Jury Duty While pregnant

[kathryn06]

Hi ladies, hope everyone is well, really need to have a moan just now so sorry in advance

I got a citation in for jury duty the other week, starting today. When i called the court to see if i could get an exemption since i'm 32 weeks pregnant, i was told that i had to attend as being pregnant is not an illness!!!!!!!!!!

Now while i understand that you have to take part in jury duty, i dont think its fair to expect a very pregnant woman to sit in those horrid hard church style seats for 8 hours a day!!!!!!! Seriously all i can think of is that im going to end up with piles

The other worry i have is that my citation is for the High Court, imagine if i got a murder trial, it would be so stressful, so not what i need right now.

Today was meant to be my first day but i was told we were not needed till tomorrow.

I really need to get out of this, im getting married in 3 weeks, and knowing my luck the case will run for ages and i'll miss my own wedding!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading, just had to vent all my worries lol

xxxxxxx

 

[girl friday]

Could you get medical note from your doctor? Don't know it jury service works the same way in Scotland as it does in England, but here you are not guaranteed to be selected to sit on a jury.

When I did it they have something like 20 people staring jury service a week, all doing it for 2 weeks (unless a trial goes on longer). When a new trial started about 15 people were called and then those 15 were narrowed down to 12. anyone not selected could go home.

 

[KatiePC]

Just say you think you know the defendant from somewhere!! That will mean you won't get on the case if you get picked for a jury. When I did mine years ago I was lucky and only got cases that lasted a couple of days each. And to be honest we didn't start til 10 each morning, and then were done by 4 latest, and had a two hour lunch(I swear I saw the judge with a whisky too!) Some people didn't even get a case so fingers crossed!!!!

 

[Boudica]

The juries don't sit for 8 hours. The case doesn't start until 10.30 and finish at the latest at 4.30.

There are regular breaks and one hour for lunch.

I have never seen hard benches - they all seem to be those upholstered seats these days.

But I am with you - I would not be able to do jury service. I need to wee much more regularly than hourly if the LO kicks my bladder. I have retching fits and often feel dreadfully sick. I would be a liability on a jury.

Good luck - I believe in jury duty and think everyone should pay their civic dues. However, I would hate to be on a jury with someone like me at the moment, I am sure I would be disrupting proceedings all the time.

 

[MrsGlitz]

If you do get picked, I would ask how long they expect it to go on for and explain about your wedding!

I did jury duty last year. I went in 3 times during the first week and was sent home at lunch time each time after not getting picked. Finally got picked the following week but the case wasn't called until 11am, then we had a break for lunch of 1.5 hours at 12.30 and were dismissed at 4. The next day started at 10.00, done by 11.30, sent off for our deliberations, delivered verdict by 2.30.

 

[aladrian]

A friend of mine had the same thing...she went in & told them that if she was selected they needed to provide a bucket as she was still having morning sickness at the time & was in her 3rd tri. Obviously they didn't pick her.

As to your situation I figure if you tell them that they need to allow you breaks every 5 mins to wee they won't select you either as it would cause too much of a disturbance.

 

[kristen77]

Hun, I would def go to my doctor and get a note to get out of it - just tell your dr that the idea of it is stressing you out - I am sure that if you get a doctor's note then they won't be able to force you to do it....mind you they might then just defer it to when you've had your baby which might not be a better alternative... Rubbish timing hun, hope you get something sorted

ps love aladrian's idea about loo breaks - i am sure they wouldn't want that!!

 

[Emx]

I would put all your issues (including wee breaks, needing a bucket (Lol) wedding etc) into a letter and send it to them... I was asked to do jury duty in the first week of my new job (and career) as a teacher a few years ago... I said I was going to miss the most important week of the year, miss bonding with students etc etc and got let off doing it, so its worth a go as I think you have better reasons than I did x

 

[Teach123]

You should be able to defer it. The information you need to do this should be in the pack which you got sent with your summons. I got called last summer 3 weeks before my wedding and deferred and then got called again for this february. I was 20 weeks whilst doing it, did think of deferring again but not able to. My main concern was the toilet situation but you do have plenty of breaks etc. I was unluncky and got a long case which ran the duration of the 2 weeks but others were not called at all. Your reasons will be plenty enough to defer you just have to do it in writing.

 

[c.c]

i had to do jury service and all i done was sit around alday reading magazines and using my meal card to pig out it was better than work lol.. but then i never got picked not everyone does as so many people are there hopefully youll do your 2weeks and slip through the net like i did..

if not hope it all goes well and im sure if its a bad case you can appeal not to do it maybe get a doctors note as they cant expect a heavily pregnant lady to go through an emotional trial... good luck hun xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[MrsGlitz]

It sounds like it has already started so I don't think she can defer now?

 

[LogansMama]

Wow. I just got jury duty as well- and one of the ONLY acceptable excuses to get out of it is pregnancy. I did need a doctors note, but that was it.

Can you postpone it one time? Then hope they don't call till after baby is born?

 

[LogansMama]

Ya know - I was just thinking - and chances are - they won't pick you anyway. What lawyer is going to want a pregnant woman on the jury - with the possibility she may go into labor and throw a wrench in everything?

 

[belladonna]

Hmm seems a bit weird that they have picked you at this stage of your pregnancy- how long ago did they call you? Did you not ask for it to be deferred then? Also I presume that they have to let you go to medical appointments and they wouldn't be able to put you on a case thats too long as you may be getting close to your due date and you don't have to do jury duty for a year after giving birth.

 

[jess3012]

Hiya all mummies to be!
I was called for jury service in october 09 and when i was there i never got picked to stand on a jury so i just sat in the jury room the whole time! was very boring but at least i didn't have to listen to the cases as some of them were horrible!
You never know you might not even get picked and if they have enough people to cover they send people home early so just ask if you can be relieved of the service as soon as they can cover!
Hope this helps.
https://davf.daisypath.com/x11c.png
https://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev152pp___.png

 

[bunnyhop]

I would complain tbh as you should of had more than a weeks notice. DH got called last week for May but he just rang them as i will be 36 weeks preg and hes needed for 5 weeks and they let him change no problem at all

 

[Alisha1985]

You don't have to attend jury duty if you have a valid medical note from your GP.

 

[Alisha1985]

Ya know - I was just thinking - and chances are - they won't pick you anyway. What lawyer is going to want a pregnant woman on the jury - with the possibility she may go into labor and throw a wrench in everything?

lmao i read that as 'throw a wrench at everything'

 

[teal]

I was called for jury duty the week before my due date. I explained to them I was pregnant and they just needed confirmation from my doctor so they could excuse me from it xx

 

[Lynz16]

You should prob just turn up and hope that you don't get selected for the actual jury because if you don't I think that (in scotland anyway) they can call you up again and again whereas if you don't sit on the jury but go in for the selection you can't get called again for a minimum of 2 years.
Its prob better to chance your luck that even if you were to be picked that the lawyers would reject you anyway than to end up being called up again when your LO is say only a month old.
I was called up 3 times in 2 years but luckily only actually had to sit on one that lasted about 4 hours before the guy decided to change his plea to guilty!