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November 2013 Moms
megswen
member
Jury duty while pregnant
megswen
member
Have any of you served on jury duty while you were pregnant? I just got called for next week, and I am not looking forward to it, since I have to pee often, my joints ache when I sit for too long, and I have to eat every hour. Do you ladies have any advice? Would you do it, or try to get excused? I called them, and they said that my midwife would have to fax a letter saying that I'd have a hard time with it. Do you think my reasons are valid? I am just dreading this.
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Re: Jury duty while pregnant
I would do it but only because I've always wanted too!
I lasted 45 minutes sitting in a chair at church before I had to get up and walk around. My hips and tailbone hurt!
So, I'd get out of it if it were me.
yes. I would not use pregnancy as an excuse just to get out of it just "because I didn't feel like doing it."
Now, if you have legitimate reasons (i.e. cannot sit for extended periods of time, due to pregnancy or if the trial date is set for close to your due date (sometimes you're called in and told you're "on call for the next 6 months")), then that might be a reason to forgo for now, and get a dr's note.
If it were me, I'd try to get out of it because jury duty has always been horrific for my family. MIL was on it for a YEAR and had to drive two hours ONE WAY to get to the courthouse. Add to the fact that she was a night-shift RN and had to call in by 8PM to know whether she had to be there the next day for jury duty (when was she supposed to stop taking care of her patients to remember to call at 8pm???). It was a baaaaad situation and it was a long-term thing to try to get out of it. Stuff kept getting canceled on the court side of it, and it was an utter nightmare.
Hubby was on jury duty once for an entire year. He had to be "on call" and for several months was on some big court case (or it was big for our area anyway). He works 60 hours a week, and this was an utter nightmare for him, too.
I could go on and on about family issues with jury duty. Those are just the two "best" ones. I was called once, and managed to get out of it because of my work situation and having a preemie who needed me.
This is why I hate jury duty.
Pregnancy isn't an excuse. If you are having other symptoms that your doctor can agree with then get a note. But I don't think you should try to get out of it just because you don't want to do it.
I would do it and get it over with. Depending on the trial, they probably won't even call you to actually server on a jury because you are pregnant.
Four months after I gave birth to DS I got called for Federal Jury Duty (you are 'on call' for an ENTIRE MONTH). I was bf'ing at that point and asked for an exemption then and they gave me one because they couldn't promise me consistent times to pump especially if I got picked for a jury. I was called a year year later for the same jury duty and was on call all month and never got called in.
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Both sides are given a chance to decline any juror during selection. I would bet that neither side would want an "emotional" juror on the panel.
I'm an attorney and most judges will describe the process and how often breaks are taken, etc. and then ask if anyone has any concerns about being able to handle it right at the beginning. Jurors are let go because they can't sit for long periods of time, they can't hear well, they need to use the restroom frequently, etc. In my experience, most courts typically start at 9am for jurors with a break around 10:30, and then lunch from 12-1, break at 2:30 and wrap up at 4-4:30. So you would only have to be able to go about an hour and a half for eating/bathroom, etc. if the Court follows a similar schedule. And most courts don't allow food or beverages (even water in our Courthouse) so I find that when I am in court all day I don't have to pee nearly as much.
Also if it is a criminal case and there is a child involved in any way-- chances are you won't get seated.
I got called when I was six months preggo with DS. I tried everything I could to get out of it. When I told her I would need to use the restroom frequently, she told me they would takes breaks. uggg. I had to stay on. Thank goodness it was only 4 days.
Good luck