Federal grand jury summons

[Philob]

Are federal summonses sent certified? They have no proof you even received it, if not. Anyway, getting excused for vacation is a trivial matter. Don't sweat it.

 

[i see I'm not the first to make this observation. Lol]

 

 

Doesn't matter if its sent "certified", if its mailed by the court its deemed received. That's what I was told when I got a "you failed to appear" notice :cool:

[zqvol]

You have started the ball rolling but my question is did it come certified mail where you had to sign for it? If not, there is no way of proving you got the notice. Sometimes I have had letters show up two weeks late because the post office misdirected it. Just saying....

 

Since they have the OP's request for postponement that argument won't hold water.

[bbeapoz]

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!! I got a call and am postponed until September. Waiting for the official email but now I can focus on getting ready for Alaska. Than you everyone for your input and support.

[notentirelynormal]

I'm surprised no one made some remark like: " Hey, you could be on the jury that indicts Hillary".

 

Because most of us want to keep politics out of it. It serves no purpose.:rolleyes:

[notentirelynormal]

So what is the difference between civil and federal? All the ones I've ever received just say "jury" duty. By federal do you mean "grand"? I thought grand juries were people pre-selected and served for a year.

 

I once got called to jury duty. I went but discovered that I could not sign on to their Wifi therefore could not get any or send any emails. I was unemployed at the time and had a ton of resumes out there.

 

After the judge went through any: caregivers, jobs where you do not get paid for an absence, already paid vacations, school, take care of small .e was. I explained that I had been unemployed for over a year and I desperately needed work. Since I couldn't get or receive my emails I was unable to apply for new jobs and unable to set up or go to any interviews. He asked if I had any interviews currently scheduled. I told him I had no way of knowing since I couldn't get to my emails to confirm. He let me off.

 

If was amazing how many people didn't pay attention. He went through the list that if you have any of these situations sit down. Once he did that everyone sitting could leave. Then he went through his special list. At least 75% of those still standing just weren't paying attention and could have left.

 

I was also told that since it is just mailed if you don't respond they will never know if you got it or not.

[hapster85]

Doesn't matter if its sent "certified", if its mailed by the court its deemed received. That's what I was told when I got a "you failed to appear" notice :cool:

Yeah, you got another notice, by mail. Not a deputy sheriff knocking on your door.

[TC1957]

So what is the difference between civil and federal? All the ones I've ever received just say "jury" duty. By federal do you mean "grand"? I thought grand juries were people pre-selected and served for a year.

 

I once got called to jury duty. I went but discovered that I could not sign on to their Wifi therefore could not get any or send any emails. I was unemployed at the time and had a ton of resumes out there.

 

After the judge went through any: caregivers, jobs where you do not get paid for an absence, already paid vacations, school, take care of small .e was. I explained that I had been unemployed for over a year and I desperately needed work. Since I couldn't get or receive my emails I was unable to apply for new jobs and unable to set up or go to any interviews. He asked if I had any interviews currently scheduled. I told him I had no way of knowing since I couldn't get to my emails to confirm. He let me off.

 

If was amazing how many people didn't pay attention. He went through the list that if you have any of these situations sit down. Once he did that everyone sitting could leave. Then he went through his special list. At least 75% of those still standing just weren't paying attention and could have left.

 

I was also told that since it is just mailed if you don't respond they will never know if you got it or not.

 

First tip will be who mailed the notice...if from the city it is municipal, if from the county it is local, if from either the US Attorney or a federal court it is federal.

 

Normal summons are for regular trials (civil or criminal). A grand jury summons will, if selected, cause you to be on the panel for months (for my uncle it was 6 months) but they just meet periodically.

 

Now, if you get a summons (at least in Texas) that says Special Voir Dire it is likely a panel being summoned for a capital case.

[navybankerteacher]

 

...

 

I use to laugh when I was sitting in court and they went to schedule future dates for court appearances and some attorney would say, "oh I have another court commitment on that date", which usually meant "I am playing golf with the Governor" or "I am skiing in Switzerland."

 

...

.

 

Judges, being lawyers, are willing to extend every courtesy to attorneys: they do not ask for any confirmation - making it possible for matters to be delayed interminably -- not so the poor guy called for jury duty: you get one, maybe two, postponements, then your life is no longer your own.

[farmgirl63]

I just got done serving on Federal Jury Duty and had some conflicts which they were more than accommodating to excuse me on those dates.

 

For the trial I was selected to be on the jury, one guy didn't show up and the Judge assured us all that guy would be showing up in front of him and paying dearly for not appearing!

 

Glad my term is now over since I served on a jury but it was a learning experience.

[Philob]

Yeah, you got another notice, by mail. Not a deputy sheriff knocking on your door.

