Jury Duty Questions

Type 1 and LADA
1

I have just been summoned to jury duty, and this will be the first time that I will be called while on the OmniPod 5. I have served on a jury years ago in Wisconsin when I was on MDI, and the judge was very gracious about calling a lunch recess that would accommodate my eating schedule. I do not mind serving on a jury. I am retired and have the time. However, this time around things have changed, and I do not know whether I should give it a try or ask to be excused.

First, I know that this worrying may be for nothing since I might not have to appear at all if cases are settled out of court or I might not be chosen to act as a juror even if I do report for duty. Nevertheless, I do have several concerns.

The summons said that while electronic devices were allowed in the jury selection room, absolutely NO electronic devices would be allowed in the jury deliberation room. (It did not say anything about the Courtroom itself.) I understand why they would not want cell phones in the deliberation room, but my iPhone also acts as my Dexcom receiver, and I also need my OmniPod Controller with me to make the whole system work. I do not really need to explain to you why those forbidden electronic devices are a required part of my life.

My second concern is having the Controller in the courtroom. I am very sensitive to insulin, so dropping low is a real possibility, especially in late afternoon. While I can turn the volume down on the OM5 Controller and can mute my phone, they both will go off if my glucose runs critically low. (Also, what kind of an impartial juror will I be if I am running low and not really concentrating?) Of course, then I must eat. Yes, I can slip a couple of glucose tabs into my mouth to counteract a low, but will that be allowed in the courtroom? Won’t my being there with alarms going off disrupt the whole courtroom scenario?

Thirdly, the last judge for which I served as a juror was very accommodating with meal breaks, but that does not guarantee that another judge will act the same way. When my husband last served, a “lunch” break was not called until 1:30 p.m. That would not work well for me!

And finally, a medication I take makes me immunocompromised. For the last two years, I have not eaten in a restaurant, attended church services in person, seen a live performance on stage, or even attended indoor family gatherings. Yes, I have had 7 Covid vaccines/boosters and my yearly flu vaccine. I have a supply of N-95 masks, but I am very uncomfortable with sitting in a crowded courtroom or a shoulder-to-shoulder jury box.

I now live in Florida. When I called the courthouse and expressed my concerns, the woman said to come in and let the judge decide if he/she wants me as a juror.

Should I give it a try, or should I try to get a medical exemption from my endocrinologist (who I will see two weeks before I an supposed to report for jury duty)? What would you do?

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3

I live in Ct. basically same jury issues. My Endocrinologist gladly wrote a letter to be sent in with the jury duty card , explaining why it would be detrimental to my health , setting in one place that long with out being able to proper monitor and treat my Glucose levels

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4

The judge owns the courtroom so you can ask for whatever you want or furnish letters, but the final decision rests with the judge.
You may want to download notice of medical device from one of the manufacturers you use and have the doctor sign it and add that your phone is an integral part of your system. This is a link to the one from Dexcom, for example:

I am beyond the age now of jury duty requirement so that is no longer an issue for me, but I do still spend time in court as a plaintiff or defendant in our corporate cases, so not totally immune to this situation. The judges always, so far, go out of their way to accommodate my needs and I have never felt that my alarms, food or insulin requirements are held against me in any case where I am involved.

5

This form is close to the one that I used to force TSA to do a visual inspection instead of scanners

6

I’ve been called for jury duty 4 times. The first time was years ago when I was on 2 injections a day. I showed up all 3 days but was never called. The second time I think I had Medtronic’s original sensors and a Paradigm pump. I was chosen to serve on a jury but the following day when I showed up they told us the case had been settled. The next time I had a pump but no CGM. I really didn’t want to serve but when my name was called for one case and they said it would be a one day case (that same day) I didn’t mention anything about needing any kind of accommodation. I had a pump but no CGM. I was selected for that jury and they told us that we would not be able to leave for lunch but it would be provided for us. We had a very limited menu from a nearby diner to choose from - burgers, fries, sandwiches and things like that. When we broke for lunch my BG was in the 200s from just sitting all morning. Since time was tight I ate anyway. The last time I was called was 2015. My job had just been bought out and my new boss wasn’t happy when I told him I had jury duty in a week. I got to the courthouse and in the jury selection room my name was called, before any names had actually started being called. I went to the desk and a friend of my sister was there and asked me if I wanted to get out of it. She gave me a form and said that because it only counted for 1 day I might be called again in as soon as 2 years. So far I haven’t been called.

I think now with a pump and CGM I would definitely be worried about alarms and my BG levels. Stress drives them up but I’ve also dropped from stress. Just sitting on my butt all day definitely drives my numbers up. I don’t think I’d try to get out of it but I would explain my tech and how I needed to have access to it at all times.

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7

I had not thought of that point, so thank you for bringing this to my attention. Having been a teacher for over 30 years, I agree that knowledge is power, and one cannot make rational decisions without knowing the truth of a situation. My fear is that I somehow will not be given the opportunity to express the truth about living with diabetes, and that could lead me to a very uncomfortable position. Thanks for your input.

8

Thanks for the link to the Notice of Medical Device. I will take that in to my Endocrinologist when I see her next week.

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9

While this is mostly true, I am fairly certain that the judge can’t override the ADA and any sort of restriction of medical devices or medical needs would go against that. Obviously it would be best to have a note from a doctor as they may or may not take someones word for it.

10

In theory, you are totally correct. In practice, even judges have an “off” day now and again, so need to be prepared. It is like it is no time to argue the fine points of the law with an officer holding a gun to your head. Little extra caution trumps being dead right.

