About 400 to 450 people are called to jury duty each week by the Collin County district clerk's office.
Sandra Simms is the county's jury clerk. She is responsible for mailing jury summonses. About one-third of those who are summoned choose to complain by telephone.
Simms has been jury clerk since 1985. She said that she thought she had heard just about every excuse. Still, every now and then a new one pops up.
The only people who are exempt from jury duty are those over 65, full-time students, those no longer living in the county, convicted felons and parents with children under the age of 10, but not those who work outside the home. In addition, some people have legitimate medical reasons for not serving.
Pay is not great. The county pays $7.50 a day for jury duty; average length of service is 2½ days, according to Simms.
Elected officials, lawyers, clergy, law enforcement officers and doctors are not exempt.
Most people call to complain or to get excused from jury duty. A lot mail in their protests. One of Simms' favorites is when a women mailed in an outline of a human body. It had arrows pointing to her various ailments. Simms said that the woman was still well enough to serve.
Occasionally, some people will come in person to voice their displeasure. Common complaints or excuses are that they are too busy, too important or too sensitive to sit in judgment of another person.
Some excuses are more bizarre. Simms cited a man who insisted that he should be excused because his dog was a diabetic. The man insisted that, because the dog required regular insulin injections, the master had to remain at home. The excuse did not work. The man served his jury duty, and the dog went to the veterinarian's office. Simms said that the man enjoyed his experience after all, but she did not know about the dog.
Another man said that he could not serve because he was an Elvis impersonator. The
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man always called from his car phone because he said that he was on the road entertaining all the time. Simms gave the man an extension—until he finished his tour.
Quotation from Simms: "Whenever he'd call he'd sound like he was at the bottom of a well. Maybe it was the connection, but he didn't sound anything like Elvis."
Simms said that she wished the man would have come to her office so that she could "see if he at least looks like Elvis."
Simms said that she is firm that all who are summoned must serve—at least eventually. She allows a month's extension for people who telephone in for almost any reason. However, for a second request, the person must come in person on the day he or she is scheduled for jury duty.
At this point, most people accept the responsibility, or at least resign themselves to the inevitability, Simms noted.
Simms said, however, that some people cannot be calmed. If this is the case, she refers them to District Clerk Hannah Kunkle.
Kunkle remembered one such "uncalmable person." He was a preacher who claimed that he should be exempt because he was booked years in advance going around the country saving souls.
Quotation from Kunkle: "I don't know what kind of evangelist he was. He was in my office, and I couldn't believe the swearing that came from his mouth."
It made no difference; the swearing preacher served.
Kunkle also mentioned an incident when a "doctor" called and said that his duty should be postponed again "because he said he had to see his patients." When Kunkle looked at the man's questionnaire, however, she found that the man was a veterinarian.
"He got no more postponements," she said.
Simms said that she empathizes with people who want to get out of jury duty because they are self-employed or because their employers won't pay their salaries while they serve. But, they still must serve.
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Exercise 22.6
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2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education