What is jury duty?

What happens if a person does not show up for jury duty without warning?

• A friend of mine says that she once was called to jury duty and on the morning she had show up for the first day, she was not feeling well and just did not go. She did not call or write to explain. (As far as I know, a person can show up on the first day and ask to have his/her participation postponed and then will be scheduled to come back months later. However my friend did not show up at all). Then a few months later she got another notice to show for jury duty. The police did not break down her door and arrest her. She did not get a letter telling her that charges will be filed against her for failing in her civic duty. I don't know if a person would get any kind of "bad name" with the authorities by not showing up for jury duty, not even to ask to have his/her participation rescheduled. I don't know if a person not showing up at all will somehow be put on someone's record. Is it assumed by the "jury duty process" that if a person does not show up ( no prior calls or warning) that the person just wants to be called some other time, (or maybe did not get the first notice ) and another time will be arranged automatically? Will it show on a potential juror's record? Subsequently, should a person want to participate in jury duty in the future (should s/he have no job as a lot of jobless people are reportedly doing now ) and wants to earn some money by participating in jury duty, will the juror be punished by not being considered for jury duty or will the juror be put as last on the list to consider for jury duty since s/he was unreliable in showing up in the past? What is the punishment for not showing up for jury duty? Is there a punishment for not showing up for jury duty?

• Answer:

  Not showing up for jury duty on your assigned date is a serious offense. Your friend could have been fined or spent time in jail for not showing up. If she was too sick to do her duty on her assigned date, she should have called the courthouse and told them so. She might have been excused on that basis.