11

That is certainly a fair point.

12

I just got called and I filed an excuse because I had cataract surgery scheduled. Then I fell and hit my head so I never got the surgery done. I frankly will have a rough time sitting, with newly diagnosed spinal troubles. Not to mention downtown isn’t the safest place to be. I know that sounds silly but really…my husband is gonna have to help me get through this if it happens in the Fall like they promised it would!

14

and that is only if he/she gets caught which is really tough since jurors are not represented by lawyers and the system is not always as unbiased as it should be.

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15

I used my medical devices in the courtroom and everything while on jury duty. I mentioned that I had them. No one cared. I brought in my purse full of snacks and magazines because it was all very boring.

If you are uncomfortable, I feel certain you could get an exemption and perhaps you should. Unless its a really crowded, high profile case, there probably won’t be many people there, but there’s always the possibility that you are uncomfortable with the risks, so I think its safest to just excuse yourself.

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16

I plan to discuss this whole situation with my endocrinologist when I see her this coming week. She probably has been through this with many other patients, although not all of them, I hope, were immunosuppressed. I will let her guide my decisions, but I will be ready to give her what materials I can if she will be willing to write me a letter to get me excused. I would rather not have to hassle and “tell my story” to a judge, but if I need to do so, I will.

3 Likes
17

Tell the judge what your medical needs and concerns are and let him/her decide what he wants to do with you. You’ll probably just be dismissed.

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18

I was called for jury duty about a year ago. I related my concerns and the response that there are plenty of breaks. Further emphasis the unpredictable nature of my BGs and needs, eg. can’t wait for breaks, was asked how old I am (over 65) and advised to request a medical exemption signed by my health care provider. The exemption was granted and I have a permanent waiver.

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19

I get called often. And I finally figured out why! In my state they pull from DMV and voter registration, and on one I have my middle name, so I am in the pool twice. Just don’t want to deal with changing my name to put middle name on my voter registration paperwork, and since my company pays, it’s never been a problem.
I have also served on a week long jury. I just told them I had a medical condition, was pulled aside and answered questions privately and ended up on jury but they made sure breaks were done in timely fashion. I just found communication was key and never had a problem.
Good luck and I will say, I have always found jury duty fascinating. Yeah, it sucks to be sitting around, but I found the questioning the jury pool has to answer interesting and working on a jury is something everyone should do. It gave me a much better feel for how the judicial system works and doesn’t work.

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20

I have no objections to working on a jury. I did it in the past when I was on MDI, but circumstances have changed now. I am on a closed-loop system, and in this state, you cannot take ANY electronic devices into the jury deliberation room. I need to have my phone which acts as my CGM receiver and my pump controller with me. I would gladly serve if it were not detrimental to my health.

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21

UPDATE: I met with my Endocrinologist today, and when I mentioned jury duty, she said, “No. That won’t work for you. You need to have the controller, and if that goes off in court, it could be very disruptive, and you cannot be without your phone and controller for any length of time.” She is writing a letter to get me medically excused from the jury duty, so hopefully I can avoid the hassle of trying to explain my condition to others.

7 Likes
22

Currently I’m a tubed pump and CGM user.

I understand that many PWD have a harder time their controlling their BG than I did after 45 years of using “old” human insulin. Few people are as motivated as I became, learning how to stay safe during years of working in unhospitable circumstances. My “survival strategy” was to go high when things got tough and correct later. It wasn’t ideal management and I wouldn’t recommend it to a novice. At the time I had no choice, it was either do that or leave a good paying job supporting a family to seek a new career. This got easier as my jobs became more senior, safer and more sedentary and I learned how to estimate carbs better.

I well understand how a PWD who is dependent on any pump but has a hard time staying in range could become disruptive in court. I lost several night’s sleep, from my CGM and its compression alarms. (No one ever mentioned that I might need to learn to sleep in a different position).,

A person using a pod system with a CGM has one convenience but several disadvantages compared to a tubed pump that are only appreciated when a situation like this occurs. “When in doubt, change it out” is more expensive, needing an external reader is another, possibly needing a smartphone as the reader is the third, and was the key factor in my choosing a tubed pump. Not everyone has the option of using a smartphone as an accessory, not a necessity.

I’ve been a juror several times when on MDI and never had a problem bringing insulin, syringes and a BG meter with me. Jurors typically leave backpacks and purses in the jury room while in the courtroom. I was asked once if I had a medical condition that would prevent me from being able to sit for several hours at a time without needing help, medication or food to stay alert.

I never had a problem avoiding hypo when using MDI, even when I had no control of the available food because I am still hypo aware and I always carry a “medically necessary” emergency food supply.

If I were rejected simply because of wearing a pump, I’d be ambivalent about this, because I want to be a juror and 1) I have no problem staying clear of hypo, 2) I can configure my pump to vibrate for all alarms and alerts and 3) if needed I could easily switch back to MDI.

Every adult who is otherwise capable of serving on a jury and uses a pump should be able and prepared to using BGM, MDI and syringes if their CGM and/or pump failed, and use them competently, if not optimally. I assume you are able to do this.

So if I really wanted to serve on a jury, and was told I couldn’t take any other electronic equipment with me as a juror, I’d ask if I could bring insulin and a passive BG meter with me to test before meals. I’d continue to wear the pod, set it to a lower daytime basal delivery rate, and slightly undercorrect when I arrived, at mealtimes and breaks.

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