Help! Jury duty and sitter just canceled

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honest question, does anyone know, do they actually put a warrant out for your arrest, a bench warrant or whatever it’s called, if you don’t show up? Is it all scare tactics? Like, imagine you legitimately didn’t receive the summons for some reason, or legitimately forgot. If you get pulled over for speeding, will you be arrested? New fear unlocked! Is there even a way to check for this?

No they don't. Judges are busy. So many bigger problems at their desk each day and in the world.

I'm not a shirker - I have served on two juries that were each over a week long. But also providing a "get real" perspective here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree this is your husband's problem to solve. You don't have a single neighbor who works from home? Where your kids could sit in their living room for an hour or two? I can think of like 10 people I could call for this in an emergency. Or, yeah, kids sit in your husband's office for two hours.

This is not always a realistic perspective. With the current job market/employment situation the way it is, some people, including many husbands, cannot just announce that they're going to skip a meeting last minute even when there is a big issue like a partner's jury duty and child care hanging in the balance. Many people are under A LOT of stress to show up and perform well at work right now in this economy. And not every workplace will just let kids sit in a husband's office (if there even is a traditional "office" to sit in -- what if her husband is in medicine or law enforcement or who knows what?)

As for neighbors, it's nice if an option exists in such an idyllic neighborhood, but in this day and age not everyone enjoys that sort of network, I certainly don't.

Working moms and working single dads do this kind of problem solving all the time. A father can do this too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honest question, does anyone know, do they actually put a warrant out for your arrest, a bench warrant or whatever it’s called, if you don’t show up? Is it all scare tactics? Like, imagine you legitimately didn’t receive the summons for some reason, or legitimately forgot. If you get pulled over for speeding, will you be arrested? New fear unlocked! Is there even a way to check for this?

It depends on your jurisdiction. I saw it happen in one of the eastern shore MD counties. What happened was that the judge issued a bench warrant for everyone who had missed jury duty over a certain period and ordered them to all appear at the same time (during a motions docket, which is why I saw it). Everyone was asked why they missed and then the judge imposed a lengthy period of jury service - like once a week for a few months. He told them that if they didn’t appear, next step was arrest.

Never saw anything like this anywhere else. But they were serious about people fulfilling their obligations.

And as to bringing kids to the courthouse, I would never. If you aren’t going to watch your kids at the courthouse, which you won’t be able to, they are better off at home, even alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t your kids in school?

This is a really annoying question to post on a DC based forum. We aren't a red state in the Deep South. We start school around Labor Day.

[Anonymous]

What did you end up doing OP? Did your husband step up? DH rarely took off for anything when our kids were younger since I was a SAHM but he 100% would have missed a meeting in this situation.

[Anonymous]

This is when you hope that you have been very nice to a neighbor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t your kids in school?

This is a really annoying question to post on a DC based forum. We aren't a red state in the Deep South. We start school around Labor Day.

Fairfax county is definitely Blue and school starts August 18!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What did you end up doing OP? Did your husband step up? DH rarely took off for anything when our kids were younger since I was a SAHM but he 100% would have missed a meeting in this situation.

Probably, court warrant issued and arrested. That's why we haven't seen a reply. Jury duty is hardcore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8 and 10 can be by themselves until 10 am when husband is available. It's a few hours, not all day.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have jury duty tomorrow, my sitter just had an emergency and has to cancel. My husband can’t miss a morning meeting, but can get the kids by 10am; he works near the courthouse. I have to appear there at the exact same time the jury duty office opens in the morning. No, there’s no option to leave a message. I’ve tried calling every number I can find.

Do I bring my kids? They are 8 and 10. My plan was to just bring them, find a little corner vestibule or whatever where they can sit and wait, tell DH where they are to pick them up, then head to the juror room, or whatever it’s called. I have no clue what to do and can find no after-hours assistance. I don’t want to just not show up or to show up at 10am.

This.

[Anonymous]

OP what did you end up doing?

[Anonymous]

OP here. I brought them. It was strange because at first they were going to just allow them to sit with me, DH was coming around 10, but then about a half hour later at just before 10, they excused me. We all went out for lunch because DH was literally pulling up. What a bizarre morning.

[Anonymous]

Well you showed up. Good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I brought them. It was strange because at first they were going to just allow them to sit with me, DH was coming around 10, but then about a half hour later at just before 10, they excused me. We all went out for lunch because DH was literally pulling up. What a bizarre morning.

Yeah - they probably had enough other jurors show up and realized that they didn't need you given the juries they needed to seat that day. Not uncommon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I brought them. It was strange because at first they were going to just allow them to sit with me, DH was coming around 10, but then about a half hour later at just before 10, they excused me. We all went out for lunch because DH was literally pulling up. What a bizarre morning.

Thanks for the update! I think that’s what I would have done, too. I spent many an hour at that age at my mom’s work meetings with a book.