Re: Jury Duty (in California)

[Barb_MSN <Barb_MSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob...

I live in Los Angeles (which some say is a state all it's
own - Maybe they mean a "state of mind?") <grin> and
this past year is the first one in which I asked to be
dismissed from jury duty due to having PD.

I sent the court clerk a  note from my neuro verifying that
I have Parkinson's, and the symptoms I claimed to have.
The MD included an unsolicited comment stating that
other, more debilitating  PD symptoms could appear at
any time (OY!)

I stated that some but not all of my existing PD symptoms
are distressing enough to cause me not to be able to
guarantee my regular daily attendance in court.   I said
like so many PWPs that I repeatedly and involuntarily fell
sleep throughout the day, even while sitting up, and also
needed to periodically walk about to ease discomfort in
my legs and back.

I realize I could've listed a bunch more unappealing and
distressful symptoms which I do have, tho since most
are non-visible (either because they're internal or because
over the nearly 25 years I've lived with Parkinson's, like
many other Parkies I've become a master at disguising
them so they'll appear to just be normal random body
movements), but didn't feel I needed to beat it to death.
I felt I could always list those additional symptoms in
another note to the court clerk, if needed.

Within two weeks of my sending my neuro's note and my
letter, I received a phone call from the court clerk's office
asking me if I wanted to be permanently excused from
jury duty based upon the PD symptoms I live with.

I've served on jury duty a couple of times in the past, and
wouldn't have minded doing  my civic duty yet another
time (Heck,  I met some interesting people in my fellow
jury members and those awaiting jury assignment, plus
the experience of sitting on a jury was fasinating to me).

I felt SAD in telling the clerk that yes, I felt my physical
condition would handicap me  and cause me not to
be able to do a good job as a member of a jury and
agreed to have my name removed from the list of
potential just members.  I felt sad because not only
would mean I'd lost one more thing to this
steeeeenkin' disease, and also because I strongly
feel that it's my RIGHT to serve jury duty when called.

Anyway, that's the story, m'friend...

Barb Mallut
barb_msn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Chapman <bobc@xxxxxxxxx>
To: PARKINSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <PARKINSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, July 05, 1999 10:07 AM
Subject: Jury Duty (in California)


>Hi All,
>
>Have any of you PWP's been excused from jury duty because of PD?
>If so what symptoms did you have that prevented you from
performing this
>duty?
>
>I have bee summoned for jury duty and have been trying to decide
if I want
>to try to be excused or not. I have been diagnosed for over five
years now
>but I am very fortunate that my PD has progressed very slowly and
my
>symptoms are relatively minor, compared to some of you guys. My
most
>applicable symptoms are my falling asleep without an apparent
cause, my
>drooling, on and off tremors, and difficulty in staying in one
position
>for a prolonged period of time.
>Your comments will be appreciated.
>
>Bob Chapman
>66/60/54
>bobc@xxxxxxxxx