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Post by maryland on Nov 29, 2017 13:38:08 GMT
I received a summons for jury duty last year, but they called the day before to say they settled, so I did not have to go. I got another summons and have to go tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect! I can't afford to go out and buy a suit (I don't work, so I have no business clothes). If you have had jury duty, are jeans acceptable to wear? Sorry to sound so clueless! I have a law degree, so it should be interesting for me. But I have been a sahm for 20 yrs.!
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Post by kimber731 on Nov 29, 2017 13:48:01 GMT
Jeans are generally not recommended, though you will see several in them. Just dress comfortable. Bring a book or other activity to occupy yourself as there will be a lot of down time.
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Post by lbp on Nov 29, 2017 13:54:10 GMT
When I was called for jury duty they sent several people in jeans home to change. So you at least need to wear dress pants. Boring most of the day. After the first day, I just had to call in every morning for a month to see if I was needed.
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Post by kckckc on Nov 29, 2017 13:57:05 GMT
I had jury duty last year - I would say that more than half the people there were wearing jeans. Nobody was sent home to change.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Nov 29, 2017 14:00:42 GMT
I've been in the last couple years too. Pretty casual, like kckckc said, people wore them no one cared.
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Post by Fidget on Nov 29, 2017 14:04:25 GMT
Our county does not allow jeans.
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Post by candygurl on Nov 29, 2017 14:05:22 GMT
I wore nice comfy black pants and a top with a sweater. Lots of waiting and nothing to do lol. Sometimes there was no place to sit so that’s not good for people who have trouble. I brought a book and at lunch went outside and ate. It was interesting to hear peopled excuses lol.
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Nov 29, 2017 14:05:57 GMT
I am an active-but-not-litigation attorney who has been called for jury duty many times. Every time I've had to actually go, I've worn jeans (or capris in summer) and a nice top - this time of year, it'd be a sweater. I'd say I'm always in the top 25% of "fancy" out of the potential jurors, and the notices all say "business attire is most appropriate", etc. Honestly, I'd never wear dress pants or a skirt/dress (unless it was like a super comfy maxi or something). Just look neat, clean, and tidy and you'll be fine. Don't look like it's laundry day or you just came in from mowing the lawn, but certainly don't feel you need to go buy something new.
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schizo319
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,030
Jun 28, 2014 0:26:58 GMT
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Post by schizo319 on Nov 29, 2017 14:07:21 GMT
Expect to sit and wait a LOT. I wouldn't worry too much about clothing, I remember several people in jeans when I served a few years ago.
I'm shocked at the idea that people are sent home to change out of jeans - it's insane that the state can require a "uniform" for compulsory service - if that is the case, they should include gift certificates for clothing along with the jury summons.
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Post by maryland on Nov 29, 2017 14:09:18 GMT
When I was called for jury duty they sent several people in jeans home to change. So you at least need to wear dress pants. Boring most of the day. After the first day, I just had to call in every morning for a month to see if I was needed. I live almost an hour away, so I can't go home to change. I don't even have dress pants! I am very casual (and hate to spend money on myself!). I have a pair of boots and a cardigan to dress it up a bit. It's just to pick a jury, so not the official trial, so maybe not as formal?
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maryannscraps
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Posts: 4,731
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Nov 29, 2017 14:11:44 GMT
Apparently it depends on where you live as to whether you can wear jeans. I didn't know that. I've been called many times, and I'm sure I wore neat jeans. I've never seen anyone sent home for wearing anything -- people were usually dressed casually.
I've been called at least ten times, but never made it onto a jury.
Some courthouses had super comfy jury waiting areas with nice seating, coffee, and some desks. Others had folding chairs and folding tables.
Goood luck!
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Post by maryland on Nov 29, 2017 14:12:03 GMT
I am an active-but-not-litigation attorney who has been called for jury duty many times. Every time I've had to actually go, I've worn jeans (or capris in summer) and a nice top - this time of year, it'd be a sweater. I'd say I'm always in the top 25% of "fancy" out of the potential jurors, and the notices all say "business attire is most appropriate", etc. Honestly, I'd never wear dress pants or a skirt/dress (unless it was like a super comfy maxi or something). Just look neat, clean, and tidy and you'll be fine. Don't look like it's laundry day or you just came in from mowing the lawn, but certainly don't feel you need to go buy something new. Thanks! If it was going to be as warm as it was yesterday, I could have worn my nice summer capris and nice sandals!
