What to do if jury uty will cost me a bundle of money?
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What to do if jury uty will cost me a bundle of money?
I am a self-employed hourly contractor who is being required to perform jury duty for my local jurisdication. Doing so will cost me $480/day. I can do one day and make up the lost time at work, but any more than that will cost me financially, and possiblity if it goes many days I may lose my contract. Is there any recourse for me against the county or the jury duty manager personally as I feel they are ignoring my reqeust to be excused.
Asked on April 30, 2012 under Business Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
No, there is no legal recourse against the county, the court, the jury manager, etc. in this case. Jury duty is a burden and a hardship, as well an obligation and privilege of citizenship; there is no compensation for the burden or hardship and no grounds to take legal action as long as the county, court, etc. are acting within the bounds of their lawsful authority or scope. Typically, there is discretion to allow the self-employed out of jury duty, but it is only discretion--it is not required, and it is not illegal to make the self-employed sit on a jury. Since it is not a legal requirement to allow you out of jury duty, nothing legally objectionable has done by forcing you to serve.
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