Telephone Standby Juror In Long Island Federal Courthouse

[SPROUTLADY123]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NYC.

I live in Brooklyn NY. I just received a summons for jury service for U.S. District Court. It says I am a Telephone Standby Juror and it gives a date of March 28th at 9 a.m. for me to show up but I have to call the business day before after 5 pm.

And the place I am supposed to show up is a Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, NY which is 60 miles from where I live. .

I am 68 years of age, disabled, insulin dependent diabetic, use a rollator walker and my husband is completely dependent on me. This summons had a detachable bottom part called jury info which I completed and where it asked "Do you have any physical or mental infirmity which would impair your capacity to serve as a juror, I selected YES. So I am seeking an infirmity excuse. I wrote a detailed letter indicating ALL my medical problems and I said "of course I will get a medical letter but I can't do it within the required 5 days, (It says you have to do this).

I believe I have done all I can do for now. Is there anyone I can call to let them know I mailed this to them. I have the jury department phone number (off of the U.S. District Court website). The phone number that they give us to call after 5 p.m. is an automatic phone number and you press 1 for this and 2 for that and I gather you give your participant number and they tell you (well I don't know what they tell you because I have never experienced this).

My blood pressure is probably through the roof because I am imagine officers showing up arresting me because I didn't appear for jury duty.

Honestly I don't know what else to do.

If you could be so kind as to tell me what else needs to be done I will do it. It takes time to get a medical letter from the doctor. I even downloaded a form (I don't know if this is legal or not) that my doctor would just have to fill in some information, sign his name and I would then mail it in? Wouldn't a medical letter have to be on his stationery?

I just want to know what to do. Please help me. Never had this before

Thank much

Melody

 

[SPROUTLADY123]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NYC.

I live in Brooklyn NY. I just received a summons for jury service for U.S. District Court. It says I am a Telephone Standby Juror and it gives a date of March 28th at 9 a.m. for me to show up but I have to call the business day before after 5 pm.

And the place I am supposed to show up is a Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, NY which is 60 miles from where I live. .

I am 68 years of age, disabled, insulin dependent diabetic, use a rollator walker and my husband is completely dependent on me. This summons had a detachable bottom part called jury info which I completed and where it asked "Do you have any physical or mental infirmity which would impair your capacity to serve as a juror, I selected YES. So I am seeking an infirmity excuse. I wrote a detailed letter indicating ALL my medical problems and I said "of course I will get a medical letter but I can't do it within the required 5 days, (It says you have to do this).

I believe I have done all I can do for now. Is there anyone I can call to let them know I mailed this to them. I have the jury department phone number (off of the U.S. District Court website). The phone number that they give us to call after 5 p.m. is an automatic phone number and you press 1 for this and 2 for that and I gather you give your participant number and they tell you (well I don't know what they tell you because I have never experienced this).

My blood pressure is probably through the roof because I am imagine officers showing up arresting me because I didn't appear for jury duty.

Honestly I don't know what else to do.

If you could be so kind as to tell me what else needs to be done I will do it. It takes time to get a medical letter from the doctor. I even downloaded a form (I don't know if this is legal or not) that my doctor would just have to fill in some information, sign his name and I would then mail it in? Wouldn't a medical letter have to be on his stationery?

I just want to know what to do. Please help me. Never had this before

Thank much

Melody

Just to update. There was a contact option on that website so I wrote to them essentially asking the same thing I asked on this forum. I just got a reply (probably auto responder) saying 'If you wish to be excused as a juror, you must send supporting documentation to the address listed in the upper right".
Since I have done this (of course without the doctor note because I just got the summons), that part is done. It also said "you will receive a reply to your request in the mail".

So I gather I just wait to see if they respond to me? Do I need do anything else? Thanks so much to anyone who answers me.

Melody

 

[HighwayMan]

No one will be showing up to arrest you if you do not show up. There is nothing to worry about.

Five days does not seem reasonable when it comes to submitting documentation, considering the time to mail it back. I never received a summons for Federal court but when for NY Supreme Court you usually get a questionnaire several months before the summons. Are you sure you didn't get this earlier and just forgot about it?

In any event, you responded as you were supposed to - I wouldn't worry about anyone showing up at your door. Relax and breath.

 

[quincy]

Just to update. There was a contact option on that website so I wrote to them essentially asking the same thing I asked on this forum. I just got a reply (probably auto responder) saying 'If you wish to be excused as a juror, you must send supporting documentation to the address listed in the upper right".
Since I have done this (of course without the doctor note because I just got the summons), that part is done. It also said "you will receive a reply to your request in the mail".

So I gather I just wait to see if they respond to me? Do I need do anything else? Thanks so much to anyone who answers me.

Melody

Because you are not/were not scheduled to appear until March 28, you have time prior to that date to call the Jury Office and/or the Central Islip Jury Department again to confirm that you have been excused from jury duty UNLESS you receive a notice from the Court granting you an excuse or postponement. If you receive the notice, there is no need to call. The notice will show that all that needed to be submitted was received and accepted and you have been excused from appearing.