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Post by maryland on Nov 29, 2017 14:13:35 GMT
Expect to sit and wait a LOT. I wouldn't worry too much about clothing, I remember several people in jeans when I served a few years ago. I'm shocked at the idea that people are sent home to change out of jeans - it's insane that the state can require a "uniform" for compulsory service - if that is the case, they should include gift certificates for clothing along with the jury summons. I agree!
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pudgygroundhog
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Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Nov 29, 2017 14:13:49 GMT
I've served jury duty twice - once as an alternate on a civil case and most recently on a grand jury. I wore what I usually wear to work - jeans and a nice top. IIRC, most people were in jeans. Everybody looked presentable and respectful and I don't see how what you are wearing has any bearing on serving. I think it's ridiculous if they make people go home and change. It's hard enough to get people to serve jury duty without extra restrictions. If I were in that situation I would cite lack of appropriate wardrobe impacting my ability to serve and ask to be excused. What bs.
ETA: Bring a book. You potentially have a lot of waiting around.
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Post by maryland on Nov 29, 2017 14:14:32 GMT
Apparently it depends on where you live as to whether you can wear jeans. I didn't know that. I've been called many times, and I'm sure I wore neat jeans. I've never seen anyone sent home for wearing anything -- people were usually dressed casually. I've been called at least ten times, but never made it onto a jury. Some courthouses had super comfy jury waiting areas with nice seating, coffee, and some desks. Others had folding chairs and folding tables. Goood luck! I don't know why some people are called a lot and others are never called. They must love you!
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Post by anonrefugee on Nov 29, 2017 14:16:02 GMT
There are a few people in jeans here, but their overall presentation is that might be only style pants they own, which is okay. In another state where I served it wasn't allowed.
I've had to appear and gone through voir dire three times, but only gone onto a trial once. As a lay person I'm fascinated how they have to rely on a small sampling of info to make the selection decision.
We had to complete forms about education and answer questions by the attorneys about background. It would be interesting to see how they interpret you having a law degree and appearing casual.
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Post by annabella on Nov 29, 2017 14:16:45 GMT
I had jury duty last year - I would say that more than half the people there were wearing jeans. Nobody was sent home to change. Same. I wondered if they purposely dressed down hoping it would send them home? lol
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,710
Location: Houston, TX
Jun 25, 2014 22:47:49 GMT
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Post by smartypants71 on Nov 29, 2017 14:17:19 GMT
Our county jury duty recommends business attire , but the city dress code sets a pretty low bar LOL:
The following accessories and items of clothing are not permitted at the City of Houston Municipal Courts:
Shorts (all types) Hats (all types, excluding religious headwear) Muscle Shirts and Tank Tops Any item of clothing that displays offensive, vulgar, racist, sexist, gang-related, obscene language and/or graphics.
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Post by maryland on Nov 29, 2017 14:21:33 GMT
I've served jury duty twice - once as an alternate on a civil case and most recently on a grand jury. I wore what I usually wear to work - jeans and a nice top. IIRC, most people were in jeans. Everybody looked presentable and respectful and I don't see how what you are wearing has any bearing on serving. I think it's ridiculous if they make people go home and change. It's hard enough to get people to serve jury duty without extra restrictions. If I were in that situation I would cite lack of appropriate wardrobe impacting my ability to serve and ask to be excused. What bs. ETA: Bring a book. You potentially have a lot of waiting around. How long did you have to serve? The only negative for me if I get picked, is I may not be able to pick up my college daughter when her finals are over . She is in college 5 hrs. away, and my husband has a sprained ankle and isn't able to drive (right foot). She is in an apt., so she can stay (and she probably wants to stay!). The thing I am most nervous about is getting lost and not being able to find parking. I have no sense of direction! I plan to leave 2 hrs. early just to allow extra time for traffic and parking. Hopefully there is a McDonald's around an I can get something to eat and read a book until the courthouse opens.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Nov 29, 2017 14:33:09 GMT
I've served jury duty twice - once as an alternate on a civil case and most recently on a grand jury. I wore what I usually wear to work - jeans and a nice top. IIRC, most people were in jeans. Everybody looked presentable and respectful and I don't see how what you are wearing has any bearing on serving. I think it's ridiculous if they make people go home and change. It's hard enough to get people to serve jury duty without extra restrictions. If I were in that situation I would cite lack of appropriate wardrobe impacting my ability to serve and ask to be excused. What bs.ETA: Bring a book. You potentially have a lot of waiting around. Yes, this. I live in jeans and don’t think I even own a pair of dress pants that fit, and I definitely wouldn’t go out and spend money to buy something new just for that. I always joke that the only time I’ll wear a dress or skirt is for a wedding or a funeral, and ironically enough the two times I’ve worn a skirt in the last ten years was for my nephew’s wedding and BFF’s mom’s funeral. DH has served a couple times and has always worn jeans. He works in the trades and gets dirty every single day. The only dress pants he owns are the ones that match his suit and there’s no way he would put those on just to go serve jury duty. No way.
