Jury Duty

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Quicksilver

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Hello, I am hard of hearing and I have been summoned to serve jury duty. I mailed a letter to the clerk office about my type of hearing loss (Sensor neural hearing loss for the last 25 years) from my audiologist. They called and told me that the judge still wants to see me and if I don't show up, the sheriff will get me. They also told me that they don't help hard of hearing or deaf people in jury duty. So on my day to jury duty selection, I told the bailiff that I have a hearing loss (I can speak and hear if I am on a one to one rather than someone talking from a distance) and he told the judge about my condition. When it was time, the judge came out and spoke to everyone. The major problem I have is that I was sitting on the front row, the judge and lawyers were at least 20 feet (or more) away. When they spoke, the did not use a microphone, and room echos (large room). I was not happy. The judge asked me if I could hear him, I said a just a little, but not clearly. He said that he will speak louder. That didn't help. :mad2: After the whole day, I was chosen to do a couple of cases with more in the next few month. I was very frustrated because I spent the whole day trying to hear everything but end up missing a lot. And they put me in trials, knowing that I will not hear everything and they think putting me on the front row of the jury box will help.
What should I do?
 
oh well, I will just go ahead and say this.. You go tell the Judge and ask him if he is familiar with the ADA. Let him know you will not come to jury duty if accommodations are not provided for you. If he decides to punish you, then the TV news and newspapers will have a field day and support you. Also, I know Kuifje75 had to do Jury Duty, I don't think he had problems at all with the courtroom and people there.
 
Deaf258 is right -- in the USA the courts are required to provide a terp for deafies that has been selected for jury duty --

i myself will NEVER be able to get jury duty due to the big reason that many of my family members are cops and my dad was a cop for the county police -- so no way in hell will i get chosen for jury duty in criminal courts oh well and mom herself has served on jury dury for civilian cases and shes told me those are SO BORING :laugh2: :laugh2:
 
If you don't know any signed languages, you can still ask for an Oral Interpreter who will reword everything everyone says in the courtroom and you lipread the dialogue (I know it is harder work, but better than nothing!)..
 
Originally posted by Quicksilver
Hello, I am hard of hearing and I have been summoned to serve jury duty. I mailed a letter to the clerk office about my type of hearing loss (Sensor neural hearing loss for the last 25 years) from my audiologist. They called and told me that the judge still wants to see me and if I don't show up, the sheriff will get me. They also told me that they don't help hard of hearing or deaf people in jury duty. So on my day to jury duty selection, I told the bailiff that I have a hearing loss (I can speak and hear if I am on a one to one rather than someone talking from a distance) and he told the judge about my condition. When it was time, the judge came out and spoke to everyone. The major problem I have is that I was sitting on the front row, the judge and lawyers were at least 20 feet (or more) away. When they spoke, the did not use a microphone, and room echos (large room). I was not happy. The judge asked me if I could hear him, I said a just a little, but not clearly. He said that he will speak louder. That didn't help. :mad2: After the whole day, I was chosen to do a couple of cases with more in the next few month. I was very frustrated because I spent the whole day trying to hear everything but end up missing a lot. And they put me in trials, knowing that I will not hear everything and they think putting me on the front row of the jury box will help.
What should I do?
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What they did to you was not right! They discriminated against you and didn't provide you with an interpreter or any basis of support due to your hearing loss.
You need to follow this up with ADA and with court about ADA and providing services for your needs.

Goldie
 
I was excused from jury duty for a VERY different reason but still U need to have an interpeter and to follow the ADA law if they won't u can get a lawyer and ask the lawyer to represent u in the jury situation and inform them that ur deaf and U didn t do anything wrong except sit there and not know anything abt the jury duty and the communication of the poeple, and u should have just stared at the judge if he was speaking to u So he could have excused u fast or retrived the interpeter, sometimes white lies on ur ablitity to communication via lip reading will get u out of some duties. go to the agency that deals with the deaf community and inform them u were discrimated and need an interpeter but they failed to provide u any.
 
