C'mon people! If you simply must play crazy to skip jury duty, you really shouldn't go on the radio and brag about it afterwards. Hard to believe, but people still listen to the radio. Including judges. Just ask Denver Mary Kay saleswoman Susan Cole. She's now facing hard time for lying to get out of jury duty last fall. more ›

Some folks like to complain that teachers, with their summer vacations and school breaks, get too much vacation. But many teachers would heartily disagree. To wit: Hot on the heels of the teacher who allegedly faked their daughter's death for vacation time comes the story of Mona Lisa Tello, a Manhattan science teacher busted today for claiming she had jury duty when she didn't [PDF]. How'd they catch her? Well, it didn't help that she spelled "trail" instead of "trial," "sited" instead of "cited" and "manger" instead of "manager" in a letter she forged to her boss. Whoops! more ›

A Prospect Heights man says that when he arrived for jury duty in Brooklyn this morning he was forced to wait outside in 13 degree weather for almost a half hour with many others who were called, including a pregnant woman. The potential juror, who asked that we only identify him as Matthew W., tells us the building was open when he arrived shortly after 8 a.m., and various lawyers and court officers were entering the building. But the guard would not allow those summoned for jury duty to get in out of the cold and wait in the lobby! The Brrrrrrooklyn tipster tells us: more ›

If there's one thing Twitter is good for, besides uprisings and crotch shots, it's complaining. And rapper and Law & Order: Special Victim Unit star Ice-T treated his 136,358 followers to his day at a Jersey City courthouse, where he appeared to serve his civic duty: Jury Duty. First Tweet, "Sitting on JURY DUTY in NJ.. How many ways can I say THIS SUCKS.. Everyone says the judge can't possibly choose you... But I'm here for now," followed by "I wore my 'Body Count' T shirt.. We'll see..." Crazy t-shirts aren't always the best way to get out of jury duty. more ›

A Brooklyn man died yesterday while hearing testimony in a grand jury presentation in Brooklyn Supreme Court. The 49-year-old man suffered a heart attack just before the 1 p.m. lunch break. more ›

This week, a Judge was none-too-happy with one potential juror who went out of her way to come off as racist and offensive as she possibly could. Juror 799 was disqualified from the death penalty trial of Bonanno crime boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, but Judge Nicholas Garaufis wasn't done with her, and sentenced her to indefinite jury duty. In the end, Garaufis relented on his penalty yesterday, while giving her a stern wagging on his judicial finger: "I hope this experience will be an education for you and the next time you're called for jury duty you'll give honest answers." more ›

Jury duty is a double-edged sword for most: the pleasure of participating in one of the core tenets of democracy is mixed with the reality of a tedious, long process with little pay. People literally have mental breakdowns over it! So many wear inappropriate t-shirts, or touch themselves, to escape it. And then other people try to get out of it by trashing the NYPD and minorities in the most offensive way possible. Hey, it's not like it could possibly blow up in your face, right? more ›

Yesterday, jury selection began for the trial of three construction supervisors of the former Deutsche Bank building demolition, which was the site of a 2007 fire that killed two firefighters. The supervisors are charged with manslaughter, and the Post reports, "The courtroom full of 130 prospective jurors echoed with gasps when Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Rena Uviller announced that they were under consideration for a trial likely to last four months." more ›

Bronx judges are upset that many jurors can't seem to STFU about felony trials, both inside and outside the courtroom. Discussing felony trials outside of jury deliberation can lead to mistrial, but many Bronx jurors either forget that or just don't care. One juror on a drug case last year told the Daily News, "We talked about things that would have made the judge crazy. You talk about the defendant, the lawyers, the judge—because they become such a big part of your life." more ›

Not everybody's jury duty can be as pleasant as Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan's. Sometimes doing your civic duty can get you arrested. Apparently. At least that's what happened to 43-year-old Brooklynite Sean Adams recently in a story that would totally be on Law & Order if they still made the original flavor. more ›

Human resources manager Rebecca Thybulle desperately needed a vacation, but her boss at the Children's Home Intervention Program on Staten Island wouldn't give her any time off. So prosecutors say she came up with a foolproof plan: alter her father's jury summons so her name appeared instead, and use it as an excuse to take a week off. The beauty of this plan was its simplicity, and Thybulle would have gotten away with it too, if she hadn't left the evidence on her desk. Or chatted about her trip to Baltimore on Facebook. more ›

An alternate on the jury in the latest police brutality trial was booted this morning by a judge who did not care for her "Who the Fuck Is Kanye West" T-shirt. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Farber, who is apparently a huge Kanye fan, cleared the courtroom the moment he saw 19-year-old Nneka Eneorj's shirt. "Do you think it's appropriate to wear a shirt that says 'fuck' on it in my courtroom?" the judge asked, with "anger in his voice" according to the Post. more ›

With the job market remaining stagnant, more unemployed New Yorkers are volunteering for jury duty. "People are calling up, saying, 'Look, I lost my job; now would be a good time for me to serve,'" Vincent Homenick, chief clerk of the jury division for Manhattan, told the Post. "Not that $40 will pay the bills, but it's something." The unemployed aren't the only New Yorkers eager to get into the courthouse — a group of seniors dubbed "junkies for justice" travel across the city to attend the most interesting trials. Legal enthusiasts like Benjamin Rosen, 95, would rather spend their days watching real life episodes of Matlock "than watching TV soaps or playing bridge," the paper notes. "There's tension in the air," said Rosen. "It's like seeing an action movie. I like to decipher what's lies and what's true. And the courtroom is very nice and air-conditioned in the summer." more ›

Yesterday Al Roker was called out for Twittering too much during his jury duty duties, even posting photos of potential jurors for the case, which common sense will tell you isn't a good idea. Today the NY Post reports that Roker acknowledged making "a mistake" but said it was "inadvertent." Fellow weatherman Sam Champion showed his support on Twitter, and he wasn't the only one. David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, seems to be happy that Al became a poster boy for civic duty, albeit only for one day (Roker wasn't picked for the panel). Bookstaver told the paper, "What's more important is this shows Al came to do his civic duty, and we're happy about that. It's a good example that nobody's exempt." The Daily News points out that he also claimed that Roker's actions weren't illegal, "despite a sign which says in no uncertain terms that taking photographs 'anywhere in the courthouse is strictly prohibited.'" Looks like some people are exempt from that one, eh Bookstaver? more ›

If you watched The Today Show this morning, you heard that weatherman and punmaster Al Roker had to take off early to serve jury duty today. Roker obviously detected the immediate sense of loss from his adoring fans and made sure to keep them up to date with his moment-to-moment whereabouts on Twitter...from inside the courthouse. more ›

There are some things needed while reporting for jury duty. Reading material, maybe some snacks, a lot of patience... but a sword and a dagger aren't on the list. But that's what a city employee, headed to Brooklyn Supreme Court, did bring. The Post reports that 40-year-old Vladislav Lisetsky, who works in the Human Resources Administration, brought in a cane that concealed not only a two and a half foot sword at one end, but... more ›