Jury duty is a wonderful thing

st dude said

I guess its different in different jurisdictions, but in my experience issuing a bench warrant for someone skipping jury duty is standard operating procedure. It does tend to overburden a busy sheriff's office, but most sheriffs would have a round up day every month or so for these type warrants.

The juror would come in, get lectured by the judge, put on duty for the next docket and let go.

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I mostly have cases in Orleans Parish and with Ad Hoc judges in Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge and Iberville Parish and I've never seen an Orleans Parish Judge do it and the Ad Hoc Judges never do it. But, I've had cases in places like Hahnville and Convent where the Judges have done it. It seems it happens more often in smaller, rural parishes where there is a closer personal realtionship between the Judges and the Sheriff.

Of course, a lot of the jury pool stuff in Orleans is handled behind the scenes by the Orleans Clerk's large bureaucracy so it's possible the Judges are issuing bench warrants behind the scenes and I just never see it.