Airline New Hire/Jury Duty Scenario

bc2209

bc2209

Well-Known Member
What would you do?

You have received a letter telling you that you're on a list for Grand Jury Duty. You could be called in the next 12 months to sit two days a week for four months to be part of a grand jury.

You are also approaching your 1500 hours in the next couple of months.

Suck it up and delay new hire training? Get hired and try to finish new hire/IOE? Try to postpone jury duty?

I don't know what to do.
 
Personally, I wouldn't let jury duty get in the way of your career, especially if it means delaying new hire training. Try to postpone it. I'm sure if you explain to them the circumstances should it be an issue, HOPEFULLY they would understand and move on to the next one. I've had a similar situation in the past and they were very understanding.
 
I'm sure a letter from any airline could get your jury duty postponed until training is finished. Most airline contracts outline how jury duty works for pilots.
 
You're kind of obligated to do it. And your employer is kind of obligated to not be able to do anything about it, plus keep your job there waiting for you. There are many ways out of it. If you're single, and, well, broke, should be given a pass, this time.
 
I wouldn't delay new hire training. My Dad was on a grand jury, and they let him off for life-related issues. Don't stress it too much.
 
The chances are really pretty small you get called during training. If so, a letter from the airline will likely get you skipped over (I wrote several as CP and never had an issue).
 
Go to training and don't worry about it till anything happens. Depending on the court you can postpone your summons once before you have to show, instructions to do that might be on the summons itself.

Of the last 3 times I have received a jury summons I haven't had to show up for anything.
 
Keep going to work and doing what you're doing. Instead of trying to dodge jury duty.

If you get summoned, take advantage of it and serve. Wouldn't you want your jury to be something other than twelve people that don't want to be there and couldn't get out of it?


Sent from my iPhone using Etch a Sketch.
 
This sounds to me like a federal grand jury, on which I once served for eighteen months. That two days a month actually turned out to be more like four to five because of all the federal drug cases at the time in El Paso, and the fact we got caught up in a local public corruption case that the D.A. didn't want to turn over to the next grand jury (hence the six-month extension).

If it's indeed federal, go ahead with the training. Here's why:

A federal grand jury consists of 23 members. It takes 16 to meet quorum, and people skipped sessions all the time (with permission) for everything from PTA meetings to vacations. All the feds care about is meeting quorum, and excused absences were very easy to get.

If this grand jury is state, county, or local, check for those rules, but I'm guessing those rules are similar.
 
RDoug said:
This sounds to me like a federal grand jury, on which I once served for eighteen months. That two days a month actually turned out to be more like four to five because of all the federal drug cases at the time in El Paso, and the fact we got caught up in a local public corruption case that the D.A. didn't want to turn over to the next grand jury (hence the six-month extension).

If it's indeed federal, go ahead with the training. Here's why:

A federal grand jury consists of 23 members. It takes 16 to meet quorum, and people skipped sessions all the time (with permission) for everything from PTA meetings to vacations. All the feds care about is meeting quorum, and excused absences were very easy to get.

If this grand jury is state, county, or local, check for those rules, but I'm guessing those rules are similar.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's a county grand jury
 
FloridaLarry said:
Not a time-bomb I'd like to have ticking behind me. Particularly when simple options could leave you clean and shiny.
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I ignored my last jury duty letter. Lots going on in my life at the time. I have not heard a pep from them since. Two and a half years ago Collin county, Texas.
 
Corporate Pilot said:
I ignored my last jury duty letter. Lots going on in my life at the time. I have not heard a pep from them since. Two and a half years ago Collin county, Texas.
Click to expand...

You were lucky. It's so easy to talk to them and be safe; why take a chance on a residual problem?

There are three organizations I don't want to leave pissed off at me: FAA, IRS and any part of the court system.
 
RDoug said:
This sounds to me like a federal grand jury, on which I once served for eighteen months. That two days a month actually turned out to be more like four to five because of all the federal drug cases at the time in El Paso, and the fact we got caught up in a local public corruption case that the D.A. didn't want to turn over to the next grand jury (hence the six-month extension).

If it's indeed federal, go ahead with the training. Here's why:

A federal grand jury consists of 23 members. It takes 16 to meet quorum, and people skipped sessions all the time (with permission) for everything from PTA meetings to vacations. All the feds care about is meeting quorum, and excused absences were very easy to get.

If this grand jury is state, county, or local, check for those rules, but I'm guessing those rules are similar.
Click to expand...
In theory, a grand jury does serious indictments and is a check on local (or Federal) prosecutorial authority.

In practice...well, what you just said.
 
I don't understand folks' chronic desire to avoid participating in what is a civic duty as an American.

To the OP, you haven't been called to do anything that conflicts with your job yet. If something does, call your Chief Pilot and send him the jury summons, and then work out the conflict with your job.

It isn't that cosmic.
 
I enjoyed jury duty. It can be tedious but all in all it was great to serve on a jury.

Chances are, though, it won't interrupt your life, and in the way it does you'll find rewarding. No worries, work it out with the chief and charge on.....
 
Hacker15e said:
I don't understand folks' chronic desire to avoid participating in what is a civic duty as an American.
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Me neither. I hadn't been called (that I know of, I was essentially a vagrant airline pilot for 7 years) until I moved to Texas, where they freaking love a jury trial. Got summoned after a year and a half here, but my employer has a time writing code for jury duty so I was ready to go as long as was needed.
 
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