal and I are NOT lip readers. If the battery goes out in one or both of our hearing aids we are NOT allowed to call a time out to change batteries.
If you have both legs broken, they will arrange a way of getting you into court.
The only out that has worked for me is the fact I'm over 70 years old and have had a heart failure problem. Being over 70 I don't even need a doctor's note.
The only Jury Duty I ever wanted to be on (my wife was invited once but she didn't take up on it) is the Grand Jury. You get paid more including higher mileage rate. Get issued a badge and when on field investigations allowed to get a license to carry a gun.
It used to be for a whole year but is now down to only 3 to 6 months depending on what county you are in.