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Belle
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Posts: 4,309
Jun 28, 2014 4:39:12 GMT
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Post by Belle on Nov 29, 2017 14:45:39 GMT
I had jury duty in May. I'm in Seattle and, if they didn't accept jurors in jeans, there likely would not be many jurors available to serve. I wore jeans and never gave it a 2nd thought but this is a pretty casual part of the country. I had to serve in downtown Seattle in an area that is not the nicest.
I served just the 1 day until about 1pm and they sent us home. We were instructed to be available the following day but received notification that night by email or online (?) that we didn't have to come back.
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Belle
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Jun 28, 2014 4:39:12 GMT
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Post by Belle on Nov 29, 2017 14:50:02 GMT
I've served jury duty twice - once as an alternate on a civil case and most recently on a grand jury. I wore what I usually wear to work - jeans and a nice top. IIRC, most people were in jeans. Everybody looked presentable and respectful and I don't see how what you are wearing has any bearing on serving. I think it's ridiculous if they make people go home and change. It's hard enough to get people to serve jury duty without extra restrictions. If I were in that situation I would cite lack of appropriate wardrobe impacting my ability to serve and ask to be excused. What bs. ETA: Bring a book. You potentially have a lot of waiting around. How long did you have to serve? The only negative for me if I get picked, is I may not be able to pick up my college daughter when her finals are over . She is in college 5 hrs. away, and my husband has a sprained ankle and isn't able to drive (right foot). She is in an apt., so she can stay (and she probably wants to stay!). The thing I am most nervous about is getting lost and not being able to find parking. I have no sense of direction! I plan to leave 2 hrs. early just to allow extra time for traffic and parking. Hopefully there is a McDonald's around an I can get something to eat and read a book until the courthouse opens. If you are asked to be on a jury, there should be an opportunity to let the judge know you have a family commitment out of town. Ideally, if the case is long enough to conflict with picking up your daughter, they should pick another jury member. I do think it depends on the judge and maybe how large the jury pool is though.
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Post by KelleeM on Nov 29, 2017 15:10:27 GMT
Apparently it depends on where you live as to whether you can wear jeans. I didn't know that. I've been called many times, and I'm sure I wore neat jeans. I've never seen anyone sent home for wearing anything -- people were usually dressed casually. I've been called at least ten times, but never made it onto a jury. Some courthouses had super comfy jury waiting areas with nice seating, coffee, and some desks. Others had folding chairs and folding tables. Goood luck! This is exactly my experience. Probably because we live in the same state. I’d love to be on a jury someday.
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Post by MZF on Nov 29, 2017 15:25:59 GMT
Here you can wear almost anything--jeans, sweatpants with Birkenstocks, whatever. My son is on a jury right now, he says pretty much anything goes.
