Apple Watch and Jury Duty

[Night Spring]

OK but when you say connect, you would have to give it permission to connect to that particular WiFi, would you not? I have my phone set up to only connect to with my permission.

This is an interesting bit of information.

Yes, of course, your iPhone has to connect first, so if you have it set up the way you do, you'll have to give permission. But once your iPhone connects, your watch gets automatically connected, provided the network is set up to allow such connections.

 

[Neutral Milk]

To clear something up: I was never actually picked. It was jury selection. Had I been picked and the trial started I would have put it in energy save mode. The points where I glanced at my watch were points where other jurors were getting questioned. You may argue that's also unethical, but I disagree.

 

[Mjcarlin907]

Is the watch an electronic device? The answer is clearly yes. The OP was told to turn off all electronic devices and not put them in silent mode etc. Clearly what the OP did was ethically wrong and they did not follow simple directions. It appears that more and more people are becoming so self entitled that they do not believe rules or restrictions apply to them. If getting your daily activity rings really that important?

Had I been picked and the trial started I would have put it in energy save mode.

It's pretty obvious the OP still cannot understand a simple rule. What part of turn off all electronic devices do you not understand?

It reminds me of a time that we had a grown man come into my store crying about his Clash of Clans account because he bought a new iphone and his data did not transfer for his game.

 

[Newtons Apple]

It appears that more and more people are becoming so self entitled that they do not believe rules or restrictions apply to them.

^^^^THIS!!!^^^^

 

[Neutral Milk]

^^^^THIS!!!^^^^

Alright so let's talk turkey. Let's forget I kept it on for selection (which makes me a terrible person and a conceited selfish prick) and talk specifically about energy save mode: to you that would have been insufficient? That's ridiculous. Would you not wear a Casio digital watch into the courtroom because you can't turn it off?

 

[greytmom]

Alright so let's talk turkey. Let's forget I kept it on for selection (which makes me a terrible person and a conceited selfish prick) and talk specifically about energy save mode: to you that would have been insufficient? That's ridiculous. Would you not wear a Casio digital watch into the courtroom because you can't turn it off?

"Turn all electronic devices off."

That doesn't seem to leave room for debate. A digital watch that only tells time and is not capable of communications would not, in my opinion, be classified as an electronic device.

 

[Neutral Milk]

Also people's cell phones were going off in the courtroom and little was made of it. The judge didn't even mention it. And he wasn't lenient. He got on people's cases for plenty of things. Again this was "selections" not a trial.

 

[Neutral Milk]

"Turn all electronic devices off."

That doesn't seem to leave room for debate. A digital watch that only tells time and is not capable of communications would not, in my opinion, be classified as an electronic device.

I'd love a definition of electronic device from you.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Alright so let's talk turkey. Let's forget I kept it on for selection (which makes me a terrible person and a conceited selfish prick) and talk specifically about energy save mode: to you that would have been insufficient? That's ridiculous. Would you not wear a Casio digital watch into the courtroom because you can't turn it off?

Just the fact that you posted this tell much of your attitude. Some are not going to agree with you, some will. If you had put your watch into energy saver mode, only looked at it to tell the time and NOT posted what you did here . . . . .

Happy 4th of July everyone! Please do not take that as a "micro aggression"

 

[Mac2me]

As far as I know the Court has never made people take their traditional watches off so they couldn't look at the time. So I would think being put into a mode where only the time is shown would be fine. Who knows maybe they will be checking people's watches in the future before they go into jury duty. Clearly if your cellphone, of which the majority of people today have, can be turned silent and kept in your pocket or purse, it should be OK to wear your smart watch if disable to just the time.

 

[greytmom]

Also people's cell phones were going off in the courtroom and little was made of it. The judge didn't even mention it. And he wasn't lenient. He got on people's cases for plenty of things. Again this was "selections" not a trial.

So, what you really want is for someone to tell you it was ok for you to not follow the rules of the court.

Not sure you are going to get that affirmation here, and not sure why you think you need it. If you don't think you did the wrong thing, then, there you go. If you kind of deep down know that you did the wrong thing but hey, everyone else was doing it too, then, there you go.

I'd love a definition of electronic device from you.

Here's a thought. "Hey person who is shepherding us into the courtroom, is my non-communicating, time-telling-only digital watch ok to wear?

 

[Mjcarlin907]

Alright so let's talk turkey. Let's forget I kept it on for selection (which makes me a terrible person and a conceited selfish prick) and talk specifically about energy save mode: to you that would have been insufficient? That's ridiculous. Would you not wear a Casio digital watch into the courtroom because you can't turn it off?

I never said you were a horrible person, just someone who is incapable of following a simple instruction. To each their own though. If you feel like risking being in contempt of court over some activity rings then that is a personal choice and you would be responsible for that choice. In the end it really depends on how strict a judge is.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

The way I understand it, if your phone and watch connects to a wifi hotspot once, then the next time, the watch can connect to that hotspot, even if you don't have the phone with you. Once the watch connects to wifi, then it gets notifications for email and text even without the phone.

That's a good point I had forgotten about.

 

[garrym13]

I go to court pretty regularly as part of work. I have been on the stand and seen judges using their phones. Some of you here should calm down a bit on the OP.

 

[HopefulHumanist]

There's always someone to lecture you about what's "right" based on authority but I would have done the same OP. It's not like it affects anything; it's just an antiquated precautionary practice.

I never turn my watch off; even at the movies. It's completely silent and getting the taps lets you know you got a notification without having to check it manually. I just look at it when time permits.

 

[Mjcarlin907]

There's always someone to lecture you about what's "right" based on authority but I would have done the same OP. It's not like it affects anything; it's just an antiquated precautionary practice.

I never turn my watch off; even at the movies. It's completely silent and getting the taps lets you know you got a notification without having to check it manually. I just look at it when time permits.

If the OP didn't want other's opinions about what is right or wrong then then they shouldn't have even brought up the topic. Even the OP had second thoughts on what they should have done.

Not sure if this is what people should do. Maybe turning off is best for the process. But none of the dozens of police took any mind of my quick glances.

 

[CarlJ]

( Sorry, this ended up as more of a rant than intended, it's directed more towards anyone in this position, in the new era of being nearly always connected, informed, and entertained, and no longer specifically directed at the original poster. And this is enlightened by having spent two very long days on a jury selection panel with well over a hundred other jurors, a few months ago, for a case that was expected to run for four weeks. At the end of the second day, after endless survey questions and then individual questioning by both lawyers - and listening to lots of folks give increasingly fanciful reasons/lies why they couldn't serve - I was "thanked and excused" - by the defense on one of their peremptory challenges. )

If the judge says "turn OFF all electronic devices", do what the judge says.

If you want to want an exemption from that, to leave your smart watch partway on, have the integrity to raise your hand to ask the judge, or bailiff, if what you'd like to do is okay. If they say yes, then great, if they say no, then turn the damn thing off. If you really think it won't be a problem, then have the cajones to stand up and ask.

Don't literally take the law into your own hands and make an unannounced exemption for yourself upon the basis of, "well, I think it's okay and besides nobody will notice", or "well, but it's only jury selection", or some such.

If you step out of line like this, and one of the lawyers picks up on it partway through the trial, you risk causing a mistrial. Unlikely? Sure. But possible. And that could cost the court system tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus lost court time. And it could screw with people's lives. What if you cause a crime victim to have to go through a long and painful testimony and cross examination a second time? What if they just can't go through with it a second time. Yes, jury duty can be boring. It's also your civic duty to do it to the very best of your abilities. The chances of getting caught are moderately low, but the stakes at risk are crazy high. Suck it up and pay attention.