This is the second time I have asked my MD to write a note to excuse me from Jury Duty using my diabetes.
It is more the anxiety I suffer from having diabetes.
I know I should not use diabetes as an excuse, but it does overwhelm me to be off of my very stressful job, possibly miss many days weeks of work and have to worry about testing, bolusing and eating where I am not suppose to.
I feel bad for using diabetes, but at the same time it would be very stressful for me.
Just needed to vent.
So does the note from your doctor work? Sorry, I’m just curious cause I never thought about using my diabetes as a way to get out of Jury duty. 
yep
I weasled out a few years ago and just told them I was going to California the next day forever and they didn’t hunt me down.
I love watching trials. Or the trial I watched for work. I agree it sucks being out of the office but I would love to get some jury duty. That being said, given that I am an insurance adjuster, it isn’t too likely I’d get tapped?
I think with this disease that listening to yourself and your own needs is necessary. The anxiety itself could throw off BG in a huge way. I don’t see anything wrong with avoiding extreme stress for purposes of your health. But you should think about what you can do to help yourself with your anxiety over the disease. I noticed that you have had diabetes for a huge part of your life. It’s a shame to be tortured with the anxiety of diabetes control for that many years. You’ve obviously done something right to get to where you are with the disease. Maybe it’s time to give yourself a gift for that and find help needed to lessen the anxiety. I don’t know if the answer lies in therapy, diabetic support groups, tai chi, or some place else. But you certainly have earned a break.
I responded to the summons stating that my MD previously wrote a note and that I wanted to be excused. I got another request yesterday stating I still had to show up or get a note.
So…today, called my internist, she wrote the note, I picked it up after work and now have to figure out a way to get it to them by Monday, of course they don’t have a fax, so I am just mailing and hoping for the best.
I asked my friends at work and my husband if I am going to get arrested and they all said I don’t know, so I googled it last night and there were many responses, but bottom line I truly don’t know what would happen, but fines were mentioned.
And of course a long stay in the slammer.
I have sought help for my anxiety and have tried many things. It just seems the longer you have it and the tighter control you have that anxiety rises.
My life is easier since going on the pump, but my anxiety increased as I suffer big time from lows with any form of movement., long story, but thanks for your great response.
If they said you have to come to file your Doctor’s note, I suspect you have to come file the doctor’s note. Work can’t haze you for it though. They can fine you and then you would likely have to go to a court hearing to show them your note. I would think that would be valid but, the flip side would be if you have a judge who is not clueless about diabetes, they might fine you because they would think that it’s not that big of a deal? You might also have the option of just paying it but I think that courts usually take your obligation to participate in their proceedings seriously.
The other thing you can do is just show up on Monday with the note and they’ll excuse you right there. Definitely keep a copy of the note and the summons. Mail the original to them with your summons. Every court is different in its process. But, in all likelihood they won’t do anything immediately and when they get the letter in hand they will correct record. Generally it is a clerk who will make the call on this and not a judge. I wouldn’t worry too much. The worst that happens – if someone approaches you about this, you explain you thought you were excused because of the doctor’s letter and agree to serve another time. They are not going to waste a lot of time pursing you on this. There are clear no shows that ignore the summons all together. They are far more interesting to pursue.
I hope you kept a copy of the note Karen. If I were you, I would call them and let them know that you already sent the note via mail. I would think that depending on how strict the laws are around where you live, if they decide to take any action against you, it’s because they have absolutely nothing better to do with their time, and taxpayer’s money. So having said that, if they do take any action, they should void anything they do once they receive the doctor’s note.
I recently had jury duty. I actually wanted to get picked but there was another person there who wanted to get out citing diabetes. They used the words “contempt of court” when the person said they were going to leave without a doctor’s note. The clerk mentioned fines and possible jail depending on the judge’s mood. We got in front of a real jack*** of a judge when they were selecting and he “declined to accept” this person’s reason. The first thing one of the lawyer’s did when selecting was to excuse this person citing medical reasons. I couldn’t believe the whole charade. It was ridiculous.
I truly do have anxiety issues and I know they are because of this disease.
I don’t feel like I am trying to get out of anything just stating the facts of my existence, sad but true.
I do get totally pissed off when someone brings up my disease at work as an excuse, but it is OKAY for me to use, ha
I’m a lawyer and I"ve been put on a jury TWICE!!!
Plus it is our constitutional duty to be on juries I think? MrsAcidRock got called and sat around and knitted and worked off of her BlackBerry a couple of years ago.
You have a note – and anxiety is a real thing. It is contempt if you fail to show or try to avoid without a documented excuse. But you have a written excuse. Don’t worry about it. The last thing that should happen is have your need to avoid anxiety cause anxiety. You are fine.
I just don’t want to show up on Monday, and have not even told my employer and tomorrow is Friday. They would not care either way. I want to know I can mail in and be done.
Oooo and the MD wrote on the note Type 1 and Anxiety Disorder, that is a first for me seeing it in writing by my internist, even though we have had many discussions about it for years. She was the first to tell me with any chronic illness comes anxiety and depression, when I was first told, I said who me??!!
I can’t figure out diabetes so how would one figure if he done it. You don’t need extra stress in your life so I think it is perfectly justifiable.
I am pretty sure that most court stuff is “in person” though and they can cite you, in which case you have to defend the citation? If you show up and are waving the doctor’s note and threaten the baliffs w/ passing out they will probably perceive the large amount of paperwork if they keep you there and get rid of you. If you blow it off, they look at the list and will likely file whatever charges before they get your letter? I only deal with participants who don’t show up and, one way or another, our cases get juries. It would likely be better to be ON the jury than in front of one trying to explain your whereabouts?
I must be weird, because I would love to serve on a jury. Not only would I be bursting with pride at doing my civic duty (yes, I would be insufferable about it) I would also find the whole process fascinating.
That said, I had a friend who got dismissed from a jury pool for a capital murder case by responding to the question, “Do you believe in the death penalty” by saying, “Yes, but only if the victim’s family gets to carry out the execution.”
She figured they’d see her as a tad too blood-thirsty, and she was right. Dismissed!
I didn’t even need a note. When they were interviewing us I said I had Type 1 diabetes and may need to leave unexpectedly. They said “get out of here”:.