今週メールボックスに一通のメールが届きました。”Official Jury Summons Enclosed” と書いてあります。陪審員召喚状というものです。ランダムに選ばれたアメリカ市民が撰出され実際の裁判で陪審員として奉仕します。この通知はアメリカ市民以外にも届きます。はい・いいえの質問事項がありますがまず最初の質問があなたはアメリカ市民ですかというものです。ここで “いいえ” になればそれまでです。この通知メールは返信しなければいけませんが実際裁判所に行くような事はもうないです。
万が一全ての回答がこの条項に満たされてしまった場合、基本選ばれし裁判行きとなりますがさらにその後にも行われる裁判に適性があるかなどの審査を受ける事もあります。これら全ての難関を無事通過してしまうとロサンゼルスにある３８の上等裁判所の中から勝手に配属場所を選ばれ、裁判が終わるまで毎回時間どうりに出廷しなければいけません。もちろん無償です。タダ働きです。たまに面白いケースがあるらしく陪審員としてのこいきな時間をまさに他人事として楽しんでしまった人も聞いたことがありますが、ほとんどみんな終わる頃にはうんざりしています。そして仕事に戻れば仕事仲間がちゃんとやり残しためんどくさい部分の仕事を溜めて出迎えてくれます。もちろん配属された裁判の間はケースがクローズするまで基本毎回出廷しなければいけないので勝手にちょっと仕事に戻るということはできません。なので会社ではバケーションや病気欠勤と同様に召喚状による理由で申請することができます。カリフォルニア州の法律では陪審員として国に奉仕する事が法律で定められているので雇用者からはこの理由で仕事を休んだ社員をクビになることは禁じられています。
ではカリフォルニアでは実際どんな人が召喚される資格があるかというと：
- Be a United States citizen
- アメリカ市民であること。グリーンカード保持者、留学生、または駐在の人は免除されます。
- Live in the county for the court that sent you a jury summons
- 召喚状を送った裁判所の行政区域(群)に住んでいること。
- Be at least 18 years old
- １８歳以上
- Understand the English language sufficiently to understand and discuss the case
- 裁判の内容がわかる程度の英語がわかる人
- Not be currently serving on a grand jury or another trial jury
- 現在裁判事に関わっていない人
- Have not served on a jury during the past year
- 過去に陪審員として召喚されていない場合
- Not be under a conservatorship
- Conservator 法律用語で言い換えると”Protector” となるようです。プロテクトなので保護または本人のカバーをできる人となり、代理で陪審員としての判断のできる人となります。ここでは他の裁判で代理として召喚されていない人となります。
- Have your civil rights restored after a conviction for a felony criminal offense or malfeasance while holding public office
- 刑事犯として有罪判決で罰を受け市民としての権利を取り戻したシャバにいる人
要するに現在犯罪者でなく一般のアメリカ市民ということになりますがもちろんゲイだろうが宗教の違いだろうが貧乏だろうがそう言ったところで陪審員として拒否される事はできないです。そんなことがあったらそれこそ裁判沙汰です。
自分の周りには多分善人ばかりなのでこんな召喚状なんぼのもんじゃいと言って召喚状を無視する人はいないと思うんですが本当にそうすると罪になってしまうらしいです。州によって違うようですがカリフォルニアでは基本罰金 ($1,500)、禁固刑 (5 日)もしくはどちらかになるらしいと裁判所のサイトに載っていました。
Pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 209, any prospective juror who has been summoned for service, and who fails to respond as directed and be excused from attendance, may be found in contempt of court, punishable by fine ($1,500), incarceration (5 days) or both.
