Why I Want to Leave California, Part 3
Let's talk about Jury Duty for a moment, shall we?
In California--at least in Riverside County--there is an unspeakably, laughably, horrific system in place for Jury Duty.
First of all, if you are registered to vote, you will, without fail, receive a Jury Summons every 12 months.
How the Jury Summons works: on the Sunday night before your service begins, you have to call in or check the Courts website to see whether or not you are required to attend on Monday morning. (More often than not, the website and phone service are down. I am genuinely not kidding, here.) If you are LUCKY, and yes, I mean, actually lucky, you will be told to report to the courthouse at 8 am on Monday morning.
Otherwise, they tell you to call in or check the website again on Monday morning. What happens beyond then is a crapshoot.
True Scenario: My 2012 Jury Summons followed this pattern. I checked the website around 9 AM Monday morning. Website told me to check again at 11:15 AM. Well, as it turns out, I got caught up in work obligations (because god forbid we be productive members of society when we are serving the whims of the Great Competent Nanny State of California), so was unable to check the website until 12 PM. The website helpfully informed me that I was supposed to report for Jury Duty at 11:45 AM. Let's take a moment to think about this: if I had checked the website right on time, at 11:15, I would have had 30 minutes to drive to the court house, find parking, go through security, and stand in line to report. The drive to the courthouse alone is 40 minutes.
If you don't have to drop everything at some odd time on Monday to make haste down to the Courthouse, you are instructed to call in/check the website again on Monday evening to see if you need to report on Tuesday.
Sometimes it will tell you to check back at 9 or 11 or whatever on Tuesday morning, and then run the risk of the aforementioned scenario. Otherwise, check back Tuesday night.
Same thing on Wednesday.
Same thing on Thursday.
This makes so much sense. Really.
In California--at least in Riverside County--there is an unspeakably, laughably, horrific system in place for Jury Duty.
First of all, if you are registered to vote, you will, without fail, receive a Jury Summons every 12 months.
How the Jury Summons works: on the Sunday night before your service begins, you have to call in or check the Courts website to see whether or not you are required to attend on Monday morning. (More often than not, the website and phone service are down. I am genuinely not kidding, here.) If you are LUCKY, and yes, I mean, actually lucky, you will be told to report to the courthouse at 8 am on Monday morning.
Otherwise, they tell you to call in or check the website again on Monday morning. What happens beyond then is a crapshoot.
True Scenario: My 2012 Jury Summons followed this pattern. I checked the website around 9 AM Monday morning. Website told me to check again at 11:15 AM. Well, as it turns out, I got caught up in work obligations (because god forbid we be productive members of society when we are serving the whims of the Great Competent Nanny State of California), so was unable to check the website until 12 PM. The website helpfully informed me that I was supposed to report for Jury Duty at 11:45 AM. Let's take a moment to think about this: if I had checked the website right on time, at 11:15, I would have had 30 minutes to drive to the court house, find parking, go through security, and stand in line to report. The drive to the courthouse alone is 40 minutes.
If you don't have to drop everything at some odd time on Monday to make haste down to the Courthouse, you are instructed to call in/check the website again on Monday evening to see if you need to report on Tuesday.
Sometimes it will tell you to check back at 9 or 11 or whatever on Tuesday morning, and then run the risk of the aforementioned scenario. Otherwise, check back Tuesday night.
Same thing on Wednesday.
Same thing on Thursday.
This makes so much sense. Really.