Although HighwayMan is a New York law enforcement officer and he is probably right with his reassurances, failure to obey a summons IS punishable by a fine or imprisonment so I think there is SOME cause to worry if you are not officially excused and you do not show up as ordered.

Although you said you have visited the Court website, here again are the numbers for the Jury Office - 800-587-6775 - and for the Jury Department at Central Islip - 631-712-6000.

It sounds as if you are doing what you need to do, though, so I imagine you will be excused without issue.

 

[SPROUTLADY123]

No one will be showing up to arrest you if you do not show up. There is nothing to worry about.

Five days does not seem reasonable when it comes to submitting documentation, considering the time to mail it back. I never received a summons for Federal court but when for NY Supreme Court you usually get a questionnaire several months before the summons. Are you sure you didn't get this earlier and just forgot about it?

In any event, you responded as you were supposed to - I wouldn't worry about anyone showing up at your door. Relax and breath.

Hi. I should have mentioned this earlier. I received the questionnaire two months or so ago. I filled it out online. I explained exactly why I could not be a juror. I even have the confirmation email that they sent me. That's why I was so surprised when I got this juror summons in the mail today. How can they look at the questionnaire and decide I could be a juror. I told them about myself.

I find this most odd.

And thanks for replying.

Sincerely, Melody

 

[SPROUTLADY123]

Quincy:

You wrote: "Because you are not/were not scheduled to appear until March 28, you have time prior to that date to call the Jury Office and/or the Central Islip Jury Department again to confirm that you have been excused from jury duty UNLESS you receive a notice from the Court granting you an excuse or postponement. If you receive the notice, there is no need to call. The notice will show that all that needed to be submitted was received and accepted and you have been excused from appearing."


You say I have time to call the Jury Office, etc to confirm that I have been excused. I have not been excused, I have been given a Telephone standby summons (or whatever it's called). then you talk about receiving a notice and there's no need to call. (see why I'm confused?).

On Monday, I plan on calling the numbers (either one) that you provided (I had them written down anyway). I plan on explaining that I previously filled out a questionnaire explaining that I could not be considered for jury service due to my health issues. I will then ask them to be excused. I will give them my participant number. I will tell them that I received the summons today and sent a written letter (explaining my health issues) along with the jury information form. I would imagine that someone at the other end will tell me "oh, okay, we'll take you off the list (or whatever they tell you), or .... well I actually don't know. They might say "oh, okay, when we get your response, we'll let you know by written mail that you are excused'. You see, I'm 68 and never had to deal with anything like this.

This is what I need to do on Monday right?

Thanks much

Melody

 

[quincy]

Quincy:

You wrote: "Because you are not/were not scheduled to appear until March 28, you have time prior to that date to call the Jury Office and/or the Central Islip Jury Department again to confirm that you have been excused from jury duty UNLESS you receive a notice from the Court granting you an excuse or postponement. If you receive the notice, there is no need to call. The notice will show that all that needed to be submitted was received and accepted and you have been excused from appearing."


You say I have time to call the Jury Office, etc to confirm that I have been excused. I have not been excused, I have been given a Telephone standby summons (or whatever it's called). then you talk about receiving a notice and there's no need to call. (see why I'm confused?).

On Monday, I plan on calling the numbers (either one) that you provided (I had them written down anyway). I plan on explaining that I previously filled out a questionnaire explaining that I could not be considered for jury service due to my health issues. I will then ask them to be excused. I will give them my participant number. I will tell them that I received the summons today and sent a written letter (explaining my health issues) along with the jury information form. I would imagine that someone at the other end will tell me "oh, okay, we'll take you off the list (or whatever they tell you), or .... well I actually don't know. They might say "oh, okay, when we get your response, we'll let you know by written mail that you are excused'. You see, I'm 68 and never had to deal with anything like this.

This is what I need to do on Monday right?

Thanks much

Melody

Sorry if I confused you more with my post, Melody.

When you received the summons in the mail, there was a postage-paid envelope that came with it. From the website it says: "All requests for postponements or excusals must be made in writing no less than 10 days prior to the summons date. Please use the postage-paid envelope provided with your summons and include a copy of your summons along with the request."

If you mailed back your request for excusal in the postage-paid envelope and included a copy of your summons with your request already, you have done what you needed to do. When the Court receives this information, you will hear from the Court by mail or by phone, telling you whether your request has been granted. This is the notice I was talking about.

If you do NOT hear back from the Court either by phone or by mail, you will want to call the Jury Office to verify that the Court received your request and to ask if or confirm that you have been excused from appearing as ordered.

A word of warning: PLEASE only use the phone or regular mail to contact the Court. Do not respond to any emailed messages or phone calls asking for personal information. New York courts have experienced some scams in the past. The Court will NEVER ask for personal information (social security numbers, credit card numbers, mother's maiden name, etc) through emails or over the phone - and the emails can also contain computer viruses that can infect your computer when opened.

