A woman says she got out of jury duty at 18 by telling the interviewer ‘I’m racist towards every type of race,’ and was never called again

Jury duty can feel intimidating or unnecessary to many people, especially teenagers, as TikToker Anmarie (@anmarie.lynn) recently admitted. In a candid TikTok post that has over 16.1 million views, the tattoo artist shared how she felt the need to dodge jury duty when she was first summoned two months after her 18th birthday. Her efforts were a bit too successful. 

Anmarie told her viewers that she was immediately thrown off by the time commitment. Not only did she find a massive line at the courthouse, but a woman she was chatting with in line told her the selection would take hours. Then, if chosen, she would also be there for days. As she put it, “Eighteen-year-old me heard three or four days in a courtroom. Absolutely the f— not.” She said that she had a “lightbulb” moment when the interviewer asked if she had any biases against other people. 

Anmarie recalled, “I straight looked at this lady dead in her f—— face and go, ‘Yeah, I’m racist. Haha.'” When the interviewer asked her to elaborate, Anmarie said she had to think fast. She told the interviewer, “Yeah, I’m racist towards every type of race. It doesn’t matter what you are. I hate all race.” Apparently, that did the trick, and she claims she was never called for jury duty again. Her account can’t be independently verified, and it’s not a method anyone should try.

Skipping this civic duty can come with penalties

Plenty of commenters admitted to dodging jury duty themselves and shared how they did it. One claimed that telling the court “I’m extremely religious and I hold gods law above all else” got them opted out for good. Another shared, “A friend of mine walked in, smiled, clapped his hands and yelled out loud, ‘So who am I sending to jail today?’”

Some couldn’t understand why people would want to skip jury duty. One user humorously asked, “wait why dont we wanna go to jury duty? its like legal gossip.”

According to the Colorado Judicial Institute, jury service is an important opportunity for people to be involved in their community and helps ensure that court verdicts reflect the community’s values. It is also a chance for jurors to learn how the legal system works and to help keep justice fair and equal. Simply getting there on time can be a challenge, as an Albany woman learned when she was locked inside a parking garage on her way to jury duty.

Skipping jury duty can also come with consequences. In Louisiana, for example, the Louisiana State Bar notes that anyone who doesn’t report and isn’t excused by the court can face a fine of $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or other penalties.

The organization advises anyone who is unable to serve to contact the court as soon as possible. It also recommends business casual attire in the courtroom, with no shorts, jeans, or flip-flops.