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Grand Jury duty- have you ever been asked to do this


footfree

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I got a summons for jury duty, well what I thought was jury duty, then it turned out to be Grand jury duty. I wasnt picked to do it but I sure would have loved to have the chance.The pay is like $900 for a 3 month stint.It changes from state to state on how they do things but here in Tx.they choose 12 people and 4 alternates.I would have gone 2 times a week for 3 hours each day and then every other Friday for 3 hours.I bet I don't get the chance to do that one again.It seems that they want a more diverse group on the panel and since their was a lot of women my own age showing up to do  it  my odds were not good.But I would do it in a heart beat if given another shot.

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Sounds like Federal Grand Jury. I was summoned , but was excused due to disability and that I had impending surgery. The term was to be the same as yours - 3 months - and the pay about the same.

Back in 1991 , I did serve on Grand Jury for Monroe County here in town. The term there is for 4 weeks , 5 days a week , 9 hours per day (1 hour lunch). They select 2 panels of 23 persons as they have 2 in session at the same time. The pay at that time was $40 per day. The funny story behind it was that my employer at the time had gotten me out of jury duty once or twice and decided to accept it that time. They assumed , as did I , that it was for trial jury. When I get there , my name was called 4th or 5th and when asked if I would serve , I said "yes". That was when I found out it was for Grand Jury and I would be there for 4 weeks. My employer had to deal with it.

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I had a coworker get called for Grand Jury duty and by golly, they kept him.  As in, he couldn't have a TV in his room, no newspaper, no magazines, no contact with friends or family for 4 weeks.  Ridiculous!  He was staying in a hotel here in town.  I guess his mom was sick and they wouldn't let him leave to go over 2 blocks to see her in the hospital.  I am not sure what it paid, but he was not happy about it.

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One of the guys there was on another one before he was asked to do this one in another county.He said that one lasted 7 months so when the Judge asked him if he would like to be excused he said yes please.I mean he could have been excused initially if he had served in the last 2 years ,but it had to be the same county.,and since it wasnt he had to stay for this one.Like the Judge said you can always get out it's easy to do ,but to serve is a honorable gesture.

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Never heard of a Grand Jury here being sequestered at all. Locally , all they are doing is deciding if cases go to trial (bill) or not (no bill). They only rarely ever hear testimony from the defendants - just the witnesses. About half the cases when I served were DWI ones.

The only times here that a jury ever is sequestered is during a trial where outside influences are undesirable.

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We all watched the news and found out what was going on, it was a bank with shady dealings.  I guess that is why they had to sequester them. 

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I worked with someone who was on the Federal jury for the guy who was spying for the Chinese at a nuclear facility. Lasted for many months. They couldn't tell us at the time what it was about until it was over.  I wouldn't have minded being on that jury. Much more interesting than the 3 juries I've served in my lifetime.

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My husband got called for a vehicular homicide case.  His parents was good friends with the prosecuting attorney, he graduated from high school with the assistant attorney to the State's Atty, his aunt was the baliff on duty during the selection process, 2 other aunts had been called for the same jury, and the guy on trial was a nephew of his sister in law.  He basically knew everyone  at the table.  Needless to say, he said hello to everyone and was quickly dismissed from selection. 

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