Getting out of jury duty is something that many Americans attempt to do. There are multiple reasons a person can be excused from Jury Duty, lying is not necessarily the best course of action. In many cases, the potential juror will be excused. In most cases though, the consequences for lying, if found out, greatly outweigh the probability of being chosen as a juror.
The Story of Benjamin Ratliffe
In 2006, Benjamin Ratliffe was called to jury duty for a murder trial. As a strong anti-death penalty activist he did everything he could think of to get out of the trial where the defendant was possibly to be sentenced to death. He lied on a questionnaire stating he was "bad jonesin' for some heroin" along with falsely answering several other questions. Then when verbal questioning time came Ratliffe was asked if he had ever fired a weapon. He stated "Yes. I killed someone with it, of course." Ratliffe did get out of jury duty, however, he spent the next 24 hours in jail for obstruction of justice until he agreed to apologize to the judge.
Possible Consequences
If the court finds you are lying to get out of your civic duty, some of consequences are listed below.
- Found guilty of Perjury, a felony
- Found guilty of Filing a False Instrument, a felony
- Fined by the court
- Found guilty of Obstruction of Justice, a misdemeanor
- Found guilty of Contempt of Court, resulting in fines or jail time
The above are just some of the possibilities of punishments and it will often depend on which court you are called to jury duty for, the lie(s) told and the judge whom is presiding over the court. In most cases though having one of the above blemishes on your record will not be worth the "hassle" of jury duty.
Those who are sympathetic will offer the advice to simply act racist or prejudice in some manner. This is not always the best course of action either. Although this will often work, you many not be able to use this excuse the next time you are called to duty. Many cases will not be affected by this, and to act in such a manner is still lying if this is not what you believe.
It is always best to answer the questions truthfully and to the best of your knowledge. Most potential jurors will never actually make it into a court room. If you have specific questions please contact a qualified attorney in your area.
