Called in for Jury Duty? Try These Tips
Many of us will get called in for jury duty at some point, and nobody likes it. Here's some humorous suggestions if you MUST try to get out of it.
When I lived in the Twin Cities, I was called in for jury duty. Luckily I didn't have to serve as a juror and heard some pretty crazy excuses from people on why they couldn't serve. Those who choose the jurors out of the pool have heard every excuse and they're not supposed to care, but rather take into account how that person will affect the trial by jury. It's illegal to miss jury duty, and it's not convenient, so some people will go to the extreme to get released from it.
Don't think about lying to get out of it. It's likely that you would be charged for perjury and in prison for up to 5 years if you try.
There's got to be humor in having to serve jury duty though! Keep in mind these tips are completely meant to be humorous, and you probably don't want to actually try these...
- Answer all questions in Yoda-speak.
- Try to use a "save" on the defendant like the judges on "The Voice" do.
- Keep calling the judge "Reinhold".
- Come dressed in a powdered wig and insist on being called "Lord" while sporting a British accent.
- Tell the judge you were just diagnosed with tourette's and can't help it if you shout out a profanity here and there.
- Let them know you work in radio, instant removal (I'd think!).
In all seriousness, if you get called in for jury duty, it's just part of life. It helps to understand some of the myths about it. There's a great post here about the 8 biggest myths of jury duty that is pretty interesting and well worth a read.
Of course, if you've ever used an excuse that was a little out there, but still worked, I'd love to hear about it!