Called for Jury Service

I am me123

The letter I received only stated my attendence was required on one particular day. (as stated).

Even if summoned for jury service, how does it all work? Is it guaranteed you will be chosen to attend for the entire duration?

Thanks.

cml387

It depends. You will be all gathered in the court and numbers will be called out. If your number comes up you will be on the jury (unless objected to by prosecution or defence). When 12 are selected the process ends but you may be called again the following day and thereafter until the court requirement for juries is satisfied.

witchgirl26

You'll be required to attend for the full week unless discharged while there - that happens if they've filled the jurys for the trials scheduled to start that week. Otherwise it's as cml387 said. Attend, wait for your number to be called, see if you make it on the jury (there's a lot of objections sometimes!). If not selected, it's back out to the jury pool & start the process all over again.

Last time I was there, I was in until midday Monday to Thursday at which point we all got discharged as the trails had their jurys.

I am me123

Thanks all,

How do I know my 'number' ? Is it included in the summons?

Victor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118350220#Comment_118350220

The potential juror can also ask to be excluded from a particular case in certain circumstances, e.g. if you know the parties, lawyers or witnesses or are aware of the details of the case.

Shelflife

Can you volunteer for jury duty ?

Not a specific case, but if you were retired and were interested in law ?

witchgirl26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118353313#Comment_118353313

From what I can remember it is on the summons up on the top right hand corner. Course I was last called about 5 years ago so that could have changed. Bring your summons with you on the day & just ask one of the people there. I found everyone in the courts really nice to deal with.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355185#Comment_118355185

Nope you can't volunteer - it's all completely random selection based off the electoral register. You can (well maybe not during Covid) sit in on a lot of trials if you had an interest in law. I know some students who did that to get a feel for the whole system.

Victor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355185#Comment_118355185

No. The idea is random selection, to prevent juries being loaded for or against defendants by interested parties. You can, of course, attend most trials.

Dempo1

Actually if I may, I'm 54, have never been called for jury service, spent many years abroad, back and fourth, work etc. I'm not on any electoral registers, do own a house etc, how are people called for Jury service, just out of pure curiosity, thanks 😁

Peregrinus

They are drawn from the electoral register. If you're not registered, that would explain why you were never called.

N/A

F1ngers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355318#Comment_118355318

Question was answered two posts before yours.

You are picked from the electoral register.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355318#Comment_118355318

As mentioned in another post "Random selection from the electoral registers".

I assume they would only call people in the general area of the court they are require to attened. For example a resident of Donegal would not be calleed to sit on Jury is a tral in a Limerick court.

Since most Jury trials would tend to be in Dublin, those out side the GDA would not tend to be called.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355301#Comment_118355301

Nope you can't volunteer - it's all completely random selection based off the electoral register.

as i learned recently, it's not. a few months ago, the chap two doors up from me was called. a week later, the woman next door was called. a week later, i was called. a week after that, my wife was called. so it's random in that they may randomly pick a street, but they seem to work their way down the street from what i can see.

both myself and my wife subsequently got a second letter to let us know our presence was no longer required - there were reports in the press about a shortage of judges so i suspect they didn't have the ability to take new cases forward.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355185#Comment_118355185

i suspect wanting to volunteer would automatically disqualify you! the defence (and less to the prosecution) would probably be exceptionally wary of someone like this.

The Mighty Quinn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355349#Comment_118355349

Interesting point.

Does this mean that most 'big' cases are comprised of a jury of Dublin people, or is there a concerted effort to take a selection from a national pool of people?

Not sure it matters particularly, I'm not sure that the views of a person from Dublin vary that wildly from the views of a Clare person in a rape or murder case, but just out of the interests of a jury comprised of a snapshot of a nation rather than locals only.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355338#Comment_118355338

It actually wasn't, how exactly is someone called for service , my point being are people picked from an electoral register etc , we're does the court service get peoples/citizens details .

magicbastarder

yes, it's from the electoral register.

F1ngers

It actually was.

I re-read said post and it answers your question.

Don't believe me, google it.

dubguy45

The selection is not random among all on the electoral register. I called for the third time in early January having had served three and a half years ago. There is victimisation happening in certain areas.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355857#Comment_118355857

Those called for Jury Duty are not victims.

Nothing in life is truely random. A human designed the method of random selection, and I am sure some form of bias is inherent is any human designed system.

Peregrinus

All they need to call you for service is your citizenship, name and address, all of which is explicitly or implicitly on the electoral register. They don't need, and don't have, any other details.

People talk about "random selection", but in fact the legal requirement in the Juries Act is that registrars should use "a procedure of random or other non-discriminatory selection" to draw up a panel of jurors, so picking a particular street and summoning those living on it would be fine - it's non-discriminatory. The panel are then summoned for jury service, Juries for individual cases are selected "by balloting in open court" - i.e. by drawing numbers from a hat, or similar. Before the balloting, the jury panel are invited to speak up if they think they may be ineligible or disqualified, or if they have an interest in, or connection to the parties in, the case for which a jury is to be drawn.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355822#Comment_118355822

Apologies, missed that, thank you

witchgirl26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118356016#Comment_118356016

Actually the numbers are picked before you speak up. I had it in 2 cases when I was on a jury panel. One I had been involved in business that was connected to the parties involved so I could have been seen as prejudiced and the other my mam lived down the road from where it happened. On both occasions I had my number called & we were all escorted into the courtroom where the judge asked if any of us needed to approach them about something that would disqualify us from the trial.

Chris_5339762

Its worthwhile doing, very interesting experience.

brick tamland

I was called and picked recently enough, with Covid protocals theres a much higher chance of you getting picked out as the numbers they call on any given day are much smaller than they were pre covid. If its a busy day with a few cases, you'll do well to avoid being picked.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118356157#Comment_118356157

They are supposed to tell you before they call the numbers that, if your number is called, and you think you may be disqualified, etc, you should speak up. But so long as they tell you at some point, and give you the chance to speak up, it doesn't greatly matter.

Victor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118356695#Comment_118356695

CCC might call 500 people a day. There is a video link from the room that has the jurors. The case and parties are introduced and the first 12 potential jurors are brought up to the court room, where all sides can express reservations. Selected jurors are then kept in the jury box, while the rest are returned to the pool. Repeat until required number of jurors selected.

I am me123

Hi all,

Hypothetical question here,

What should you do if you or a family member are experiencing COVID symptoms?

How should you communicate this regarding your summons?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355489#Comment_118355489

It’s irrelevant surely how you feel about the case one way or the other anyway?

your job as a juror is to look at the facts presented and make an informed verdict whether the accused is guilty or not. I don’t imagine your personal feelings have much bearing (well they shouldn’t anyway)