Jury Duty for Cruisers???

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Nope, if the form requires a "Residential Address" they want to know the place you reside and usually you will be required to sign and date at the bottom of the form.

Yes but someone who has no fixed residence will not get prosecuted for "lying" by giving the same address accepted by multiple other agencies who were aware it is for the domicile requirement.

Unless of course you diddled a cop's daughter or something if the want to get you they can use any excuse.

[a64pilot]

Bottom line I think. Call them, be polite and explain your situation, then politely ask their name, write all this down so you can say I called X person on this date and we came to a resolution.
Simply put, if you don’t make them want to come after you, they have better things to do, your not worth the trouble.

[john61ct]

But there are jurisdictions that make a point of strictly enforcing their court orders, often hundreds per year, so as to set examples to encourage greater participation.

If they do insist, you must comply, or they can put out a bench warrant, with potentially severe sanctions.

Open communication with the clerk is essential to preventing any unpleasant surprise.

[Tampabayfireman]

In Florida you have an option to list your address as your boat, ie your boat document number. We did this nearly a year ago. We also have been called for jury duty a week before leaving for the bahamas for three months. We sent in the response card with our do number, our boat id and planned returned date. Nonissue. Received a new juty summons three weeks after our return.

[Jim Cate]

Interesting!

We have been cruising and out of the continental USA since 1986 except for brief visits. OUr official address in in Chicago as is our boat rego. Our voter rego is in Chicago. Until early this year, we've had California driving licenses.

Up till now, no jury duty calls for either of us. Weird, eh? But I'm unsure what we would tell them about a return date if summoned. Quite possibly, never, or perhaps in an urn, and unfit for jury duty.

But then, in thirty odd years of normal adult life in California I was only called once, and then quickly excused when they asked where I worked (Lawrence Livermore National Lab). I guess no boffins need apply as jurists!

Jim

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Yes but someone who has no fixed residence will not get prosecuted for "lying" by giving the same address accepted by multiple other agencies who were aware it is for the domicile requirement.

Unless of course you diddled a cop's daughter or something if the want to get you they can use any excuse.

I did try to diddle a cop's daughter once. He was the head of the special branch in a small SE Asian country. Nothing came of it and he turned out to be a very sociable bloke.

In Australia potential jurors are selected from the voter registration records. When I became a permanent live aboard I attempted to get my residential address recorded as my boat and they evicted me from the electoral rolls and consequently I will never get called for jury duty.

My residential address on my driving license is care of my boat care of the port authority where I was anchored at the time I transferred it. In theory I am supposed to send them a change of address notification every time I move but since I coastal cruise the majority of the time it would only confuse them if the received one every week or two.

What I do now is state in the residential address sections that I live aboard a vessel and give my mobile number for them to call for a current forwarding address. They have actually called a couple of times.

From a legalistic viewpoint there are a lot of traps in the false residential address thing. For example you total someones Rolls Royce and your insurance assessor discovers that you have resided in a different State from that claimed on your license and under the residential states laws you have exceeded the time allowed for license transfer and consequently were driving on an invalid license and the assessor declines to approve your claim. The Rolls owner then sues you for his $300,000 repair bill.

We all do it because it's convenient to do so but it's thwart with perils.

[RTAM62]

Originally Posted by ohgary

Two sides to this, One its your civic duty to perform this task and you should be glad to be part of the system. Other side is if the letter didnt come certified then you never got it, but since you called that rules that out.

I have been called a number of times, twice was unable to attend, One I was in the hospital having a knee replaced and the second time when I was very early in my career and was working for a company that didn't pay if you were on jury duty. I provided a financial distress letter from the company I was working for and was excused.

I don't believe in a civic duty that comes with threats having said that you only see it as a civic duty when it suits you, there are more people in financial distress who perform that so called 'civic duty'.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by RTAM62

I don't believe in a civic duty that comes with threats having said that you only see it as a civic duty when it suits you, there are more people in financial distress who perform that so called 'civic duty'.

OK, then call it a civic responsibility if you don't like duty.

[RTAM62]

Originally Posted by john61ct

That is just silly.

Giving an address is required. If you don't live at one, and the government provides no workaround, obviously it is not criminal to do the best we can without any criminal intentions.

But with the SBI + court affidavit solution, there **is** an official government sanctioned workaround, with the side benefit of never getting called for jury duty.

For those so concerned about that "dishonesty" issue.

Has anyone ever had a service provider refuse to accept 411 Walnut Street?

The best solution is go to your doctor and get him to write you a note it worked for me they never bothered me again and that's how you deal with those who are in authority.

[RTAM62]

Originally Posted by skipmac

OK, then call it a civic responsibility if you don't like duty.

Same thing

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by RTAM62

Ok a civic responsibility under threat it is then..

You do realize that being a member of society does involve a lot of responsibilities?

Every time you drive a car you're required to drive responsibly and obey the speed limit under threat of a ticket.

Every time you walk in a store you're under threat to pay for what you take under threat of jail.

I could go on but I assume you get the point?

[Tin Tin]

So as a cruiser, where would you accept jury duty?, or do you consider you have no moral or legal obligation because you are a cruiser.

[RTAM62]

Originally Posted by skipmac

You do realize that being a member of society does involve a lot of responsibilities?

Every time you drive a car you're required to drive responsibly and obey the speed limit under threat of a ticket.

Every time you walk in a store you're under threat to pay for what you take under threat of jail.

I could go on but I assume you get the point?

i drive responsibly and i'm not a thief i work hard and pay my taxes i'm not under threat of anything.. but i draw the line when i have to decide someone's fate under threat i think it's morally wrong never done it and i never will no i don't see that as my responsibility or duty...

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by RTAM62

i drive responsibly and i'm not a thief i work hard and pay my taxes i'm not under threat of anything.. but i draw the line when i have to decide someone's fate under threat i think it's morally wrong never done it and i never will no i don't see that as my responsibility or duty...

In common law countries you are not deciding their fate, you are deciding on the evidence presented whether or not the accused is guilty as charged. The accused and the legislature decides their fate.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by RTAM62

i drive responsibly and i'm not a thief i work hard and pay my taxes i'm not under threat of anything.. but i draw the line when i have to decide someone's fate under threat i think it's morally wrong never done it and i never will no i don't see that as my responsibility or duty...

Perhaps if you view it from the perspective of if you were accused of a crime that put you before a jury would you want to be judged by someone with your stated perspective or would you want a jury more like the other you, with an open and intelligent ability to assess the evidence and make a decision.