 

No deputy will show up in my county, unless you tee-off a judge :cool:

 

Here at the local level a Jury Commission handles the jury pool, summons calls and initial no shows. It's up to the presiding judge to issue a bench warrant if the no response or no shows for an individual is too frequent. Even then no deputy will be dispatched, but you'll be in the system. If later, you get pulled over then you'll have some issues ;)

 

We also have a LARGE Naturalized Citizen population here and many do not read enough English to realize what the jury summons is for and will toss it.

[pkay414]

Doesn't matter if its sent "certified", if its mailed by the court its deemed received. That's what I was told when I got a "you failed to appear" notice :cool:

 

Very true! In the state of Texas (not federal) if the notice doesn't come back, it's deemed delivered; and if you don't show -- talking about the defendant here -- you will be issued an invitation that comes with bracelets that link. Ignoring anything coming from a court or Judge could lead to very dire consequences and is no joking matter. You could eventually get it all worked out, but it could lead to some very harrowing moments. I wouldn't joke around with it.

[TC1957]

Since the OP came back and said it was postponed it is moot but if you look carefully in the first post he said it was for a federal GRAND JURY. Those terms now are for 18 months (and can be extended for an additional 6 months by a court).

 

That might make scheduling another cruise difficult if they don't provide a schedule of when they panel will be in session.

[pkay414]

Since the OP came back and said it was postponed it is moot but if you look carefully in the first post he said it was for a federal GRAND JURY. Those terms now are for 18 months (and can be extended for an additional 6 months by a court).

 

That might make scheduling another cruise difficult if they don't provide a schedule of when they panel will be in session.

 

I understand that. I was responding to some posters who were just suggesting that the summons be File 13ed -- thrown in the trash. That's a quick way to end up in handcuffs -- especially with a federal judge who has more power than God -- at least in their minds. I was just wanting to suggest that it not be disregarded.

[whogo]

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!! I got a call and am postponed until September. Waiting for the official email but now I can focus on getting ready for Alaska. Than you everyone for your input and support.

My federal grand jury service was for two or three days per month for one year. I am betting that you won't be called in September.

[hapster85]

No deputy will show up in my county, unless you tee-off a judge :cool:

 

Here at the local level a Jury Commission handles the jury pool, summons calls and initial no shows. It's up to the presiding judge to issue a bench warrant if the no response or no shows for an individual is too frequent. Even then no deputy will be dispatched, but you'll be in the system. If later, you get pulled over then you'll have some issues ;)

 

We also have a LARGE Naturalized Citizen population here and many do not read enough English to realize what the jury summons is for and will toss it.

You're just proving my point. The world will not end if ignore a summons. For exactly the reason I stated: Only certified mail has proof of delivery. Ever been subpoenaed? That will come certified, or even be handed delivered. Why? Proof of delivery. Now, ignoring multiple notices is, no doubt, playing with fire. I certainly would not recommend doing that.

[oceanseagle12]

You're just proving my point. The world will not end if ignore a summons. For exactly the reason I stated: Only certified mail has proof of delivery. Ever been subpoenaed? That will come certified, or even be handed delivered. Why? Proof of delivery. Now, ignoring multiple notices is, no doubt, playing with fire. I certainly would not recommend doing that.

 

1) The person you are quoting is referring to a county/local jury. The OP was summonsed by a FEDERAL court. Big difference.

2) The OP also stated that they had already contacted the court.

 

Anyone who ignores a federal summons is playing with fire. At a minimum, expect a federal show cause summons to be hand delivered by a federal marshal. A show cause summons means you come to court to explain to the judge why you shouldn't be held in contempt.

There's no reason to go through all that when the courts are generally willing to work with you on personal schedule issues.

For that matter, extrapolating personal experience in one county in a state to suggest how another county in another state is going to handle something is also risky.

[oceanseagle12]

So what is the difference between civil and federal? All the ones I've ever received just say "jury" duty. By federal do you mean "grand"? I thought grand juries were people pre-selected and served for a year.

 

I once got called to jury duty. I went but discovered that I could not sign on to their Wifi therefore could not get any or send any emails. I was unemployed at the time and had a ton of resumes out there.

 

After the judge went through any: caregivers, jobs where you do not get paid for an absence, already paid vacations, school, take care of small .e was. I explained that I had been unemployed for over a year and I desperately needed work. Since I couldn't get or receive my emails I was unable to apply for new jobs and unable to set up or go to any interviews. He asked if I had any interviews currently scheduled. I told him I had no way of knowing since I couldn't get to my emails to confirm. He let me off.

