Grand Jury Summons

I just got a grand jury summons in the mail for a 19 week term starting in December. From what I understand. Grand Juries are different than regular juries and the selection process is different as well. I've read that no matter what you have to serve on the grand jury. There is no getting out. You are only able to postpone it. I've read descriptions where during selection you say pass or serve and then if you pass they will pick you again, seemingly within the year.

As I work at a job where I can basically take off whenever I want and they will pay me for jury duty. I really don't have any issues serving. I think it would be an interesting once in a lifetime experience that i won't be able to talk about with anybody except in broad general terms!

I have been picked to serve as a petit juror once before, but the listings of the names were online and my name never popped up so I didn't have to go in.

Anyone have any experience with Grand Juries? or any interesting regular juries too?

I was on a Jury about 9-10 years ago, and a Grand Jury about 5 years ago.

The Jury trail was interesting, damn interesting. The Grand Jury was pretty much a waste of time. We OK'ed everything the prosecutor wanted, because it is 110% true when New York State chief judge Sol Wachtler said that "a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich."

SenorXm/Sirius said:

I was on a Jury about 9-10 years ago, and a Grand Jury about 5 years ago.

The Jury trail was interesting, damn interesting. The Grand Jury was pretty much a waste of time. We OK'ed everything the prosecutor wanted, because it is 110% true when New York State chief judge Sol Wachtler said that "a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich."

Click to expand...

Cool. I'm still a little confused about the selection process of Grand Juries. Can you NOT get picked at the time of date that you go into the courthouse and then dismiss you? I've read that after that you will get a Must Serve summons in the mail. Is this true for everyone or is this the people who just choose to postpone it? If you say serve, I believe you serve on that day and wherever consecutive days they put you on

I'd rather just get it over with. I have no idea what I'll be doing 5 years from now.

ModerateGOP said:

I just got a grand jury summons in the mail for a 19 week term starting in December. From what I understand. Grand Juries are different than regular juries and the selection process is different as well. I've read that no matter what you have to serve on the grand jury. There is no getting out. You are only able to postpone it. I've read descriptions where during selection you say pass or serve and then if you pass they will pick you again, seemingly within the year.

As I work at a job where I can basically take off whenever I want and they will pay me for jury duty. I really don't have any issues serving. I think it would be an interesting once in a lifetime experience that i won't be able to talk about with anybody except in broad general terms!

I have been picked to serve as a petit juror once before, but the listings of the names were online and my name never popped up so I didn't have to go in.

Anyone have any experience with Grand Juries? or any interesting regular juries too?

Click to expand...

A few years back I got a GJ summons for around Christmas time. A couple of weeks before reporting it got cancelled.

The last time I got called for jury duty locally was roughly 25 years ago.

Lutherf said:

A few years back I got a GJ summons for around Christmas time. A couple of weeks before reporting it got cancelled.

The last time I got called for jury duty locally was roughly 25 years ago.

Click to expand...

Yea, I wonder if they pick younger people more and older people less. As younger people tend to not have a lot going on except maybe crappy jobs that won't pay them to go. I'm lucky in that way, I don't think I'd have much to try to get out of it. Plus I kinda want to do it.

Every state, and probably every jurisdiction conducts Grand Jury proceedings differently. Some don't use Grand Juries at all. Hubby served on one in a little town in Texas in which the prosecutor laid out the charges to the jury and then left the room with only a silent baliff to keep order should that be necessary. No judge or lawyers were present. The jury members themselves, directed by their elected foreman, then questioned the accused and witnesses and decided whether to indict. In most cases the prosecutor will be present and directs the process. If a majority of the jury vote to indict, then on that recommendation, the judge will almost always indict though I don't think he is absolutely required to do so. The jury is bound to strict confidentiality to allow witnesses more freedom to tell what they know and also to protect the reputation of the defendent should the Grand Jury vote not to indict.

ModerateGOP said:

Cool. I'm still a little confused about the selection process of Grand Juries. Can you NOT get picked at the time of date that you go into the courthouse and then dismiss you? I've read that after that you will get a Must Serve summons in the mail. Is this true for everyone or is this the people who just choose to postpone it? If you say serve, I believe you serve on that day and wherever consecutive days they put you on

I'd rather just get it over with. I have no idea what I'll be doing 5 years from now.

Click to expand...

I think every state does their GJ's differently. With mine it was basically someone from the DA's office asking a few questions to a witness or 2. No cross-examines. No lawyers from the defendants were there. Like I said, they could indict a ham sandwich. In 2 weeks we didn't turn down a single indictment.

As far as how they pick you, and if you can postpone, again I'm pretty sure that varies state to state. I don't remember everything, but I do remember getting a notice in the mail. Mail the notice back with 'this' box checked saying I would serve, or mail it back with 'that' box checked and a reason I can't show up. I pretty sure though I only had 6 months to put it off, more than that and I had to have a damn good reason.

Under the common law, citizens could convene GJ, to investigate government malfeasance if necessary. Those days are gone, and under our present system the GJ is just a tool of government, not the citizens.

I was the intended victim of a Grand Jury. I blew the whistle on perjury in a trial and the deputy D.A. wanted revenge. One of the police officers involved in the perjury, another police officer who'd quit the job under pressure, and a third who simply didn't like me were willing to testify that I'd covered up an illegal search.

I was called to the D.A.s office and asked, "What were you doing on Dec. 23rd (and a year three years previous.)?
"Why?"
"Just answer the question."
"I'll have to check my work diary."
"I want the diary."
"And I won't give it to you." I got up and walked out.

My chief asked the state investigative agency to investigate the allegations against me. The District Attorney raised hell. He's do all the investigation that needed doing. The state conducted an investigation. The District Attorney's office refused to cooperate. The official finders were that I was being framed by someone in the D.A.s office but since they were allowed to interview anyone in the D.A.s office they couldn't say who.

The intent was to impanel a grand jury which is conducted in secret. In secret except for "leaks" from the D.A.'s office. They would have seen that I was convicted in the media and then announced they didn't have quite enough evidence to actually prosecute me.

Needless to say, I don't care much for the grand jury system. It's unnecessary and as usually conducted it is simply a political smear machine.