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sgardner1990 t1_iurj8yg wrote

I have never been summoned personally. But my ex at one point, he was able to write in/call in to the clerk of the court. An advise them that doing so would put him in financial hardship. I did see this is possibly an acceptable excuse in PA as well.

Good luck to you with this. The whole payment of jury duty needs reworked...

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moon_is_a_satellite t1_ius2p5h wrote

The one time I was summoned I told them I couldn’t afford to miss work and they excused me. This is the way to go.

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nonymiz t1_iuswdk1 wrote

Yep, they actually don't want people there that are upset with missing work... because they fear those people won't really do a proper deliberation and will just vote whatever they need to vote in order get it all over with so they can go home and get back to work.

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Weary_Ad7119 t1_iusynfn wrote

The issue is then only the rich serve on trials. Businesses should just be required to pay it out and have to budget for a certain number of years or it can be a tax. IDC which, it just needs to be built in to the total cost of the employee.

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banstyk t1_iuvb57p wrote

It seems to me that the state should pay from tax money and not the business? I mean the business is already hurt by the loss of an employee… also, what about people who are self-employed or retired? Are they not entitled to compensation for their time?

It’s appalling that people aren’t paid at least minimum wage, and of course even that would still be a hardship for most.

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mynameisalso t1_iuzzrxo wrote

The jury should get to keep any seized assets if they fund the person guilty 😂

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LameBMX t1_iutcidh wrote

You realize it's not the business problem? Make it too hard for a business to have an employee presence in your state, and they just won't. Even more so now with remote work so ingrained.

For example, PPG could virtually ghost the state fairly easy, keep the castle Grey skull address, and lean on their global resources fairly easy.

Of course it's doubtful any business would bail like that. But why should they pay when the government wants your time on top of the taxes they already pay the government?

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Esqurel t1_iutjuit wrote

That same argument applies to most things, and the answer is the same: because we live in a society and everyone has to do their part.

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LameBMX t1_iuu7hyp wrote

By the government, which both you and the business, are paying. The only party not really paying is the one receiving money.

https://www.ohsd.uscourts.gov/frequently-asked

Just picked a random Ohio one out of the blue. $50. Mileage. Hotel money if far enough away to justify. Iirc they also provide something resembling food.

If you want my time, why should anyone else pay me for it, but you? This isn't about doing a civic duty, strictly compensation for time missed from work.

I will concede there is some overly dramatic belly aching in these posts. If your business is going to fail due to a week of jury duty, odds are you have bigger problems.

Hell, I don't even have a dog in this fight. Between jobs, but last job a week unpaid wasn't going to break me, odds are no one would care about a week in jury duty anyways. Whatever the govmt gave is a nice gesture. But for others, it is. Specially when $10 hasn't even been gas money for like a decade.

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JoeyCalamaro t1_ius8mzs wrote

>But my ex at one point, he was able to write in/call in to the clerk of the court. An advise them that doing so would put him in financial hardship.

I was never summoned for Jury Duty back when I lived in PA, but since moving to Florida I've served three times in the span of about ten years. Since I'm self-employed, I'm not entitled to any compensation beyond the nominal $10 or whatever Florida gives you. And, if I'm not able to work, my business is completely dead in the water and I'm not only losing money, I'm losing customers.

As the primary wage earner for my household, that's a huge hit to my livelihood — but no one seemed to care. I wrote letters, spoke to Clerk of Courts, and even tried to appeal to the good nature of the judge(s) after I showed up. But each time I was met with indifference, at best, or even outright annoyance. One judge in particular actually made things worse for me, after I explained my situation by scheduling me as a standby juror for week.

Things might be different back in PA, but, here at least, my "excuses" never got me out of anything.

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RogueA t1_iusiask wrote

That's because you're living in a state that actively tries to make things worse for literally everyone living there. Most other states you can get out of duty with financial hardship.

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strikervulsine t1_iuuafis wrote

Tell them you don't believe a word the police say and believe in jury nullification and they'll dismiss you so fast your head will spin.

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Treestyles t1_iuukkoc wrote

Jury nullification isn’t a belief, it’s the law.

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strikervulsine t1_iuuuhj8 wrote

It's more a consequence of the law. During instructions, you're specifically told that, if you are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty, you must convict them.

Of course, the jury has the final say, so even if you think they did what they're accused of, you can still vote not guilty.

You will almost certainly be dismissed if you mention it during selection.

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Treestyles t1_iuuxnv9 wrote

Word games. It’s the difference between innocent and not guilty.

Ex: Sure, i had the weed they said i had, but i have no guilt about it because it’s not a real crime, and my peers should agree. I’m not innocent, but neither am I guilty.

That’s how it was intended to work, at least.

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FatCigarMafia t1_iusy1g7 wrote

They should pay your full pay at your job and then the $10 per day on top of that and then a per diem for parking and food.

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