Breastfeeding a 1 year old--concerned that a judge won't release me from jury duty - Page 2

[Mama2Rio]

eek! i was summonsed a few weeks ago and have a 10mo, luckily, i was releaseds for the next 18 months. i metioned the difficulty of pumping in my letter, the fact that if i can't express bm while i'm there, i will have medical problems, ect... i would call the jury commisioner and find out what is going on, and if they aren't going to excuse you, in all seriousness, i would bring my baby with me, tell the judge you wrote a letter, have no one to watch the child and she's bf, and tell the judge all the problems you had with pumping... i'm just a little crazy and would do this. i know others would think this is an unreasonable responce, but the courts are being unreasonable for not letting you extend your summons to a later date.

the above sources metioned are great...good luck!

[kalamos23]

What state are you in? I'm in the PNW and in a semi-rural area and am praying you aren't talking about my county...

[fruitfulmomma]

I asked my DH about this a while ago (he's an attorney). His advice was take the babe with you to the summons where they question the potential jurors. When you explain that your baby needs to stay with you due to nursing needs you will be dismissed...no attorney wants a juror with her baby in the box.

LadyMage already said what I was going to, but NO!!! Women have been held in contempt and been threatened with CPS for doing this.

In Colorado, we have NO exemptions for sole care providers or sahms. I've been excused twice for breastfeeding, but they don't have to agree to it for me. The second time they required a doctors note. I should of just gone as I turned up pregnant a couple of months later and am now really freaked out that I am going to get called again. But, as much as they claim it is "random", it always happens after going to the voting or driving records places. So I am staying out of there and praying my name stays lost in the computer.

[fruitfulmomma]

the fact that if i can't express bm while i'm there, i will have medical problems, ect...

This. I brought up mastitis in my request to be excused. I'm not sure if it helped but certainly didn't hurt.

[MerelyGod]

I was called for jury duty when DD was 14 months old and still nursing. I called (there was a number on one of the papers they sent) and was able to get it postponed for six months. I don't even think the woman I spoke with asked about DD's age. I think I said on the questionnaire that I could serve, but would have to be excused every 4 hours to pump (which was true--she was still nursing almost exclusively at that point). I didn't hear anything back, so I called. I live in a state that does not excuse or delay based on whether you are the sole person caring for young children or breastfeeding.

Do try calling the jury clerk if you don't hear back. Sometimes talking to someone helps, rather than just having someone read it off a form. The woman I spoke with was a mom too, and very sympathetic. She changed mine to the week of Thanksgiving because it was a shorter week.

[guestmama9920]

Originally Posted by mysticmomma

I've always wondered what I'd do if I were not excused, and I came up with the idea to fall down the steps and be seen at the hospital that morning. Maybe not ethical...

Originally Posted by mysticmomma

I'm also not opposed to saying I'm a racist homophobe man hater that thinks all laws are stupid.

both my ideas

[BananaBreadGirl]

Originally Posted by prothyraia

I'd also try to get a statement from your doctor that being away from your baby (and unable to pump) could cause mastitis.

Sounds like a good idea.

2nd thing: Ask for "limited service" (or whatever the equivalent is in your state). That means a 1-2 day case. Then if you actually do get called and chosen, it won't be as much of a disaster, hopefully. I got called for the weeks when I'm 37.5-39.5 weeks pregnant (in WA state) and the judge granted my request for limited service.

Well, actually, I got called for another even more impossible time and rescheduled for that time rather than after the baby and have to deal with leaving an infant...also really didn't want to explain to a judge that I was hoping that nursing would be an adequate form of family planning for me for at least a couple months and didn't want to risk lowering the effectiveness of that by leaving the baby for full days for up to 2 weeks.

[mamajake]

Originally Posted by LadyMage

I just wanted to say DO NOT TAKE THE BABY WITH YOU! You could be held in contempt of court for doing so, and be arrested for it. On another birth board I visit- no MDC- two separate women were charged for bringing their infants (one was six months or so, the other was like 18 months?) in with them. It pissed the judges off, and they had them charged. Seriously, DO NOT take the kids with you! Some places will provide daycare for just one day, and it shouldn't be more than 15 dollars or so. Once you get there, THEN you ask for another exemption.

~LM

I see someone seconded this. Let me second that second. Pissing off judges is a very bad idea.