Called for Jury duty the week of our cruise. What happens now

[Hstergo]

Not bad so far at least 20 people with the same answer You think the OP got it yet?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Not bad so far at least 20 people with the same answer You think the OP got it yet?

 

So I'll add one more. Last January my Hubby was called to jury duty the very same week we were to sail on Liberty of the Seas. He called a number on the jury summons and was allowed to postpone his jury duty until February. He showed up for that but wasn't chosen.

[jeh4554]

I live in Ohio and have served on several juries. I remember the first time I was notified, we had recently moved to Ohio and I had an infant and a two year old. I didn't know anyone I could ask to babysit them. So I called and asked to be excused due to my circumstances. They said that was not a good excuse. So, I said I would be at the courthouse with my two children at the appointed time. I also mentioned that I was nursing the infant, so I hoped that my feeding her would not be disruptive to the process. Several hours later, they called me and said I was excused.:rolleyes:

Good luck and I hope they give you no hassle with a rescheduling of your court duty.

[CruisinCrow]

OP, please let us know how it goes.

 

Here in Florida you can request to be rescheduled (not excused) for any reason. You just go online and request a later date. I was summoned this spring for the day after we got back vacation. I didn't think my boss would be too happy about me being out of the office after having already been out for week. But I ended up sticking with it because I was afraid I'd get rescheduled for an even more inconvenient time. Sure enough, I got picked to be on the jury. Thank goodness it was only a 1 day trial!

[Gayle V]

Hi all. Thanks for all the answers.

 

Well I was on the phone at eight sharp, this morning and explained the situation. The person who answered seemed to think it would not be a problem, just said I needed to write an explanation right on the letter they had sent to me and mail it back to them. There wasn't any particular place to write a response, nor any web site to access on line, just a phone number. So I just wrote it out at the bottom of the page.

 

The clerk said to mail the explanation as soon as possible, because "the sooner we receive it, the more likely they'll be able to allow the change." Well , that last bit leaves me still a bit uncertain, as I was hoping for a definite answer, not a statement that the change was "likely". .. I wrote the explanation and it's already in the mail. Now I'll guess all I can do is wait and see if I get some kind of notice.

 

I'll post back when and if I do.

[FLACRUISER99]

Hi all. Thanks for all the answers.

 

Well I was on the phone at eight sharp, this morning and explained the situation. The person who answered seemed to think it would not be a problem, just said I needed to write an explanation right on the letter they had sent to me and mail it back to them. There wasn't any particular place to write a response, nor any web site to access on line, just a phone number. So I just wrote it out at the bottom of the page.

 

The clerk said to mail the explanation as soon as possible, because "the sooner we receive it, the more likely they'll be able to allow the change." Well , that last bit leaves me still a bit uncertain, as I was hoping for a definite answer, not a statement that the change was "likely". .. I wrote the explanation and it's already in the mail. Now I'll guess all I can do is wait and see if I get some kind of notice.

 

I'll post back when and if I do.

 

I don't think anyone posted this but most cruise insurance covers jury duty.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[babyher]

I will actually be on Jury Duty next week. :( Don't have anything planned so what the hell get it over with for three years .

 

Here in Connecticut , when you get the notice , on the form you send back you can either check off that you will go on the appointed date, or they give you three spaces you can fill in other future times that would be better. I don't believe there is a section where you have to write in a reason. Also they provide a web site address where I guess you can do the same thing.

 

I don't think you should have any real problem.

 

Good luck :)

[Desert Cruizers]

On our Calif forms, we can request excusal and alternate date I believe. Haven't gotten a summons recently. Due to my surgery a couple years ago I have a permanant excusal which my dr had to write.

[danilynn17]

Prepaid/prescheduled vacations are a valid excuse from jury duty. As long as you sound legit (you won't believe the lengths people go to to get out of jury duty).

 

At least in my jurisdiction, having a prebooked vacation is even an excuse for an attorney to reschedule a trial! In March of this year we had a booking on Adventure of the Seas. A few months prior, I got notice that my case was scheduled for jury trial then. All I had to do was present a motion to the judge that I had a prescheduled, prepaid vacation and voila, it was pushed off a few weeks.

[Colorado Babe]

I would attach a copy of your invoice (confirmation) from RCCL showing that you are booked. This way, they'll know that your excuse is legit. JMHO.

[stones902]

Hi all. Thanks for all the answers.

