Jury duty

Dingle_berry

No doubt this has been asked before but I couldn't find the relevant thread(s).
I recently got to read a jury summons. Included in it was a list of those ineligible, disqualified and able to be excused by right.
It makes sense that those already involved in justice are ineligible. They may already have had dealings with the defendant or witnesses or may have to deal with them in the future. Those who can't read probably couldn't independently evaluate all the evidence. While an employee won't lose pay a student would likely have to repeat the year if they had to serve for a trial.
Those disqualified, like those with serious criminal convictions, have already shown that they don't have much respect for law, society, etc.
But what's with the list of professions given the right to excuse themselves? Civil Servants (but not public servants?), pilots? Ships captains? Why doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists but not physiotherapists, radiographers, social workers etc?

TheQuietFella

Hail Mary, full of grace............

Dingle_berry

TheQuietFella wrote: »

Hail Mary, full of grace............

Them too, though non-denominational. I suppose they would be in a pickle if they heard confession or cave counsel and then had to sit on the jury...

Or do you mean that the health care workers given the right to self excuse are the professions where the clergy traditionally double jobbed? Still doesn't make sense for pilots, ships captains or only civil servants?

GerardKeating

Dingle_berry wrote: »

No doubt this has been asked before but I couldn't find the relevant thread(s).
I recently got to read a jury summons. Included in it was a list of those ineligible, disqualified and able to be excused by right.
It makes sense that those already involved in justice are ineligible. They may already have had dealings with the defendant or witnesses or may have to deal with them in the future. Those who can't read probably couldn't independently evaluate all the evidence. While an employee won't lose pay a student would likely have to repeat the year if they had to serve for a trial.
Those disqualified, like those with serious criminal convictions, have already shown that they don't have much respect for law, society, etc.
But what's with the list of professions given the right to excuse themselves? Civil Servants (but not public servants?), pilots? Ships captains? Why doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists but not physiotherapists, radiographers, social workers etc?

Civil servants would make sense, the state prosecutes people, and they are employees of the state.

Ships Captains could be away at seas for months.

Doctors, Nurses might have a connection with any medical witness, or even come across the victim in the course of their duties.

"Physiotherapists", will they cannot think/list every job in the universe.

snowflaker

Not all Civil Servants are exempt, very few infact

Victor

Dingle_berry wrote: »

Why doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists but not physiotherapists, radiographers, social workers etc?

A few things come to mind:
* The first group are more likely to deal with intoxicated / anesthetised patients who may say things that compromise them in a criminal justice matter, whether what is said is accurate or not.
* Removing the first group from work could potentially have a serious effect on the medical system, as the length of the trial is not fixed.
* Some of them are well-connected professions.

Dingle_berry

GerardKeating wrote: »

Civil servants would make sense, the state prosecutes people, and they are employees of the state.

So are public servants?

GerardKeating wrote: »

Ships Captains could be away at seas for months.

So are other professions - including other shipping professionals? Why airline pilots too? And when called for jury service it replaces your work.

GerardKeating wrote: »

Doctors, Nurses might have a connection with any medical witness, or even come across the victim in the course of their duties.

"Physiotherapists", will they cannot think/list every job in the universe.

But care assistants, physiotherapists etc may also have a connection with medical witness or meet the victim/accused through the course of their duties? If you can't list all the professions exempt in an industry you'd just say employees of the x industry surely?

Hollister11

I'm a student in my final year.

If I was summoned I'd refuse, as I don't have time not spend doing college work.

snowflaker

The following persons if it is certified that their functions cannot reasonably be performed by another person or postponed; members of staff of either House of the Oireachtas, Heads of Government Departments, other civil servants, chief executive officers and employees of local authorities, Health Service Executive (HSE) Areas and harbour authorities, school teachers and university lecturers.

Doesn't give an automatic exemption

368100

I think you get an exemption if you work in a different county to where you live...can anyone confirm?

snowflaker

Hollister11 wrote: »

I'm a student in my final year.

If I was summoned I'd refuse, as I don't have time not spend doing college work.

You're exempted anyway.

snowflaker

368100 wrote: »

I think you get an exemption if you work in a different county to where you live...can anyone confirm?

I don’t think so.

Dingle_berry

snowflaker wrote: »

Doesn't give an automatic exemption

In the summons it had 3 lists, list 3 was persons excusable as of right and listed practising medical practitioners, dentists, nurses, midwives, veterinary surgeons or pharmaceutical chemists. As well as Masters of vessels, duly licensed pilots and duly licensed aircraft commanders, the Secretary of the commissioners of irish lights.

It just seems like an incomplete or odd mix of professions. No doubt there was some attempt at logic in the list, just can't see what it is.

Captain_Crash

I was called for jury duty several years ago and a large number of people on the first day just told the judge they couldn't do it for whatever reason, and the judge exempted them without issue. One persons mother was there to say that her daughter couldn't make is as she was going on holidays that morning and the judge was cool about it.

It seems to me that although they have a list of exemptions on the summons, if you just tell the judge on the day that you cant/don't want to you'll be excused.