Polk County Jury Duty

[accumack]

My wife just got a jury summons, usually we can just call and tell them we are Escapees. You can no longer call and it appears you can only get excused for illness, work or hardship and is only granted by a District judge. Anyone else get one of these new notices?

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, accumack said:

You can no longer call and it appears you can only get excused for illness, work or hardship and is only granted by a District judge.

Is that Polk Co. or US Federal court? That sounds like the Federal courts, which were always that way. 

[Second Chance]

I agree with Kirk - that sounds like Federal District Court. Polk County now has an on-line tool to respond to the summons electronically, though. I just did it for my wife.

Rob

[Steven@146]

I got a summons for the grand jury last summer, don't remember if it was Federal or Polk County. We were in Indiana at the time. The summons had a web site listed where you could register for the duty and input your personal information and request an exemption but it was beyond the cut off date for that request. The jury duty web site left no other place to input comments. I called all kinds of phone numbers, never could get a hold of anyone in person to tell them we were out of state. One phone number I called, I just left a voice mail and told them I could not find anybody that would answer their phone. I gave them my e-mail, cell number and such along with the website I filled out. I just let it go as I tried my best to get a hold of somebody. I never heard back from anybody. We renewed our license plates and my drivers license this February in person in Livingston, there was no arrest warrant out for me, so I guess I was ok.

[accumack]

4 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Is that Polk Co. or US Federal court? That sounds like the Federal courts, which were always that way. 

Polk county.

[accumack]

56 minutes ago, Second Chance said:

I agree with Kirk - that sounds like Federal District Court. Polk County now has an on-line tool to respond to the summons electronically, though. I just did it for my wife.

Rob

Polk county and no way to input we are not there. You can only answer their questions the only one that might work is Are a Resident? But that is a qualification question not an exemption

Edited March 4, 2022 by accumack

[Steven@146]

1 hour ago, accumack said:

Polk county and no way to input we are not there. You can only answer their questions the only one that might work is Are a Resident? But that is a qualification question not an exemption

And it really makes no difference if we are fulltime RVers or just property owners on an extended vacation away from our home for a month or two.

[2gypsies]

Why not give them a call for up-to-date clarification?

[Kirk W]

5 hours ago, accumack said:

Polk county.

It seems to me that you have 2 options. You can call the phone number on the jury summons and take care of it, or you can go in and serve. If you just ignore the summons you may be subject to a fine up to $100.  The ball is in your court but other have been released by contacting them. Others have been doing this for years and Rob just in the past few days. 

[accumack]

19 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

It seems to me that you have 2 options. You can call the phone number on the jury summons and take care of it, or you can go in and serve. If you just ignore the summons you may be subject to a fine up to $100.  The ball is in your court but other have been released by contacting them. Others have been doing this for years and Rob just in the past few days. 

There is no number to call and no way to contact them! You only have two options fill out the form and send it in or fillout the form on line. There in lies the problem. There is no way we are driving 1400 mile for jury duty I'm sure this is a result of Govenor Abbott. Isn't this why we are Escapees? We will be calling the Escapees office on Monday to see if they have any advice because this will be a huge problem for members. We have not had any issues in 10 years it was alway easy Just call the county clerk and tell them we were Escapees, something has changed!

[2gypsies]

A quick Google gave me a phone # to call:  https://www.county-courthouse.com/tx/livingston/polk-county-clerk-office

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, accumack said:

There is no number to call

Quote

Polk County Clerk

101 West Mill St. Suite 265

Livingston, Texas 77351

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Phone: (936) 327-6805

 

[Twotoes]

Fill out the mail in form and attach a cover letter that you are out of the area for an extensive period of time and unavailableto serve on a Jury. That way you have documation that you responded to the notice. 

[accumack]

59 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:

A quick Google gave me a phone # to call:  https://www.county-courthouse.com/tx/livingston/polk-county-clerk-office

We tried it was not answered!

[LiveWorkDream]

There is a workaround, as seen in the January / February 2022 Escapees Magazine issue:

Sorry can't get it rotated.

[Kirk W]

Accumac, did you call them and get the problem resolved?

[TXiceman]

My last jury summons I went online and filed my exemption and have not heard from them.  I did call to make sure the good old 'puter worked.

Ken

[gjhunter01]

I seem to get a jury summons yearly, of which I call the Polk County Clerk 936-327-6805 and give them the summons number and tell them I am out of the area. Sometimes I have done this 2 months after the jury date due to delayed mail and they don't have a problem with that. They do ask if I am a escapee member and they accept that excuse.

[accumack]

Follow up We were able to finally get through on the phone.  No problems same as always. I don't know why they we not answering the phone.

 

[Kirk W]

Thanks for letting everyone know!

[GoRVYourself]

thanks all for the answers, it helped me. I called they picked within two rings and told them the info and Escapees and they said thank you and nothing else needed. 

[whj469]

Is there not an age where you can be exempt from jury duty? Has anyone ever got in trouble for not responding to a jury duty notice? I read, over 25 years ago, that a judge in Houston, TX sent law enforcement to roundup people who didn't appear for jury duty. Only 15% of those who were sent a notice showed up. They couldn't find many of them and the ones that they found said they didn't receive any notices.

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, whj469 said:

Is there not an age where you can be exempt from jury duty?

In most states there is and in TX that age is 70. Age is one of the acceptable reasons listed on the TX jury summons forms and once you check the age and return it you will not receive a summons again. The following comes from ElderAnswers.com

Quote

 The ages at which seniors can be exempted or excused are 65 (Mississippi and South Carolina), 70 (Alabama, Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia), 72 (North Carolina and Wyoming), 75 (Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania), and 80 (Hawaii and South Dakota).

 

[TXiceman]

Kirk, I guess Polk County has slow readers at the clerk's office.  It only took 3 years of me returning the form with the exemption of over 70 box checked to be excused.  Seems it took the last time, but I will wait and see.

Ken