Dakota Hankin, Sloan Network Graduate Research Assistant, writes about fulfilling our civic obligation while balancing work and personal life in her guest post, Family Friendly Jury Duty:

I came across several articles as well as a blog entry discussing work and family issues that arise while fulfilling our responsibility as citizens to provide our peers with access to a fair trial. How do we fulfill this responsibility while limiting the impact on our jobs, family obligations, and child and/or elder care responsibilities?

Each state has laws outlining the individual’s civic obligations and the special circumstance for which one might not qualify for service, such as Massachusetts Chapter 234A: Section 4: Disqualification from juror service. Most states do require that employers allow employees time offfor jury duty. However, there is little emphasis on how one might fulfill their civic duty while also maintaining work and family obligations. While researching this issue, I did find a website focusing on jury duty legislation needed for breastfeeding mothers, families with special needs children, and stay at home parents. The Sloan Work and Family Network provides specific information on shift work and breastfeeding that are relevant to jury duty. You may also find information on state law and jury duty in our Bills and Statutes Database.

Dakota hopes that others will respond, explaining ways they have balanced life, work, and jury duty.