Do you know which of the following are reasons to think twice about volunteering to serve on a jury? (You may be surprised.)


Read through the list. Pick the statements that are true and reasonable. Then click on the link to the right for the "real" reasons (and a few tips on how to get out of jury duty):

1. You can be fired. 
2. Life is too short to waste your time this way.
3. There are criminals in courthouses, as well as lawyers and people with guns.
4. The defendant's gang will know who you are, where you live, and who lives with you. They may seek revenge.
5. The defense attorney can run credit and background checks on you: these checks can include your medical and mental-health history and contacting your employer, friends, neighbors, and relatives.
6. You will have to swear an oath that may violate your freedom of speech, thought, and religion or lack thereof.
7. You'll be expected to police your fellow jurors and rat on them if they violate the rules.
8. You'll be subject to peer pressure during deliberations that make high school look like a mature, rational institution of colleagues.
9. You could end up being charged with the crime of perjury.
10. You could end up being held in contempt of court for voting your conscience.
11. You could end up being charged with accepting a bribe for your vote.
12. You could end up being charged with threatening or bribing a fellow juror.
13. You could end up being publicly charged with juror misconduct, such as conducting your own investigation, and dismissed from the jury.
14. You could be publicly humiliated in the media during or after the trial, such as being labeled "fat" or a "cupcake."
15. The judge can negate your hard-fought decision by overruling the verdict or declaring a mistrial.
16. You may have second thoughts about your decision after the trial, but there's nothing you can do to change it.
17. If you oppose the death penalty, you'll be caught on the horns of a dilemma: You'll have to admit it, thus ensuring that the defendant is going to be tried by a "death-qualified jury." If you lie in voir dire and say you could consider capital punishment, and then in the end you vote against the death penalty, you will have done something highly unethical.
18. The experience can be traumatic and haunt you for years.

To see which of the 18 items are legitimate concerns about jury duty, click here.

The next page also has links to webpages with tips about how to get out of jury duty, if you're so inclined.