A couple of weeks ago, I
received an official-looking letter from the Jury Commissioner, Sibley County
Court Administration. Along with about
199 other citizens of Sibley
County, I had been
summoned for jury duty!
The process of selecting jurors
involves randomly selecting them from a list of names compiled from the voter
registration lists and drivers licenses issued in each county of Minnesota. Terms of jury service vary a lot, depending
on the size of the county and the number of trials. In some counties, a prospective juror reports
each day for one week, and then is excused at that time or at the conclusion of
the trial for which he or she is chosen.
In others, like Sibley, a juror is on call for, say, four months, but
receives mailed notice if he or she is to report for a trial the following
week. They are also told to call in to
the jury line the night before to be certain the case has not settled. (Such cases often will settle at the last
minute.)
Along with the summons was
included a questionnaire that I was required to answer to determine whether or
not I am qualified to serve as a juror.
I am a United States
citizen. I am over age 18. I am a resident of Sibley County. I can communicate in English. I do not have a physical or mental disability
that would affect my ability to serve on a jury. I have never been convicted of a felony. And I have not served on a jury within the
past four years.
I am not 70 years or
older. (Folks over 70 have the option to
be excused from jury service, if they wish.)
So, I’m down to the last
question on whether I am qualified for jury service:
“Are you a judge in the
judicial branch?”
Well, yes I am. And that fact disqualifies me from serving as
a juror.
I do spend some time every
four months considering requests from prospective jurors to excuse or postpone
their service. There are really very few
such requests. Most people summoned,
though they may not be thrilled at the prospect of jury duty, are more than
willing to do their civic duty. Some,
however, are prohibited from their religious beliefs to serve as jurors. Others have desperate situations at home that
make it virtually impossible to serve.
Others have projects at work for several months, and ask that they do
their jury service after that project is complete. Still others are students attending school
far away from Sibley
County.
I try to be as considerate and
fair as possible, while requiring citizens to do their duty when called.
