SD Domicile And Jury Duty

[Vern]

Hello,

Once you established your domicile in SD, how often have you been selected for jury duty? That could get expensive...

Thanks 

Edited April 23, 2019 by Vern

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

When we got a jury summons, we contacted our mail service, My Home Address.  Then sent us a printout of what to say on the jury call form, exactly what to say.  We sent in the form and never heard from the jury people again.

A mail service is more than just mail.  They are you representation in the state. Ours handle vehicle registrations for us too.

[JRP]

Vern, the Counties in SD where major mail forwarding operations are based, are very familiar and used to dealing with fulltime travelers. For the most part, they recognize that certain addresses are all fulltime travelers and they try to exclude them upfront. Sometimes someone does get a notice, but a simple call to the court clerks number on the summons will get you excused after you explain that you're currently across the country traveling in your RV.  Its really not an issue to worry about.

I use Americas Mailbox in Box Elder (Rapid City) and in 12 years there I've never been called for jury duty.

 

PS: does this belong in "finances & investing" ?

Edited April 23, 2019 by JRP

[Vern]

1 hour ago, JRP said:

Vern, the Counties in SD where major mail forwarding operations are based, are very familiar and used to dealing with fulltime travelers. For the most part, they recognize that certain addresses are all fulltime travelers and they try to exclude them upfront. Sometimes someone does get a notice, but a simple call to the court clerks number on the summons will get you excused after you explain that you're currently across the country traveling in your RV.  Its really not an issue to worry about.

I use Americas Mailbox in Box Elder (Rapid City) and in 12 years there I've never been called for jury duty.

 

PS: does this belong in "finances & investing" ?

Thank you. Well, my thought was it involves investment and trade off with potential expenses. Plus, there are several other similar posts in this category. 

Edited April 24, 2019 by Vern

[AZ Nomad]

I was just summoned for 6 months in Lawrence County.   I explained to the judge that I was a full-time traveler, was 1300 miles away, etc., and asked to be excused.  He said that since I reap the benefits of SD residency, I must also assume the responsibilities.   He denied my request.

 

On a subsequent call to my PMB provider, I was told "you should have called us first."   At least in Lawrence County, I was told that they will routinely deny full-time travelers because they figure they have time and money on their hands.   I wish I had known that beforehand and I would have been more careful.   Beware of some of the other posts on this forum that make it seem like the courts will excuse you no questions asked.   For me at least, nothing could be further from the truth.   Speak with your PMB provider first.   They will tell you exactly what to say, which is very different from what you might be inclined to say based on some of the other comments on this board.

Edited June 29, 2023 by AZ Nomad

[Kirk W]

On 4/23/2019 at 5:06 PM, JRP said:

I use Americas Mailbox in Box Elder (Rapid City) and in 12 years there I've never been called for jury duty.

We lived in Laramie County, WY for 18 years and neither Pam nor I were ever called for jury duty. We lived in Tarrant County TX for 11 years and I was called twice and served once, Pam was called once but didn't serve. 

[DanZemke]

2 hours ago, AZ Nomad said:

SD Domicile And Jury Duty

Speak with your PMB provider first.   They will tell you exactly what to say, which is very different from what you might be inclined to say based on some of the other comments on this board.

Thank you! 

[sandsys]

I encourage you to serve if it is at all possible. How can we expect to be judged by a jury of our peers if we choose not to serve when we could? Would you really want to be judged by people who have nothing else to do? Some full-timers volunteer to serve when in their domicile territory. That said, neither Dave nor I have ever been called so we haven't ever been subjected to what it would require of us; only you can decide what it would mean to you.

Linda

[DanZemke]

Linda,

I agree with your sentiment about serving.  And applaud it. But ignoring traveling cost, for someone 1300 miles away, is not reasonable.  An obvious middle ground is to defer required service.  Something like you must make yourself available for SD jury service, within the next 12 months.

BTW, I have served, as a member of a Federal jury.

We're both a bit off topic.  The subject is about South Dakota jury duty.

[2gypsies]

I wonder what the outcome would be if a non-RVer resident was on a vacation and got called.  Would he have to appear?

[RV_]

On 6/29/2023 at 3:23 PM, sandsys said:

I encourage you to serve if it is at all possible. How can we expect to be judged by a jury of our peers if we choose not to serve when we could? Would you really want to be judged by people who have nothing else to do? Some full-timers volunteer to serve when in their domicile territory. That said, neither Dave nor I have ever been called so we haven't ever been subjected to what it would require of us; only you can decide what it would mean to you.

Linda

Linda, Perzactly!

On 6/29/2023 at 4:40 PM, DanZemke said:

Linda,

I agree with your sentiment about serving.  And applaud it. But ignoring traveling cost, for someone 1300 miles away, is not reasonable.  An obvious middle ground is to defer required service.  Something like you must make yourself available for SD jury service, within the next 12 months.

BTW, I have served, as a member of a Federal jury.

💯👍

[Tulecreeper]

On 6/29/2023 at 6:51 PM, 2gypsies said:

I wonder what the outcome would be if a non-RVer resident was on a vacation and got called.  Would he have to appear?