There was a thread which I created at:
http://www.alldeaf.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2806

I had to serve jury duty, and it was a positive experience for me. When I wrote to the courthouse that I require an ASL interpreter, it was clear to them what I needed. Few days before my jury duty, the courthouse phoned me to let me know that everything has been arranged for interpreters. I was really impressed.

At the jury duty, during the voir dire process, there was an eldery woman who had to report to jury duty. The judge asked the woman if she could do the duty without discrimination, the woman spoke out and made it clear that she had bad hearing, and that she could miss stuff out in the court. The judge even offered her hearing aid services, but the lawyers decided after all to dismiss her.

When I was called to the voir dire process, the judge asked me and I said I am deaf and I use ASL interpreters. One lawyer tried to argue that I would miss stuff out, because I would be focusing on the interpreters only. I made a comparision between TV with captions, that I am used to seeing the whole thing even with words on the bottom. It is only a matter of being used of seeing things differently. That satisified the lawyer and the judge and I had to serve 4 days.

I am surprised that they refused to help you. They really should not do that. You should demand to speak with the judge and explain that you cannot hear everything and is afraid that you will miss stuff out. A few jurors did that and they were dismissed. I don't see why it can't be for you.
 
I never did serve jury duty, cuz I was excused from it, it take a note from my doctor saying that I am legally hearing impaired and send it along w/ jury papers in the mail, and didn't have any problem w/ that
 
isn't there another member named Quicksilver too? :|

eh anyway, it proably would be alot easier if they bring in a computer and a wall screen with text showing what people are saying in the court room. period. :smash:
 
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My mother once was called on Jury Duty, she called and explain about her deafness, they didn't believe her so until she arrived and they said they didn't want to pay an interpreator so they gave her gas money to drive back home LOL
 
Originally posted by pimpdaddyposse
My mother once was called on Jury Duty, she called and explain about her deafness, they didn't believe her so until she arrived and they said they didn't want to pay an interpreator so they gave her gas money to drive back home LOL
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:laugh2: That's funny!
 
Originally posted by VamPyroX
:laugh2: That's funny!
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I know....I was actually with my mother, whiched happened 4 year ago during summer time and the gas money wasn't brought up until I was angry with them telling them that they wasted our time and wasted our gas, oil, mileage, blah blah and so on so they go okay okay and give my mother a pity and told her that she need to control her son's temper, I told them I understood what they said and don't need to control me, I told them that they need to listen to people's request!
 
Originally posted by pimpdaddyposse
My mother once was called on Jury Duty, she called and explain about her deafness, they didn't believe her so until she arrived and they said they didn't want to pay an interpreator so they gave her gas money to drive back home LOL
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You know that it's illegal to turn down someone who is reporting to jury duty?
 
Originally posted by SilenceGold
You know that it's illegal to turn down someone who is reporting to jury duty?
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I never knew that... at least I still remember my mother got a fat 50 dollars even though we live 15 miles from the courthouse lol
 
I have told them that I was not one an American citizen and two I am deaf. they believe me even without an audiologist report, weird. I think cuz the state has my record that yes I am deaf or something. but now I am a citizen, I still mark the part where it says disability and they dont bother me.
 
If I was called to a Jury Duty... I'd tell them I can't and my eyes are glued to college books for tests!!! LOL
 
Very interesting discussion about jury duty.. I was once summoned to a jury duty. But I got excused by writing an formal letter asking the judge for my special permission to be excused. It wasn't a problem. They said it wasn't required for me to show up even though I have some disability. They said they could provide me the accommodation that I needed or write up a formal letter asking the judge to be excused. So I went ahead and wrote a formal letters. The Judge had excused me. It was weird cuz most of my peepz were required to attend. Even though we all live in the different counties in the same state. Some of us live like 30 min and still have to attend while I was assigned to a jury duty in a different county. We all don't even understand how jury duty system works.. Oh well:confused:
 
It was interesting as I had been sent a Jury Duty note twice some years ago...around when I was about 18 years old, but both times I marked down that I couldn't attend due to my deafness. After that, they never bothered me again.

Goldie
 
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