 

If was amazing how many people didn't pay attention. He went through the list that if you have any of these situations sit down. Once he did that everyone sitting could leave. Then he went through his special list. At least 75% of those still standing just weren't paying attention and could have left.

 

I was also told that since it is just mailed if you don't respond they will never know if you got it or not.

 

Federal means United States court, in this case a United States District Court. This is opposed a state/local court.

Grand juries exist in both and hear cases presented by a prosecutor to determine if someone will be indicted. What we normally think of when it comes to juries are petit juries- they sit in a trial to determine guilt or innocence in criminal cases or who wins in a civil case.

[hapster85]

1) The person you are quoting is referring to a county/local jury. The OP was summonsed by a FEDERAL court. Big difference.

2) The OP also stated that they had already contacted the court.

 

Anyone who ignores a federal summons is playing with fire. At a minimum, expect a federal show cause summons to be hand delivered by a federal marshal. A show cause summons means you come to court to explain to the judge why you shouldn't be held in contempt.

There's no reason to go through all that when the courts are generally willing to work with you on personal schedule issues.

For that matter, extrapolating personal experience in one county in a state to suggest how another county in another state is going to handle something is also risky.

If the marshalls come, you go before the judge, swear under oath you never received the summons, end of story. That's all that's going to happen. They cannot prove you received it unless you respond to it. All the scare tactics in the world are not going to change that.

 

Yes, they will generally work with you, fur a wide variety of reasons. Am I advocating ignoring the summons? No. It is one's civic duty to serve, and I have. I would again if called.

[oceanseagle12]

If the marshalls come, you go before the judge, swear under oath you never received the summons, end of story. That's all that's going to happen. They cannot prove you received it unless you respond to it. All the scare tactics in the world are not going to change that.

 

Yes, they will generally work with you, fur a wide variety of reasons. Am I advocating ignoring the summons? No. It is one's civic duty to serve, and I have. I would again if called.

 

 

 

I don't necessarily disagree that this is what is likely to happen. But I'm guessing most people would rather fill out an easy form than to go through all that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zqvol]

If the marshalls come, you go before the judge, swear under oath you never received the summons, end of story. That's all that's going to happen. They cannot prove you received it unless you respond to it. All the scare tactics in the world are not going to change that.

 

Yes, they will generally work with you, fur a wide variety of reasons. Am I advocating ignoring the summons? No. It is one's civic duty to serve, and I have. I would again if called.

 

If the world is lucky one day you will get to spend time in jail for perjury, because under US law if an item is placed in the US mail and sent to your address you are deemed to have received it, whether you actually got it or not.

 

You clearly have no idea how grand juries work. The term is usually between 3 and 6 months. They don't hear trials like you are used to seeing on TV, they hear evidence presented by prosecutors to determine if there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. They are large and do not take unanimous votes to indict.

[LA_CA_GAL]

If the world is lucky one day you will get to spend time in jail for perjury, because under US law if an item is placed in the US mail and sent to your address you are deemed to have received it, whether you actually got it or not.

 

 

Which is way beyond ridiculous.

 

I would also bet dollars to donuts it would be unconstitutional.

[Aquahound]

My federal grand jury service was for two or three days per month for one year. I am betting that you won't be called in September.

 

That would depend on the OP's location. Here in Key West, the Grand Jury isn't convened too often but in larger cities, they convene monthly.

 

Good thing for the OP though, only 12 need to appear in order to indict. Since 23 are normally in the GJ, that leaves room for 11 to be unavailable when convened.

[Bonnie J.]

We had to cancel our Carnival Sunshine cruise 3 days before sailing date. I called Carnival and was told to fax a letter from our doctor saying it was unsafe for my husband to travel at that time. The Dr. did not have to say why.

We saw the Dr. the next day and he hand wrote a letter saying it was unsafe to travel. We did not have the time for his nurse to type it.

We faxed it to Carnival with cruise date, etc. They accepted the letter and we now have a cruise credit we can use on any Carnival ship for he cost of that cruise.

My husband ended up having quadruple heart bypass and valve replacement surgery. He saw the surgeon a month later and were given the OK to cruise, so we did twice and have 5 more booked!

 

Call the cruise line and explain the jury duty and see if they will give you cruise credit if you can't cruise. You can fax them the notice if they say OK.

 

Good luck and hope you will be able to postpone your cruse and not get into trouble for not showing for jury duty.

 

Let us know if you can do this!

[NMLady]

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!! I got a call and am postponed until September. Waiting for the official email but now I can focus on getting ready for Alaska. Than you everyone for your input and support.

 

Glad to know you got your answer and duty was postponed. Now you can relax.

[hapster85]

You clearly have no idea how grand juries work.

 

I'm well aware of the difference between petit and grand juries.