Frabjous Times

essay politics new_jersey

State Grand Jury summons

Today I received a summons to a State Grand Jury. Oddly, this is the very first jury duty notice I've received in my life, even though I've been on the voter rolls every place I've lived for almost thirty years now.
I filled the questionnaire form out and will send it in tomorrow as part of my civic duty. On the stub, there is this notice:
N.J.S. 2B:20-14b. Every person summoned as a grand or petit juror who shall either fail to appear or refuse, without reasonable excuse, to serve, shall be liable for a fine not to exceed $500 … or may be punished for contempt of court.
and there is a list of the reasons you may cite for being excused from service, as follows (also listed at this site):
  • You are 75 years of age or older;
  • You have served within the first three years in the same county in which the juror is again being summoned;
  • Jury service will impose a severe hardship to you. Examples of severe hardship include medical and financial reasons;
  • You have a personal obligation to care for others, including the sick and dependent children;
  • You are a volunteer firefighter or first aid squad member;
  • You provide highly specialized technical health care service for which replacement cannot be reasonably obtained;
  • You are a health care worker directly involved in the care of a handicapped person, and your continued presence is essential to that person's regular and personal treatment;
  • You are a full-time member of the instructional staff at a grammar school or high school, are summoned during the school term, and a replacement cannot be easily obtained; or
  • You are a volunteer member of a fire department, fire patrol, first aid or rescue squad.
I'm pretty sure that being a “Furniture Medic” does not get me off under the sixth reason here.
If I do get called up, I'll mention as much here as I'm allowed to.
Originally published: 2005/08/17 22:19:34
Previously published: Wed Aug 17 21:22:20 2005