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Post by maryland on Nov 29, 2017 15:50:31 GMT
How long did you have to serve? The only negative for me if I get picked, is I may not be able to pick up my college daughter when her finals are over . She is in college 5 hrs. away, and my husband has a sprained ankle and isn't able to drive (right foot). She is in an apt., so she can stay (and she probably wants to stay!). The thing I am most nervous about is getting lost and not being able to find parking. I have no sense of direction! I plan to leave 2 hrs. early just to allow extra time for traffic and parking. Hopefully there is a McDonald's around an I can get something to eat and read a book until the courthouse opens. If you are asked to be on a jury, there should be an opportunity to let the judge know you have a family commitment out of town. Ideally, if the case is long enough to conflict with picking up your daughter, they should pick another jury member. I do think it depends on the judge and maybe how large the jury pool is though. They weren't very nice when I called with a question, so I am just going to do what they say. She finishes on a Tues, so I would be able to pick her up on the weekend. She is in an apt., so no problem with her staying. I would rather have to do it now than in the summer when we have vacation. My husband was going to be able to pick her up if necessary, but on Sat. he decided to play basketball with and ended up in the ER! And of course it was his driving foot!
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Post by librarylady on Nov 29, 2017 16:08:30 GMT
I think the answer depends upon the county where you live.
Rural locations are probably more casual. Big cities--not so much.
It has been a few years since I was called, but business clothing is what is specified. Perhaps you can call the officer of the court and ask if jeans would be acceptable in your location.
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PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,352
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Nov 29, 2017 17:38:43 GMT
Clothing suggestions/requirements & prohibited items should be specified on the notice. Dress comfortably (especially shoes, if you must walk far to/from parking &/or restaurants), & be prepared to answer numerous questions not just about yourself, but your spouse, children, parents, neighborhood, etc.
The spacious two story jury suite here is relatively luxurious with several zones, including private cubicles/conference rooms, billiards/gameroom, movie room with popcorn, concessions, outdoor space, etc. I understand accommodations are generic waiting areas with a vending machine in other places. Be certain to bring your phone charger, a book, crossword puzzles, etc. to occupy your downtime.
Best wishes, & hope it's a positive experience...
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Post by bc2ca on Nov 29, 2017 17:46:46 GMT
DD was called for jury duty earlier this year and I'm 99% sure she wore yoga pants or leggings.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Nov 29, 2017 17:59:47 GMT
I've served jury duty twice - once as an alternate on a civil case and most recently on a grand jury. I wore what I usually wear to work - jeans and a nice top. IIRC, most people were in jeans. Everybody looked presentable and respectful and I don't see how what you are wearing has any bearing on serving. I think it's ridiculous if they make people go home and change. It's hard enough to get people to serve jury duty without extra restrictions. If I were in that situation I would cite lack of appropriate wardrobe impacting my ability to serve and ask to be excused. What bs. ETA: Bring a book. You potentially have a lot of waiting around. How long did you have to serve? The only negative for me if I get picked, is I may not be able to pick up my college daughter when her finals are over . She is in college 5 hrs. away, and my husband has a sprained ankle and isn't able to drive (right foot). She is in an apt., so she can stay (and she probably wants to stay!). The thing I am most nervous about is getting lost and not being able to find parking. I have no sense of direction! I plan to leave 2 hrs. early just to allow extra time for traffic and parking. Hopefully there is a McDonald's around an I can get something to eat and read a book until the courthouse opens. The civil case was over ten years ago, so my memory is fuzzy. I think the trail spanned 4-5 days? But it was not all day and it might not even have been every day. It was before my daughter was born and my work paid for my time at jury duty - so I had not complications at all. The grand jury session was two years ago and it was six weeks (normal session is 8 weeks, but we were the last term of the year and also the holidays, so it was shortened). That was every Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks (usually just half a day). It's a bigger commitment and just not possible for many people (many people excused themselves), but it was doable for me with work. The most common reaction to jury duty is moans and groans, but I thought it was a good experience to serve (although I should give the caveat that I didn't have to sit through a really difficult case, like something horrible involving a child. The civil case was medical malpractice and the grand jury was a big variety of cases). If somebody doesn't have an extenuating circumstance - like lost income from work - then I always encourage people to serve. The integrity of our system relies on good people serving and it can actually be pretty interesting to serve. Sounds like you have a good plan for leaving enough time for traffic and parking (parking is the biggest complaint people have here - they finally started comping for parking). I'm sure there will be some place nearby you can read if you have extra time (I always have a book with me too ).
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pudgygroundhog
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Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Nov 29, 2017 18:05:15 GMT
This thread keeps making me think of Liz Lemon on 30 Rock trying to get out of jury duty: Reporting for duty
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