Have You Ever Blown Off Jury Duty In Bismarck/Mandan?

Like so many others, I have the ability to see if I have any mail to be delivered that day

It's a preview if you will, and I see the title of the e-mail 'USPS Informed', so I open it up to check what I'll be getting later that day - basically a snapshot of what my mail looks like. Last Thursday I saw I was going to receive something addressed from Jackie Keller Clerk Of District Court. This is one of the reasons why the "Getting a look at what's to be soon in your mailbox later that day" is unsettling, what can this possibly be? A co-worker told me that it was probably a jury summons, he was right.

You are hereby summoned to appear for jury duty in the Burleigh County District Court

That's what I came home to. Hey, at least it wasn't one of the many fears going through my head, like maybe a warrant out on some parking ticket I may have forgotten about years ago. So what is the first thought that goes through your mind when YOU receive one of these? Talking with some friends, one of them said he knows of one person who just throws the summons away.

Have you ever just chosen to ignore jury duty?

I'm guessing there are quite a few people out there that have no fear about blowing off a jury summons, either because it's a major inconvenience or they think it's no big deal. Are you breaking the law if you ignore and refuse to participate? According to juryduty101.com "Prospective juror who fails to appear may be found in contempt of court, have fines imposed, and even receive a jail sentence" There are ways to get out of jury duty without just thumbing your nose at the whole system. For me, I wouldn't want to get pulled over by the police for some minor infraction and worry that they may have some information stating that you have tossed previous jury duty summons in the trash can. Not a risk I would want to take.