How To Get Out of Jury Duty in Louisiana – 8 Excuses That Work

From time to time those of us who live in Louisiana are going to be asked to offer an opinion on the actions of our fellow citizens. No this isn't a new "Opelousas Mom's Group" on Facebook or a PTA meeting at a Catholic school in Lafayette. Granted, you will be judged by both of those entities but when it comes to "real judging" you need a court of law.

Jury duty. It's one of the most maligned public service events that a person can be asked to participate in. And it's a shame that so many of us want to avoid our civic duty and not serve on a jury with our peers to see that the laws of the land are being adjudicated fairly among all citizens.

Based on my personal experience I would relate the process of being selected to be on a jury as very similar to being sent to detention in middle school. You sit in a large room without your phone to keep you entertained. There is very little conversation because you don't know any of the people that are there. In my case, there were magazines to read but many of them were a decade old or older.

So I get it, it's not fun but it's necessary and if you can, you should serve when requested. However, I realize that for some of us the ability to "give up a day or two" comes at an extreme cost. That's why there is wiggle room in the jury selection process.

And if you're not sure what kind of wiggling you need to do to not serve on a jury, here's what we found out.