 

Well I was on the phone at eight sharp, this morning and explained the situation. The person who answered seemed to think it would not be a problem, just said I needed to write an explanation right on the letter they had sent to me and mail it back to them. There wasn't any particular place to write a response, nor any web site to access on line, just a phone number. So I just wrote it out at the bottom of the page.

 

The clerk said to mail the explanation as soon as possible, because "the sooner we receive it, the more likely they'll be able to allow the change." Well , that last bit leaves me still a bit uncertain, as I was hoping for a definite answer, not a statement that the change was "likely". .. I wrote the explanation and it's already in the mail. Now I'll guess all I can do is wait and see if I get some kind of notice.

 

I'll post back when and if I do.

 

Every jurisdiction runs their Court a bit differently but generally speaking, you don't know what is actually going to trial until a day or two before it actually happens. Jury Commissions usually have a set number of jurors that they call on in a given week (or day) of jury service and then adjust that number based on the feedback they get from the Judges on the number of trials being scheduled for a given period.

 

It is generally true however that if you have a prescheduled vacation (something you obviously know about in advance) that it is to your advantage to let the Jury Commission know as early as possible. Waiting until the last minute won't work to your favor.

[Sherlock43031]

not a big deal.. just be sure to contact them and reschedule. worse thing you can do is ignore it.

[jamesr3939]

Just don't show up and tell them you never got the notice. I worked as a bailiff and heard it all the time. The Judge will just tell you "no" excuse the next time.

[jamesr3939]

Short story: I recall getting a subpoena (not a jury notice) to appear on a case I worked at the same time my DW and I were going on our 10th anv cruise. I had told the deputy district attorney several times I would be gone and even had the court clerk write in the file I was on vacation during this period of time. The DDA and I didn't really get along and I just knew he would send a subpoena even after I told him I was gone.

 

Sure enough two days before, I get the subpoena to appear during our cruise. So, I call the DA subpoena clerk and tell her to tell the DDA I am not going to be there. She tells me, "I can't excuse you". I tell her, "no you don't understand, I am not asking for an excuse I am telling you to tell him I'm not going to be there."

 

Went on vacation, had a great time, and they reset the court date.

 

You have to understand, when the attorney sits in court and says they can't make it due to other scheduled appearance in "xyz court" that's probably true. When they say, " I can't make that date due to a schedule conflict" it's because they our on vacation.

[Hstergo]

So I'll add one more. Last January my Hubby was called to jury duty the very same week we were to sail on Liberty of the Seas. He called a number on the jury summons and was allowed to postpone his jury duty until February. He showed up for that but wasn't chosen.

 

I guess your trying hard to get to 8,000 posts

[OCruisers]

I am the Administrator at a large courthouse in Illinois. As others have said, most Jury Commissions are pretty sympathetic to those with scheduled vacations. They are not nearly as sympathetic to those who want to reschedule or cancel jury service for work reasons. I would contact them and provide a couple of months that that may reschedule you for. I wouldn't anticipate any problems. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thanks for posting this because that's the way it is here too!

 

LuLu

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[bearette]

FYI For the mother with the infant... Breastfeeding is a valid excusal of jury service. They can't call you for a year but then you are up for grabs. At least in California but the rules should be similar in other states. They aren't going to like it when you start breast feeding in the middle of the trial...

 

My sister got jury service the same week as a cruise. Same as the other poster we left on Wednesday so she reported Tuesday but luckily wasn't see

Ducted that time.

 

Once I went to Mexico during my jury service. We went for a funeral and I totally forgot I had it. I called the number when I got back and it thanked me for my service so evidently I never had to go in.

 

I think a lot of people don't show up so even though they can send the police etc... I don't think they do it very often, but I am sure there are some places that enforce it. If they don't excuse you go on vacation and you can worry about it when you get back but you will be fine.

[starfish216]

I live in NYC. This past May I received a Jury Duty notice that conflicted with our scheduled cruise. Since I haven't postponed Jury Duty in the past six months I was able to select a new date within a 6 month time framed. Having two more cruises booked in the next 6 months I picked the earliest date possible as to get it over with so it don't have to worry about being called again.

 

The first time I got called to report for Jury Duty, 20 years ago, I sent them a letter that I was the primary care giver during the day for two school aged children. There is no way I could be in court and drop/pickup kids from school. It was the truth. They must have forgotten about me until this year (lol).

 

This time I was happy to oblige, well not actually happy about it, but I did my civic duty anyway.

 

Just be honest about your vacation plans. If you haven't tried getting out of Jury Duty recently it shouldn't be an issue.