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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to to expect to be excused from jury duty?! Request to be excused denied!😱

226 replies

TotallyScrewed · 17/02/2021 07:11

Like many others the last 10 months or so has been an absolute shitshow😅 Partner and I both work, have been homeschooling a 7 year old and we have two preschoolers who’ve been at home with us for long stretches of time when nursery is shut.

Now I’ve been called for jury duty!!!😱 I thought, well, SURELY my request for excusal will be approved!

  • I’m homeschooling
  • When nursery is open the little ones need collecting at 3 and I am the only one who can do it (no family nearby and husband works late)
  • I’m also a university lecturer slap bang in the middle of term. I know work is supposed to give you time off for this but I would feel bad for my students (especially the dissertation ones!) suddenly disappearing on them!!!

I explained all these things and my request for excusal was refused!!! I’m quite shocked to be honest. I do totally understand the importance of jury duty and in normal times I would be so happy to oblige but I’m already barely keeping my head above water as it is😭😭😭

Has anyone successfully been excused and if so on what grounds?!

Also, vote away!
IABU: There’s nothing special about you, do your bloody jury duty.
IANBU: You’ve suffered enough and should be excused😂

OP posts:
HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 17/02/2021 07:12

I think you can defer once, why not do that?

Jangle33 · 17/02/2021 07:14

Did you ask your employer to explain why you need to defer due to students’ dissertation time?

TheRealCherHorowitz · 17/02/2021 07:14

I was excused from jury duty when I was a student living in another part of the country. I wanted to do it but my dad was a police officer and thought it might be traumatic. I think you’ve got a better excuse than me!

Fayrazzled · 17/02/2021 07:16

I’m a primary school teacher and successfully deferred mine when I explained the impact on staffing. I did ask for a deferral not to be excused though.

spookycookies · 17/02/2021 07:17

I don't think that's an excuse. Sorry. Everyone has to arrange childcare/work commitments. It's a pain for everyone. If your excuses were valid no woman would ever do jury duty.

Fayrazzled · 17/02/2021 07:17

This was just a few weeks ago by the way so during the current Covid restrictions

tonystarksrighthand · 17/02/2021 07:18

Just say you've got Covid symptoms. This trumps everything 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ostryga · 17/02/2021 07:19

She’ll need a positive covid test to use that as an excuse.

Just ask for a deferral.

Marley20 · 17/02/2021 07:20

@spookycookies
I don't think that's an excuse. Sorry. Everyone has to arrange childcare/work commitments. It's a pain for everyone. If your excuses were valid no woman would ever do jury duty.

Oh that's ok then, she can just tell the kids to make their own way home 🤷🤷

Original poster
TotallyScrewed · 17/02/2021 07:23

@Marley20😂😂😂 Yeah I’m sure the toddlers can walk themselves home and make their own tea😂

It would be different in normal times, I could get my mum to visit (it possible at the mo as abroad) for help with childcare but at the moment I don’t have that option and obviously after school clubs are not running!!!

OP posts:
partyatthepalace · 17/02/2021 07:23

You could ask to defer it for now, but I don't think you can expect them to allow you get out of it entirely. Your work needs to give you time off, and your husband would presumably adjust his work to pick up the kids.

Loftyloft · 17/02/2021 07:23

You definitely need to ask for a deferral.

Can’t exactly bring homeschooling child with you.

FunnyInjury · 17/02/2021 07:27

I was deferred once and then had to do it. Was a pain in the arse tbh but once I worked out how I'd manage it wasnt too bad.
Few days had an early finish and in week one I didn't have to go in on the Friday as we finished a 2 day trial the day before and new ones dont start on Fridays.
I did have stay on into week 3 though so be prepared for it to be more than 2 weeks.

BebeStevens · 17/02/2021 07:28

Home schooling isn't a valid reason in normal times, but being a lecturer actually is the last time I checked. Very strange. However, you need to ask to defer until a time when you can more reasonably do it, for now. Perhaps next year out of term time.

LadyWhistledown · 17/02/2021 07:29

I agree with previous posters, I think it's quite hard to get excused altogether from jury service but they should allow you to defer once for any reason.

I'm not sure how much choice you get in when you are called back up, I had to fill in a form to state which dates/times I would prefer to avoid but there was no option to not do it at all.

Wabbabalooba · 17/02/2021 07:34

@Loftyloft

You definitely need to ask for a deferral.

Can’t exactly bring homeschooling child with you.

Or you could just take them 😂

If the excuse gets rejected, I would literally show up with two pre-schoolers and treat it as a life lesson "so sometimes grown ups have to do exciting things like this...look, that man is called a JUDGE. Can you say that?"

...I'm sure they'll send you home quick enough.

Parker231 · 17/02/2021 07:35

Deferring is possible although you don’t get a say in when you will be called again. You won’t get excused totally as you are expected to make alternative childcare arrangements ie DH adjusting his hours/taking time off

Butchyrestingface · 17/02/2021 07:36

I was called for jury duty a few years ago.

Wrote them a polite letter asking to be excused on the grounds that I work in a very niche field and provide services to the courts on a regular basis.

Never heard from them again, either to excuse me or otherwise.

I remember being in court once (for work) whilst the prospective jury members were called in to be pooled. Court officer told me half those cited hadn't shown up. I said, "oooh, will a lot of people be getting knocks at the door tonight?" His response: courts don't have enough resources to follow up on the no-shows. 🤷‍♀️

PeachPiePip · 17/02/2021 07:36

Oh goodness, it would be a hassle in normal times, but so much more now. It doesn’t do anyone justice to insist people participate when they don’t want to do so. YANBU

superking · 17/02/2021 07:36

I was able to defer due to childcare issues. I was a SAHM to a 2 and 5 year old and received the summons with only a couple of weeks notice, the dates also fell over the Christmas period so would have been very hard to find temporary childcare. I requested to defer for a year by which time my youngest would be in part time pre-school and I would have time to make alternative childcare arrangements, and this was accepted.

I don't think childcare, unless of a young baby, is enough to be excused. The expectation is that you will make childcare arrangements (they do reimburse your reasonable expenses for this). However I think it would be reasonable for you to.ask to defer (and to give a date when you would be available).

MarinaMarinara · 17/02/2021 07:37

Did you ask to be excused altogether or just to defer? If you asked to be excused I would go back and ask just to defer. I’d anticipate that would be much better received. Your reasons look like excellent reasons to defer, but not to be excused completely.

PeonyRose80 · 17/02/2021 07:37

I deferred once with a letter from work as was about to manage an audit, and then the next time my daughter was booked in for an operation the 2nd day so I was excused. I was pretty glad as the cases going on at the time went on for weeks!

ememem84 · 17/02/2021 07:39

I’d love to be called for jury duty.

oakleaffy · 17/02/2021 07:41

I was excused..Just had a baby..but in retrospect would like to have done it.

Until some people who I knew have done it said some cases are very harrowing.
They never mentioned what, or the case, or outcome, but that it could be distressing to hear about.

MinnieMountain · 17/02/2021 07:42

I deferred once due to a busy time at work.

The second time I deferred I was ebf my 3mo and never got called back. But maybe that was because I’d already served on a jury by then