Prospective jurors are put under oath when they are questioned (subjected to a void dire examination), so any prospective juror who lies could be prosecuted for perjury (a five-year felony in federal court).
If they tell the truth that they do, then they will be excused from the jury. If they were to lie, that is a crime called perjury. If they are caught after the trial starts, then the judge would remove them and seat an alternate juror, or declare a mistrial. The juror could face prison time.
Disqualifications and exemptions from jury service. A prospective juror is disqualified to serve on a jury if that prospective juror is not a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age and a resident of the county, or is unable to read, speak and understand the English language.
If you cannot serve even if granted a postponement, you may contact your local commissioner of jurors office and ask to be excused from service. The commissioner may ask you to provide documentary proof of the reasons why you need to be excused.
What are some of the best excuses people have used when they didn't want to show up for jury duty? You are not fluent in English. You are disabled, evidenced by a physician's attestation. You are hospitalized, again evidenced by a physician's attestation.
If you have been convicted of a felony when the conviction has not been set aside or a pardon issued. If you are a judge, clerk of a district court, a sheriff, or a jailer. If your spouse has been summoned for the same jury panel. If you or your spouse have a pending jury trial in any court.
Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. mail, and any phone or email contact by real court officials will not include requests for any sensitive information. Jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should be taken seriously by all citizens.
You can get excused for bias during a process called voir dire but that isn't as straightforward as saying “I'm biased” or “I think the defendant looks guilty.” If you think something that simple can get you out of jury duty in front of a judge and lawyers who have seen these tricks for many, many years, you are ...
You do have a legal obligation to be truthful wrt the questions that you are asked, and if you lie, you can be charged with perjury. Pretending to be unable to follow the judges instructions is a lie (that is implicit in the word ``pretending''), and you probably can't afford the prison time for perjury.
Jurors who lie to get on a jury can be charged with such offenses as contempt of court and obstruction of justice. Background checks are increasingly being used to catch jurors who lie about their criminal records.