If you think that the questionnaire you filled out online might not have been legitimate (and I question whether it was or not), contact the court to ask if they sent a questionnaire. If it wasn't from the court, post back. Forum members can advise you on what to do.

 

[cbg]

If NY is anything like my state, failure to appear when scheduled does come with a penalty, but at least initially will not be police showing up to arrest you. In MA, if you have not been excused but you do not show up, sometime down the road you will receive another, last-chance notice to appear. (NOTE: It could be as long as 3 years later.) When I say last-chance, this is a no-excuses, no-delays, no-postponements, show-up-this-day-or-else and do not even ASK to have it postponed notice. If you do not show up that day, THAT'S when you need to worry about the police showing up at your door.

Your mileage (or more accurately, your state's mileage) may vary. But I do think it likely that Highwayman is correct that there will not be anyone showing up at your door next month.

 

[HighwayMan]

While this is federal court it IS in New York and I know there are many people who choose to ignore jury notices for New York State Supreme Court and since resources are so limited it is extremely rare for anyone to be charged or arrested for it.

I would imagine that resources available in federal courts would be similar if not more scarce.

I was not trying to imply that the OP should just blow it off - she seemed frantic about the situation and I was trying to reassure her. Of course, she needs to follow up and contact the court as quincy outlined, but she shouldn't be spending her days cowering in fear of the police showing up at her door any minute.

 

[SPROUTLADY123]

Hi. And thanks to all of you who replied. I'm not cowering in my house, so not to worry about that. I was a bit scared when I first got this summons and when I asked my friends guess what they ALL said, and I mean ALL of them. "Oh, we don't even open these up, as soon as I see it's from the court, I tear it up". I looked at them and said "you didn't even respond to the summons?" all of them had the same answer "NO".

I said"why". One of them said "I don't believe in this crap", another said 'I'm 80 and they are not supposed to be sending me these things and I get them all the time, and I don't even open them up". The rest just shrugged as if it was no big thing. It IS a big thing if you ignore a summons, this much I know.

When I initially got this summons and I filled out the bottom part and wrote the letter, I made copies and sent the BOTTOM part with the letter and mailed it out. Five minutes later when I got back home I re-read it and realized that I was supposed to send back a copy of the summons too. So I went back to the copy place, copied the whole thing, and then I sent it all back to them with a copy of the letter explaining "Oh I forgot to include the summons so you are getting two of these from me' Let's just say I covered my bases".

Now here's the good question.
Tomorrow, which is Monday, do I call the jury department, or do I wait until I get a notice from the court that they received my letter and copy of the summons and jury info part of it and they will probably respond? Or do I head them off at the pass and call up the jury department and tell THEM what I mailed.

Not sure if I should call first or wait two weeks and wait for a notice from the court. What would any of you do?

Thanks much

Melody

 

[quincy]

... Now here's the good question.
Tomorrow, which is Monday, do I call the jury department, or do I wait until I get a notice from the court that they received my letter and copy of the summons and jury info part of it and they will probably respond? Or do I head them off at the pass and call up the jury department and tell THEM what I mailed.

Not sure if I should call first or wait two weeks and wait for a notice from the court. What would any of you do? ...

It does not hurt to call the Jury Office and ask them if they received your request for excusal, although you have the luxury of waiting awhile to see if a notice of excusal is received by you.

I am still a little concerned about the questionnaire you received and filled out online. I think you will want to contact the Jury Office to inform them of that so, if the questionnaire was not sent by them, you can take steps to protect your personal information (with fraud alerts posted to the credit agencies, cancellation and replacement of credit cards, etc).

Good luck, Melody.

 

[SPROUTLADY123]

Re: The questionnaire. Doesn't it seem logical that if I filled out a questionnaire, then 2 months later I get a jury summons, then it should be the real deal?

I just looked at the email they sent me (re: questionnaire).
The email address is: [email protected]

the message in the email was:

(Hello MY NAME IN CAPS).

Thank you for completing your questionnaire. Your questionnaire has been successfully processed

You think is was fake? I will definitely tell them about this.

Melody
P.S. Don't have any credit cards

 

[quincy]

Re: The questionnaire. Doesn't it seem logical that if I filled out a questionnaire, then 2 months later I get a jury summons, then it should be the real deal?

I just looked at the email they sent me (re: questionnaire).
The email address is: [email protected]

the message in the email was:

(Hello MY NAME IN CAPS).

Thank you for completing your questionnaire. Your questionnaire has been successfully processed

You think is was fake? I will definitely tell them about this.

Melody
P.S. Don't have any credit cards

I don't think it would hurt for you to call tomorrow and ask about the questionnaire you received. There may be nothing at all wrong with what you received.

Good luck.

 

[SPROUTLADY123]

Okay, will do. and will update.

Thanks much to all who replied. Big help in keeping me calm. lol

Melody

 

[quincy]

Okay, will do. and will update.

Thanks much to all who replied. Big help in keeping me calm. lol

Melody

Ha. I am afraid my posts did not help to relieve you of any worry, huh?

An update would be appreciated by all of us.