Jury Duty Dilemma

I just recently had the same situation. I sent an email to the address on the summons and they responded that I needed to write a letter. They told me what to include and where to send it. I didn't need a note from the doctor, just wrote that I was a breastfeeding stay at home mom.
Hope that helps. :)
E.

I had the samething happened to me, while i was breastfeeding and i did not have anybody to take care of him all day. I call the number given on the summons and left a message explaingng my problem. What they did for me was that they postponed the date for later, a couple of months, by then i was going back to work, so i had a daycare center ready. I hope this helps you.

Hi!
I was summoned but was having terrible morning sickness . . . what I did was contact the number on the summons and spoke to a rep. I ended up writing a letter (and included a note from my doc) but it was still good to talk to someone who could note in the files. I believe you may be eligible for a 12 week pass (meaning they won't contact you within that period of time).
Good luck

A.-
The same thing happened to me- I called the number and told them- they said OK we will put you back into the pool! Easy as that! I also live in CHicago- and was shocked......good luck!
Jen

You just have to send a letter to them explaining everything. They will just reschedule you and send out another summons to you in 3-6 months

Hi,

I'm sure you already know by now, but you just call and they will tell you what to do. I was called when my son was 6 weeks old and I think I just sent the birth certificate copy in and you have to write a letter saying that you are a stay at home parent. It was really easy to get out of the j. duty. Good luck- K.

I have also heard that nursing mothers are exempt from jury duty. I am not sure about how to go about it either though. Did you check out the cook county website? or is there a phone number on your jury duty notice?

just call the number on the back of your summons. Tell them it doesn't work for you. They'll say fine and then put you back on the list for summons in the future. I've found them to be very flexible.

That happened to me while I was breastfeeding, and I called the number on the card I received and told them I was the primary caregiver of my child and there was no one else to care for him. They say they will throw you back into the pool to be later called. My son is now 16 mos. and I still haven't been called yet.

Just call the number on the Jury form. I had a conflict with work last October and I called and spoke to someone who was very helpful. I told her I could do jury duty in January and she said she would schedule it then and she did. No problem at all...just call and let them know. If they need additional info, you can forward a letter from your doc saying you are a breastfeeding mom. All the best to you!
E.

The summons should have a number on it that you can call. An automated system allows you to defer your summons for 30 days. You can defer three times I think. I defered twice because I was pregnant. It was very easy and no documentation was needed.
Good luck.

You can call and get a 6 mo extention.
there should be a # on the card you recieved.

Hi A.,

I'm almost certain you just need to call the number on your notice and explain your situation...they'll just rotate your name back in the pool and you'll probably get called again later this year.

Our Governor is pro-breast feeding...he passed a bill last year allowing mothers to feed in public w/o getting flack from the rest of the world.

FYI, I nursed our daughter for the first year (she's almost 15 months now) and looking back I think it's one of the smartest choices we made...she never got sick (until two weeks after I stopped nursing and then it was just a small cold) and she transitioned right to a sippy cup. Good luck on your continued efforts to nurse...there's not enough support out there for moms who make this choice.

N.

I'm pretty sure if you just call and tell them your situation you won't even have to show up at all.

Full time mothers are exempt. A letter from you should be enough to get excused. You can call the number on the form and talk to an operator they'll let you know where to fax it to. It worked for me when I was unable to attend jury duty.

Good luck!

Hi-

Could pump for that day? That might be an option for you.

Yes I had the same thing that happen to me just 2 months ago. I called the number and explained my situation and the lady gave me a 3 month extension. It wasn't much but it helped and give a bit more time before I would be called to serve for jury duty again. You might want to take the same steps. That's your best option/

I hope that helps

A. -

I went through a similar situation last year. I sent the jury commission (in DuPage County) a letter from our pediatrician stating that "the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that an infant be solely breastfed for the first six to twelve months of life in order to promote optimum health and nutrition." It further went on to say that jury duty would provide a hardship for me. Along with the letter from our pediatrician, I enclosed a letter to the jury duty commission. There is a sample letter and more detailed information relating to jury duty laws in Illinois at:

http://www.familyfriendlyjuryduty.org/WhatDoIDo/WhatDoIDo...

