I DREAD jury duty--do you?

[Aspieistj]

I am 69.5 and I believe 70 is the cut off age here in Cayuga County, NY. Quite a few years ago I was called but never had to do anything other than call every day for a week to see if I had to serve. I did have to report for the first day and sit there for hours while the first jury was chosen. I have been called again and my number is 3!!!! I have prosopagnosia and I would be very awkward if I had to serve because I would never recognize the other jurors. Same for the lawyers unless they stayed completely on their own sides. As for witnesses--no hope of remembering who was who. I have AS and am absolutely certain I could hang a jury because I will never "see" things like the rest of the jury and I will not go along with everyone else and not be true to myself. Since retirement I live like a hermit and really don't want to be thrown into a crowd. Being stuffed into church-like pews, shoulder to shoulder, with all the prospective jurors makes me ill. My circadian rhythms have always been reversed and since retiring I have slept and been active according to MY rhythms. I usually sleep until 12 or 1 PM and often don't feel sleepy until 4-5 AM. I live out in the country and will have to pay a dog sitter to come let my dog out at noon because I could be gone from 7- 5 and she can't stay in for that long. Travel time is at about 1 hour to get to the courthouse, meaning I will have to get up VERY early. And-- I have depression. I will be absolutely miserable, half asleep and distracted if I have to serve. I do understand it is my civic duty and I DID accept the call the last time it came. One final thing, I don't believe I could ever have a jury of my peers--an old, mentally and physically challenged fat bassoon player, intellectual snob former teacher and RN with two MS degrees, who never thinks, cares or reacts like NTs. My point is that I am highly unlikely to be any accused's peer. I have a routine doctor's appointment tomorrow and will ask if she agrees that my irritable bowel problems can get me excused. It is absolutely a possibility that I would have to bolt out of the jury box and race to a bathroom at any time during a trial. The instructions regarding excuses says there are NO excuses and if I hope to ask for one I have to bring extensive medical proof. All I can hope for is a postponement with the certainty that I will be called for certain with the next roundup of potential jurors. If it comes in less than 6 months I will be in trouble.

 

[Judge]

Seems to me you'd be off the hook with verifiable medical documentation. It's my impression that juror instructions are always crafted in a strict manner to initially deter people who don't have valid medical reasons for being excused. I've served three times on criminal juries over the years, and called two more where I wasn't picked. For me it was so mentally absorbing, most of the social anxieties I'd normally have just sort of evaporated.

In retrospect I can't honestly say I recall any obvious difference in my thought processes versus those of other likely Neurotypical jurors. In a criminal case given strict rules of evidence, I had the impression that there just wasn't a lot of latitude sufficient to bring forth such differences in thought processes. Admittedly though, a civil trial might be very different in this regard.

 

[Aspieistj]

Saw the doc today and she had no problem regarding writing an excuse due to the problems of urgency caused by an irritable bowel. She didn't think bolting out of the jury box would be very well received.