しかし実際の所はそこまでの罰を本当に裁判所が下しているかというとどうやらそうでもないというコメントも沢山ありました。車の駐車違反チケットのように個人のレコードにはずっと残ってしまいますが本当に召喚されるのが嫌な人は無視してみてどうなるか教えて欲しいです。
いつかアメリカ市民を目指す方のための参考、また少し英語の勉強と思って、下記条項読んで確認しておくのも楽しい内容ではないですがいいかもしれません。
2023 California Rules of Court
Rule 2.1008. Excuses from jury service
(a) Duty of citizenship
Jury service, unless excused by law, is a responsibility of citizenship. The court and its staff must employ all necessary and appropriate means to ensure that citizens fulfill this important civic responsibility.
(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(b) Principles
The following principles govern the granting of excuses from jury service by the jury commissioner on grounds of undue hardship under Code of Civil Procedure section 204:
(1) No class or category of persons may be automatically excluded from jury duty except as provided by law.
(2) A statutory exemption from jury service must be granted only when the eligible person claims it.
(3) Deferring jury service is preferred to excusing a prospective juror for a temporary or marginal hardship.
(4) Inconvenience to a prospective juror or an employer is not an adequate reason to be excused from jury duty, although it may be considered a ground for deferral.
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(c) Requests to be excused from jury service
All requests to be excused from jury service that are granted for undue hardship must be put in writing by the prospective juror, reduced to writing, or placed on the court’s record. The prospective juror must support the request with facts specifying the hardship and a statement why the circumstances constituting the undue hardship cannot be avoided by deferring the prospective juror’s service.
(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(d) Reasons for excusing a juror because of undue hardship
An excuse on the ground of undue hardship may be granted for any of the following reasons:
(1) The prospective juror has no reasonably available means of public or private transportation to the court.
(2) The prospective juror must travel an excessive distance. Unless otherwise established by statute or local rule, an excessive distance is reasonable travel time that exceeds one-and-one-half hours from the prospective juror’s home to the court.
(3) The prospective juror will bear an extreme financial burden. In determining whether to excuse the prospective juror for this reason, consideration must be given to:
(A) The sources of the prospective juror’s household income;
(B) The availability and extent of income reimbursement;
(C) The expected length of service; and
(D) Whether service can reasonably be expected to compromise the prospective juror’s ability to support himself or herself or his or her dependents, or so disrupt the economic stability of any individual as to be against the interests of justice.
(4) The prospective juror will bear an undue risk of material injury to or destruction of the prospective juror’s property or property entrusted to the prospective juror, and it is not feasible to make alternative arrangements to alleviate the risk. In determining whether to excuse the prospective juror for this reason, consideration must be given to:
(A) The nature of the property;
(B) The source and duration of the risk;
(C) The probability that the risk will be realized;
(D) The reason alternative arrangements to protect the property cannot be made; and
(E) Whether material injury to or destruction of the property will so disrupt the economic stability of any individual as to be against the interests of justice.
(5) The prospective juror has a physical or mental disability or impairment, not affecting that person’s competence to act as a juror, that would expose the potential juror to undue risk of mental or physical harm. In any individual case, unless the person is aged 70 years or older, the prospective juror may be required to furnish verification or a method of verification of the disability or impairment, its probable duration, and the particular reasons for the person’s inability to serve as a juror.
(6) The prospective juror’s services are immediately needed for the protection of the public health and safety, and it is not feasible to make alternative arrangements to relieve the person of those responsibilities during the period of service as a juror without substantially reducing essential public services.
(7) The prospective juror has a personal obligation to provide actual and necessary care to another, including sick, aged, or infirm dependents, or a child who requires the prospective juror’s personal care and attention, and no comparable substitute care is either available or practical without imposing an undue economic hardship on the prospective juror or person cared for. If the request to be excused is based on care provided to a sick, disabled, or infirm person, the prospective juror may be required to furnish verification or a method of verification that the person being cared for is in need of regular and personal care.
(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(e) Excuse based on previous jury service
A prospective juror who has served on a grand or trial jury or was summoned and appeared for jury service in any state or federal court during the previous 12 months must be excused from service on request. The jury commissioner, in his or her discretion, may establish a longer period of repose.
(Subd (e) amended effective January 1, 2007.)