No, they would be given a deferral.  In other words, they would tell the court that they will not be back from vacation until, say, Aug 12th.  Then the court would defer them being called until after that time.

I was a Reservist.  When 9-1-1 went down I got recalled to Active Duty.  I had a friend pick up my mail for the 1st month and hold it for me until I knew where I would be for the duration, then he sent it all at once.  At the same time I sent in a Change of Address to my home post office.  Several months later, I received a notice to appear in federal court in a city about 50 miles from my home.

I called the court on the phone and told them I would not be able to make it because I was out of the country at the moment.  The gal on the other end asked, "And when do you plan on being back?"  A said, "I don't know exactly, at the earliest it will be next September."  She then said, " Being out of the country does not excuse you from jury duty.  You will have to find a way to return for the voir dire.  And how can you be out of the country but not know when you will return?"  I replied, "Because when Uncle Sam issued my travel orders, he explicitly told me that I would be gone for 1 year, with the possibility of a 12-month extension."

 

There was this real long silence on the other end, and finally I think I heard the sound of a lightbulb flickering on, "Are you in the military and currently overseas?"  "Yes."  "Then I believe you are qualified for a deferral."  "I said, "That's a good thing.  Because I wouldn't be there anyway."  Never heard anything more about it.  And never got another summons.

[RV_]

Funny but haven't thought about it and two weeks after these posts I just got my first Colorado Jury duty notice and will call on Sun Aug 20th to see if I am to go into the pool the next day. I'd love to serve. I have been called for jury duty several times in Louisiana but twice did not have to report, and once reported but the trial was called off. So I have never served yet.  I have served as a Bailiff in a Military Court Martial.

Edited July 22, 2023 by RV_

[Kirk W]

I consider the time that I served on a jury to have been a very educational experience. 

[sandsys]

47 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

I consider the time that I served on a jury to have been a very educational experience. 

I have not been called but my mother also said it was educational.

Linda

[TXiceman]

I have served on two criminal and one civil jury in Texas and was Jury Foreman on two cases.  It is actually very interesting to see firsthand how the judicial system really works.  It is nothing like Perry Mason.  Everyone should serve on at least one jury to see the whole process.  Now that I am well over 70, I can be exempted and really have no desire to serve on another jury.

Ken

 

[Payroll Person]

My fav part? Being instructed to rule only on admitted evidence and testimony. Made me annoyed at opening and closing since we knew to ignore the JD speeches. I appreciated the honesty of  couple of witnesses. The prosecutor was less than good. They called a witness who made the case for the defendant, and did not ask proper questions during the jury selection - which would have excluded me. I ended up being the one of the twelve who initially voted to acquit. Just like 12 angry men, I had to win the eleven over.

The case was based on a probation search, which was proven to be an improper search even a first day blue should have known not to do. Worse yet, the watch supervisor approves this planned in advance search.

The homeowner (who was not the probationer) tried to refuse the search, and was tried for resisting the search among other things. The probationer had not resided there in years, which was known to the pd, which means the pd needed a warrant and the homeowner had the right (duty) to refuse. 
 

The rest of the story is I was in the same position and refused to let the pd in any non common space in my home as I had studied the specific rule.

And finally, we NEED people with now uncommon sense to serve. It irritates me to read complaints about serving. Would you want you or yours sitting before 12 who are there only because they could not game the system and get excused?

Edited July 19, 2023 by Payroll Person

[Andy Baird]

I'm currently in eastern South Dakota, due to jury duty in Minnehaha County. My mail forwarding service is DakotaPost in Sioux Falls (which has been excellent, by the way). I found that unlike in Polk County, Texas, here no allowance is made for full-time RVers. When I contacted the jury manager and pointed out that I would be required to make a 2,800 mile round trip, the reply was  "We understand that jury service can be an inconvenience, but..." The most they were willing to do was let me postpone by two months.

I'll echo what others have said: jury duty is very interesting and educational. I served on two juries when I lived in New Jersey, and learned a lot from those experiences. So I have no objection to serving on a jury—if it's within a reasonable driving distance. When in the past I received jury summonses from Polk County, I'd call up the office, tell them I was an Escapee and was traveling out of state, and I was excused. In fact, now that I'm over 70, I'm permanently exempt from serving on a Texas jury.

Not so in South Dakota--one must be over 80 to be exempt from jury duty. For what it's worth, they do say that they won't call you more than every two years.

By the way, I've been here three weeks, have spent only half a day in court during jury selection, and was not selected. I have to check in again for the last time this coming Friday.

[jjwicklund]

Don't know how I missed this thread.  I was called for jury duty for the month of May 2023 in Minnehaha county. We had previously secured a volunteer position at the Tennessee NWR May thru September.  My thought was how we could make this work.  The ranger we would be working for was understanding, Sandi would stay and work the visitor center and I secured an Air B&B in Sioux Falls for the month.  

We consider South Dakota our residence as well as our domicile not just a convenience.  We vote at the Minnehaha County Building in person when early voting  opens, so it's easy to plan for elections.  Not to easy when you have six weeks from the time you receive notice to make arrangements but its doable. 

Was called in for jury selection twice but didn't get picked but I did fulfill my duty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

daka