Chicagoist: Ask Chicagoist: Facing Jury Duty

guest

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:37:52 -0600

I too have just received a notice for jury duty. Mine is for district court at 219 s. dearborn. The notice i received states that i must call an 800 ph no every nite to get my instructions for the next day. If i am not used the next day, i can go about my usual activities for the day. but then i must call that night for the following day, and so on for 2 weeks. I have never heard of being basically on standby reserve for 2 weeks, has anyone had to do this?

Linda Yankee

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:53:37 -0600

If you are on a jury, legally does the company that you work for have to pay you for the time that you are on a jury?

Rolando

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 14:19:20 -0600

Question I have Jury duty on the 10 of this month. But I have lost my paper that I was sent, who do I have to call to let them know I cant make it on that day do to work?

Anonymous

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:37:31 -0600

Your advice is generally pretty good, BUT... you cannot bring food into the 26th & Cal building, and you do go through metal detectors/x-rays -- they will confiscate. If you are selected as a juror, however, you will be provided food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) -- think grade school cafeteria (salisbury steak and the like) -- and can request special dietary needs (kosher, etc.). There is a full-service cafeteria in the office building and a quickie cafeteria in the court building, and a newsstand in the connecting lobby. You are also free to leave the building at lunch times/etc. to find food, although there isn't much around but Popeye's and a small mexican place that's actually pretty good.

Caty Tota

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 16:02:27 -0600

You guys are the 26782 best, thanks so much for the help.

solitare

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 13:18:17 -0600

solitare Probaly you should read this. solitare Hope this helps. See you next life

solitare

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 13:17:42 -0600

solitare Probaly you should read this. solitare Hope this helps. See you next life

sarah

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 15:47:50 -0600

Russell, Thanks so much! Your info is great, and thanks to Michelle for the clarification.

Tim

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 14:48:51 -0600

Depending on the judge, during the voir dire process, if you try to play up the "I'm biased against ___ group and could not be fair and impartial" angle in the hopes of getting booted out of the pool, the judge may become a real hardass and keep you in the pool just to spite you. I saw it happen on the trial I ended up sitting on.

Russell Roberts

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 14:01:56 -0600

Cool Michelle, thanks for pointing that out! I have to tell you, one day is plenty long enough...glad I live in cook co.

Mo

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:34:07 -0600

It's funny that this letter gets printed today. I was supposed to report for jury selection TODAY, but they didn't call my name last night. If I weren't so busy for the holidays and slammed at work, I actually think I might like being on a jury (for a short trial).

michelle

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:31:29 -0600

"Illinois is on the one-day, one-trial system." Actually, that's Cook County. Other counties (such as Lake County, Ill.) may have you sitting and reading for a week.

FredN.

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:42:29 -0600

I've been there quite a bit, and only want to point out that it is a jail, not a prison. thanks.

Russell Roberts

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:40:51 -0600

I've been called twice since I've lived here in Chicago and for the most part I can describe my jury duty experience as many hours of boredom followed by about an hour of semi-interesting proceedures. You show up (yes parking is availible and free, at least when I went) you register and they show you a video and issue you a pool number. If your number gets called you go to a court-room with all the other people on your pool and wait some more. They'll put enough people in the jury box to fill it then the judge (with lawyers defendants and plantif present) will start asking questions to each juror, after a bit the lawyers get a shot at you and they go down the line until they've asked everyone in the box all the questions that they want. Then the Judge and Lawyers step out and decide who they want to keep and who they don't. The keepers stay and the others are replaced by people left in your pool. This proceedure is repeated until they have a full jury and then eveybody else in the pool is released. Illinois is on the one-day, one-trial system. That means that if you sit all day and you're pool isn't called then you're fee to go, if you are seated on a trial you serve until the end of that trial. As far as food goes, yeah they have vending machines, crackers, candy pop and the like. You can't leave while they have you there so if you get peckish or thirsty its vendo-land or suffer. You do released for an hour for lunch and you can go anywhere and get what you want inside or outside the building. I had a nice little lunch at a pub a couple blocks north (I think it was north) of that facility. As far as dress. Pretend its casual friday and you'll be fine. Bring plenty of reading material, a psp, portable DVD player, laptop, gameboy, a deck of cards, whatever you've got for entertainment cuz you just might have to sit in the holding area all day with really nothing to do. They will put on TV's for people but really, come on, daytime TV? Oh and at the end of the day, you get a check for $17.50 the state mandated daily compensation for you being good enough to do your civic duty.