Why I Still Need Hard Copy Books

[usuallee]

Thanks for the head's up, I have jury duty next month. The letter recommends bringing "reading material". I'll be sure to bring a paperback just in case. I kind of hope we're kept sitting around for awhile, it'll be a prime reading opportunity.

[morriss003]

I served on our Grand Jury last year. I didn't take my laptop the first day, but the second day I took it in and no one said anything. Everyone else was doing stuff on their smartphones.

[mr ploppy]

Must be different where you live, when I did it in the UK I took my laptop and phone with me. They weren't allowed in court, you had to put them in a locker, but you could do whatever you wanted in the waiting room. They even had a Playstation to play with.

[Apache]

I hate all of you and the enlightened places you live.
Apache

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I was never called into the courtroom itself for voir dire, so I don't know if there were any restrictions at that point.

Once you're in the courtroom, the rule is generally "your attention will be focused entirely, and soley, on the proceedings, or you will spend some time in a holding cell." If it's not, the judge should be fired.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by taustin

Once you're in the courtroom, the rule is generally "your attention will be focused entirely, and soley, on the proceedings, or you will spend some time in a holding cell." If it's not, the judge should be fired.

Well, obviously you wouldn't expect to be sitting in a courtroom reading, but I meant I don't know if laptops and readers and tablets had to be surrendered at the door of the courtroom itself or stayed in the owner's possession.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by Apache

I hate all of you and the enlightened places you live.
Apache

I feel ya. The first time I was called for Jury Service in Chicago (and it really was a first, because lawyers had been exempt before), and was distinctly brought back to my farm days, seeing my father hearding cattle. It wasn't even remotely human.

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Well, obviously you wouldn't expect to be sitting in a courtroom reading, but I meant I don't know if laptops and readers and tablets had to be surrendered at the door of the courtroom itself or stayed in the owner's possession.

We could keep, just couldn't turn on. Food and drinks had to be stowed away too. All the women had huge purses/totes/backpacks, and most of the men had a briefcase of backpack or something.
And apparently being a lawyer doesn't get you off here, a well known one was sitting with all of us in our holding pen. moooo
S

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Well, obviously you wouldn't expect to be sitting in a courtroom reading,

Well, I wouldn't, and you wouldn't, but people do get cited for stupider things, and not always before being seated on a jury.

Originally Posted by Catlady

but I meant I don't know if laptops and readers and tablets had to be surrendered at the door of the courtroom itself or stayed in the owner's possession.

I suspect that few courts require you to surrender stuff, because once it's in their possession, they're responsible for what happens to it. Replacing lost, broken or stolen laptops gets expenisve.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I feel ya. The first time I was called for Jury Service in Chicago (and it really was a first, because lawyers had been exempt before),

They're not exempt in California. They just never, ever, ever get picked. The only case I ever heard that had a lawyer on the jury was one that hinged on a very obscure, highly technical point of law, and the other eleven jurors were largely irrelevant. I'm guessing cases like that are generally put in the judge's hands, rather than a jury's.

[morriss003]

Originally Posted by taustin

Once you're in the courtroom, the rule is generally "your attention will be focused entirely, and soley, on the proceedings, or you will spend some time in a holding cell." If it's not, the judge should be fired.

Much of the time there are no proceedings taking place, just discussions between the attorneys. That said, I did not use my laptop while in the courtroom, only when we were sent to the deliberation room which was often.