Federal Jury Duty.
 

Anyone done Federal Jury Duty lately? I am in line to serve sometime this January 2010 in Ocala and would like to know what kind of case might I expect to see?

I filled out the forms for Federal Jury a few months after I moved here to The Villages from the Tampa Bay area in 2005. They sure take their time.

I served on Federal Jury last year on a druck trafficking case. Good luck.

It will be a civil or criminal case.

In Federal Court, criminal cases are often "white collar" crimes or drug trafficing offenses. Generally murder and mayhem cases are state criminal offenses. The good news is that these types of cases can be very interesting...the bad news is that they can drag out.

A large number Federal Court civil cases are employment cases brought under the discrimination statutes like the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination Act or the Disabilities Act. At one point these types of cases represented over 50% of the Federal court systems civil legal docket. Increasingly, the Federal Court is becoming bogged down with jury trials in patent infringement litigation. Hope you are not placed on a patent case.

Most cases settle before trial.

Good luck.

Tal:

I served at least two times on Federal cases, many years ago, in St. Louis. Each case was a civil matter. One lasted the better part of two weeks (my boss was NOT happy!), the other two days.

A huge amount of boring time, while waiting for the judge and attorneys to do their thing. I remember a fellow juror bringing, and reading, two different books on a second day, because he read a whole book the first day!

SWR
:beer3:

Thanks for the various responses.
 

I will have to take a good book which I have only just started if and when I get called at the end of this month. They keep informing me to check back in a few weeks on their website to see if I have to come in for jury duty.

Not sure how this works but I do remember back in the late 90's a friend of mine got called for Federal jury duty and ended up on a Federal Grand Jury. He had to go once or twice a week for six months.

I was on a Fed jury years ago - a bomb making case.

Well my federal jury service obligation is over.
 

I went, answered questions, and then took my usual walk off of the jury panel. This has always happened when the attorneys and/or judge hears or figures out that I have a law degree.

This was an interesting case involving alleged employment discrimination in a Lake County Police Department. It will probably show up in the news at the end of the weak when the trial winds down and the jury makes up their minds.

I was called for federal and right after that I got called for superior court where I was on a murder trial of a gang banger in Gary Indiana a few years ago. He was found guilty........I was familiar with the area it happened and recognized some gang members in the seating.
Gary was my service area for the company I worked for........I started carrying my gun again for a while.

docket
 

I did a search to see if Marion County, Fl., puts their court dockets on line. It will at least give you a general idea of the types of cases they hear. Hope it helps.

http://dockets.justia.com/search?que...&max-year=2010

Wow, that's funny, I got called for jury duty in superior court right after serving on a federal jury too. Are you my otherbrudda or something? lol :beer3:

Thanks, bkcunnigham1. The case I was a potential juror for...
 

... is listed on the docket as being filed almost two years ago. Which seems about right for a Federal case of its kind.

You are more than welcome
 

I was a journalist for about 22 years. I loved covering court cases...weird I guess.

Whadayaknow, I keep finding things in common with other TOTVers on this thread. I covered court cases as a journalist too. :beer3:

Hello cousin
 

Ahh, a member of the fourth estate. Hello there cuz! Are you still writing?

Hi cuz! I'm not. et tu? Sometimes I wonder what they even teach in journalism school anymore. Most of what passes for journalism today is... oops, don't get me started.
:024:

answer to et tu
 

Non per la stampa pturner.

Where do you report for a Federal Jury??

location of federal courts
 

784caroline, if you live in Central Florida use this link to the US Distict Court Middle District of Florida. Look on the right of the page for "Jury Information Sheet" and click on your location. For information pertaining to jury duty in another location or state, visit the website for you local federal court.

http://www.flmd.uscourts.gov/

Villagers would probably report for Federal Jury Service in Ocala.
 

Unless, that is, they live in more than one place.

I reported at the Federal Court Building in Ocala which covers residents of Sumter, Lake, and Marion Counties.

Here is the case in which I was part of the juror pool.
 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,2929485.story

It would have been an interesting case to be a juror on.

Outcome of Clermont Federal "Spanglish" case
 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,7378012.story

I think I would have come down on this decision too of taking the employers' side over the Clermont officer who claimed via the US Constitution that he had a right to write his police reports partially in Spanish.