Grand Jury Duty.
Short story: I wasn’t selected and am back at school!
Long story: In preparing for grand jury duty, I was frustrated by the lack of information I could find anywhere regarding the specifics of grand jury duty, particularly in comparison to “normal” jury duty. So, here is my experience with it…
Grand juries do not hear one case and decide guilt or innocence, they hear the evidence compiled and decide whether or not the DA has enough to indict the accused. It goes from 10am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, and is a set commitment of 9 or 10 days. That’s it; it will not be less, and cannot be extended.
On the day you are summoned, you show up and gather in the courtroom. Eventually, they will do a roll call and when your name is called you respond one of two ways: WILL SERVE or APPLICATION. “Will serve” means you are ready and willing to serve on a grand jury starting that day and going for the next two weeks. “Application” means that, for some reason, right now does not work for you. “Application” is not an excusal, it’s a deferral, meaning eventually you will need to serve. If you call “Application” too many times, you will finally get a summons saying Final Must Serve, and you, no matter what, must serve that time.
Once the roll call is done, all of the “Will Serve” names get put into a old-school bingo-like container, which is then cranked and spun to mix up the names. They call out people’s names and assign them to a grand jury. Typically, they have enough people who Will Serve to fill their needs (if not, they will bring in the “Application” people to make a plea before a judge). If you say you Will Serve and do not get chosen, you’re done! You are released with the thanks of the court and cannot be summoned again for 6 years. It is risky to say “Will Serve” and bank on not being called, however, because once you say “Will Serve” and are picked, you must serve. Also, there is no questioning or interviews to be selected. If you’re name is picked, you’re on the jury.
My knowledge of Grand Jury Duty ends there, because I was one of those “Will Serve” people who was not called. Of course, this was the first time that I was actually potentially looking forward to serving and did not get picked (maybe that’s the key of jury duty??). Either way, I’m back at school and am clear of a summons for 6 years!
