Summoned for Jury Duty - New SAHM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have no babysitter you could ask? What would you do if you needed to go to a medical appointment? If you explain during voir dire that you are the primary childcare provider they should excuse you.

You get $50 for jury duty. It costs much more for a babysitter. It's not a fair ask of SAMP.

Where is this? Jury duty in Alexandria is $30 (if you actually have to go in and report).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC has a child care center in the superior courthouse. I don't think "my child will be traumatized by staying with the court's staff" is going to go over well. You can ask, but you may have to go in. If you don't want the court child care, you'd need to find someone else to watch your kids. I have a feeling you'll be dismissed though--both sides want jurors who are not distracted or grumpy.

+1 to all this

I served on a jury recently and it was a huge childcare hassle. I'm not a SAHM but I WFH and normally pick my kid up from school at 3. My DH was able to take the afternoon off on the day of my service, but then I wound up on a jury for 4 days and DH was leaving down for work, and we couldn't get into aftercare on short notice, so we hired a sitter. It was annoying to do on short notice and hard to set it up with the school to have the sitter do pickup on the fly.

But as the judge in my case explained, "I have to work" or "I have a kid" are not exceptional hardships. That describes most people. In order to have juries at all, people have to be willing to deal with his imposition. You just suck it up and then it's over -- you aren't special, this is what everyone must do.

[Anonymous]

Related to this, there has to be a better way. I would have loved to serve jury duty for years...boring job and could miss as many days as I wanted, and never called. Then during infertility/nursing years called repeatedly, and was able to defer. "Child" is now 19 and have never been called since.

[Anonymous]

Our country just doesn't know what to do with parents. It is such an unfriendly country for parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You call them and say you are a SAHM with young kids and no child care. Ask if you can bring the kids. They will probably excuse you. They did when I got a summons when my child was a few months old. No big deal.

DC has a childcare center for jurors so they will almost certainly tell you to bring them.

Plenty of people who work don't get paid during jury duty and still have to pay for childcare, or they need to use paid leave, which means that then they have to pay for childcare during extra weeks. For example, someone who would ordinarily take their week of leave during the summer so as to avoid paying for a week of camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have no babysitter you could ask? What would you do if you needed to go to a medical appointment? If you explain during voir dire that you are the primary childcare provider they should excuse you.

You get $50 for jury duty. It costs much more for a babysitter. It's not a fair ask of SAMP.

Why would someone who can afford the luxury of being a SAHP be unfair to ask, when they ask single parents working at McDonald's to serve jury duty?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Related to this, there has to be a better way. I would have loved to serve jury duty for years...boring job and could miss as many days as I wanted, and never called. Then during infertility/nursing years called repeatedly, and was able to defer. "Child" is now 19 and have never been called since.

not sure about here but in New York you can volunteer for extra jury duty. Many retired people do this in New York.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have no babysitter you could ask? What would you do if you needed to go to a medical appointment? If you explain during voir dire that you are the primary childcare provider they should excuse you.

You get $50 for jury duty. It costs much more for a babysitter. It's not a fair ask of SAMP.

Yes, we can have our nanny come for $26/hour and $39/hour for overtime...plus employer taxes. That's $325+ per day if I'm there 8 am - 5 pm plus commuting time, not to mention paying for parking/Uber because I don't feel safe walking to/riding the metro in the morning anymore. I checked, and they do have onsite provided childcare for children 2.5 and up who are potty trained, but we wouldn't be qualified for that. I also don't have anyone to drive my son to school and pick him up, though I could probably burden another parent to help in a pinch.

I understand that jury service isn't convenient for anyone; I just didn't realize that it is extra difficult as a stay at home parent.

I mean, part of your dilemma is that your husband cannot/will not pick up any slack for you and your family. I get it bc I am also a SAHM with a husband with an inflexible job. But you having to pay for the nanny and ask another parent to pick up your kid from preschool is 100 percent an extra issue because your husband can’t or won’t pitch in for a day.

[Anonymous]

Tell them you like crack

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have no babysitter you could ask? What would you do if you needed to go to a medical appointment? If you explain during voir dire that you are the primary childcare provider they should excuse you.

You get $50 for jury duty. It costs much more for a babysitter. It's not a fair ask of SAMP.

Yes, we can have our nanny come for $26/hour and $39/hour for overtime...plus employer taxes. That's $325+ per day if I'm there 8 am - 5 pm plus commuting time, not to mention paying for parking/Uber because I don't feel safe walking to/riding the metro in the morning anymore. I checked, and they do have onsite provided childcare for children 2.5 and up who are potty trained, but we wouldn't be qualified for that. I also don't have anyone to drive my son to school and pick him up, though I could probably burden another parent to help in a pinch.

I understand that jury service isn't convenient for anyone; I just didn't realize that it is extra difficult as a stay at home parent.

I mean, part of your dilemma is that your husband cannot/will not pick up any slack for you and your family. I get it bc I am also a SAHM with a husband with an inflexible job. But you having to pay for the nanny and ask another parent to pick up your kid from preschool is 100 percent an extra issue because your husband can’t or won’t pitch in for a day.

Have your husband identify a week when he can take off in advance, and sign up for that week. Or understand that you're paying for childcare so your husband can work. Which is what most working parents do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have no babysitter you could ask? What would you do if you needed to go to a medical appointment? If you explain during voir dire that you are the primary childcare provider they should excuse you.

You get $50 for jury duty. It costs much more for a babysitter. It's not a fair ask of SAMP.

Of course it's fair. We are all U.S. citizens enjoying our freedoms and serving on a jury is a small price to pay. If OP had opportunity to go away for a weekend in New York City with tickets to a good show, she would jump through hoops finding a babysitter. Think of it this way, if you were being tried for a crime or suing someone in civil case, what kind of people would you want on your jury. Serious illness or family death are valid reasons to ask to be excused from jury duty, SAHP is not valid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Traumatized? Lol

Well, yeah, I think it would be really traumatic. She’s never been in the care of anyone other than me, my husband, or our former nanny.

Snowflake raising a snowflake.

I'm not that poster but I'm pretty sure DC court childcare is dismal and dirty in the best of times. These are not the best of times.
I get not wanting my kid to be exposed to an environment that isn't up to my standards. I don't know that it would be traumatic unless something actually bad happened, but I would definitely worry about COVID now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our country just doesn't know what to do with parents. It is such an unfriendly country for parenting.

OMG! What claptrap. People like you are selfish, entitled jerks. Parents are not special. I have served on two juries and, yes, paid for a sitter. It is the price you pay for freedom.

[Anonymous]

I always honestly answer that I trust cops more than normal people. Gets me out every time. Serving on a jury is a choice. One I'll happily make when I'm retired. Or have extra tie on my hands. Til then nah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our country just doesn't know what to do with parents. It is such an unfriendly country for parenting.

You are one overly privileged nutjob. Holy crap.