Q: Tell me about jury duty. How long does it last?
A: That depends on the length of the trial, and whether or not you are chosen as a juror. It might just be one day, it might be 6 months.
Both sides are allowed to “object” to a certain number of jurors, so you might be excused within just a few hours. Lawyers often object to jurors they think might vote against their client.
For example, if the trial is an assault trial, lawyers will ask the jury pool if any of them have ever been assaulted. If anyone answers yes, they are seen as being biased against the attacker, so they will be let go.
Q: Is it possible for people to decline jury duty for special reasons?
Yes. You can ask to be excused from duty for certain reasons. Some of those reasons include things like poor health, but the most common reason is “hardship” of some kind. For example, if you can show that having to miss work to be on the jury will negatively impact your income, then you are usually allowed to postpone your service.
A: Have you ever been called jury duty?
Yes, twice. I asked to be excused both times. Since I am divorced and cared for my son on my own, there would have been no one to look after him if I had been sequestered on a jury. This is considered a type of hardship, so the court excused me. Anyone who has registered to vote in their county can be called for jury duty.
(和訳)
Q: 陪審義務について教えて。陪審義務はどれくらい時間がかかるの？
A: 裁判の長さや、あなたが陪審員に選ばれるかどうかによるわ。1日かもしれないし６ヶ月になるかもしれないわ。
両方（原告、被告）とも、ある一定数の陪審員に異議を唱えることができるから、数時間以内に免除されるかもしれないわね。弁護士はよく依頼人に反対すると思われる陪審員に異議を唱えるの。
例えば、暴行事件の裁判なら、弁護士たちは陪審員候補者グループに暴行されたことがあるかを尋ねるのね。「ある」と答えた人がいたら、暴行した人に先入観をもつとして、その人は外されるわ。
Q: 特別な理由があれば陪審義務は辞退できるの？
A: できるわ。特定の理由があれば陪審義務の免除を申し立てできるの。健康上の問題等が含まれるんだけど、最も一般的なのは「困苦」に関するものね。例えば、陪審義務のために仕事を休まざるをえず、収入に悪影響が出る場合、義務の遂行の延期が許されるの。
Q: 陪審義務に招集されたことはある？
A: ２回あるわよ。両方とも免除をお願いした。私は離婚していて、息子の世話は私一人でしていたから、もし陪審義務で隔離されたら息子の面倒をみる人がいなかったの。これは困苦と考えられるので、裁判所は私を免除したわ。所属する郡で投票を登録している人は誰でも陪審義務に召喚されうるわ。