I was successful in deferring my jury duty due to breastfeeding and childcare issues and I hope this information helps you to do the same. Good luck!

N.

A.,
Write a letter back ASAP explaining your special circumstances.

After they receive the letter, they will call you. If they don't there is a number that you can call listed on the summons to find out the status of your jury duty.

Diana

A.,

I had the same issue when my baby was 2 months old. I called the jury number and talked to a woman who excused me from that specific date. She told me to write a letter within the next 2 months saying that I am the only caregiver. I didn't need a note from my doctor, or anything else. It's worked so far! Good luck!

T.

there should be a phone number there to call, they will provide advice. additionally, i think you can check family hardship, and they will just postpone and call you about a year later. i used that option when i was 7 months pregnant and diabetic- told them i needed to eat every 2 hours and take blood tests, they told me no thanks, and called me about 18 months later!

I had the same situation a few months ago. I wrote a letter describing my situation and included a brief note from my doctor (he just jotted it down on a prescription sheet). I never heard back specifically, but I don't seem to have gotten into any trouble for not going, either. Good luck!

If you have not deferred in the last year, you can simply call the number on the card and explain that you need to defer because you are nursing your child. There is usually not a problem to defer one time.

Just call the number on your summons and tell them your situation. Anyone can get a pass the first time around - they will just call you again in a couple of months (and I suspect you can tell them how long you will be unavailable). I was called for a time when we were scheduled to be away on vacation and it was no problem. if that doesn't work, you can also appeal to the judge if you are being considered for a case. I was being considered for a jury when I had terrible morning sickness and had no problem being excused.

good luck!

A.:

Just give them a call and let them know you have a "hardship" situation. I was called twice when I was pregnant/and my son was 2 months old and deferred for the same reason. There is enough of a pool that you can get out of it quite easily.

Good luck!

You are correct - that breastfeeding mothers are exempt from jury duty, The governor passed that rule this year. I would call the court house and see what documentation you need.

Go to the website and there is a contact # and address...you just need to write a letter explaining that you are primary caregiver and can't get day care to cover...not to mention that you are breastfeeding. They will excuse you; it is one of their standard dismissals from duty.

I also live in cook county and got called to Jury Duty. You need to call the number on your summons ASAP for instruction of how to get out of it. I waited to long and couldn't get out of it or change my date/location.

Hi A.,
The same thing happened to me. I had to send in a letter that I was a stay at home mom and had no one to take care of her. They will excuse you.

You can call the number on the summons they helped me.

Good Luck!

I do not remember exactly what I did. - Sorry. I thought that there was a box to check and I wrote a letter stating that I had a nursing child and that I did not have child care for her other than myself. I never heard a response. This was 3 years ago. Good Luck!

i thought that breastfeeding an infant was legitimate to get excused but its not. the most you can hope for is that when you call that they wont need you. good luck.

it is actually really easy to defer it. (I believe you can do it 2 x without a specific reason). you call the # on the letter they sent you and there is actually a selection for pushing back the date.
(at least that is how it was 1 1/2 years ago when I received my letter. several months later I received another letter with a new date). good luck!

I had that problem too. I called them and explained the situation and the woman on the phone told me to write back and say that I couldn't make it because I didn't have a babysitter. I sent the letter and that seemed to be acceptable because I haven't heard anything since and it has been two years.

I had the exact same issue within the last year and I found out that there is legislation pending (but at that time it hadn't gone through). I mailed a letter explaining my situation and I was excused from duty under the stay-at-home parent excuse. I recommend you call the number on the jury duty summons because I believe they can possibly even disqualify you over the phone if you tell them your situation.

I'm not sure, but when I've had possible conflicts, (out of state wedding, speaking at a conference, etc.) I've called the number, and talked to a real person, explaining the situation. Often, they'll just put you back on the call list for 3 months from then, but you didn't say how much longer you were planning on breastfeeding, or how old your daughter is. The person you talk to should be able to tell you if there is an exemption, and what kind of documentation you need. Traffic school is much less understanding than the jury system, this I know.
Good luck.