Jury Duty

[Glenn Bartley]

I have been called twice that I remember for jury duty. Each time I was dismissed. I was pretty disappointed at that because I believe an opportunity to serve on a jury is one of our highest civic duties and honors. I suppose that sitting on a jury, as far regular civilian life goes, is the second most important civil responsibility we have as a citizen. The most important is voting.

All the best,
Glenn B

[Weetabix]

I got called up once. They asked some question that evoked the answer that my father-in-law was a prosecutor in town. They asked if he'd ever said anything that would prejudice me. I told them, "I don't know... I've never listened to him." They let me on the jury.

[sam]

Been called many times. At least my county moved to the "one day or one jury" model.

Served on only one jury, a real estate lawsuit. We, the jury, didn't like either the plaintiff, or the primary defendant. We partially found for the plaintiff, as the Realtor being sued hadn't done her due diligence.

It also came out at trial that the plaintiff was doing real estate tax fraud. I've always wondered if that tidbit got to the IRS.

I've been a crime victim, and a crime witness, and with the above lawsuit, the last three times I've been interviewed for a jury panel, I've been either the first or second juror excused. Usually leaves me the rest of the day to do something useful.

[Drone 7 of lots more]

The wife-unit has been called a couple of times, but never been placed. Me, never called but I suspect I wouldn't be desirable, I know how to spell jury nullification.

[workinwifdakids]

Well, it's over. The prosecutor asked if we would convict someone for driving 71 in a 70. Every single one of us who said "no" was immediately dismissed. I told him that his analogy fell flat, and that he couldn't extrapolate how I'd act on this case regarding my answer on that question.

I'm really, really angry. They found an educated, unbiased, and impartial juror in me, and they told me I'm not worthy of participating in the system, and not able to render a proper verdict.

Well fuck them. This has really put me in a state. I know I shouldn't be, but I'm quite depressed about this.

[Dub_James]

About 8 years ago. 2 weeks of being put in a basement room with 100 other people, watching the proceedings, only to get called up on the last day, then dismissed.

The docket was empty for the following day, so no need to report back.

Mostly assault/child sex cases.

[First Shirt]

Mark Twain said something to the effect that the primary requirement for jury duty was to be totally unqualified to sit on a jury (don't remember the exact quote, but that's the gist of it).

[Weetabix]

“We operate under a jury system in this country, and as much as we complain about it, we have to admit that we know of no better system, except possibly flipping a coin.”
- Dave Barry

“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”
- Robert Frost

“When you go into court, you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty”
- Norm Crosby

“I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system -- that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.”
- Harper Lee
(sounds a bit ironic after the quote above, don't it?)

“We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world; and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men every day who don't know anything and can't read”
- Mark Twain

“A jury is a group of twelve people of average ignorance”
- Herbert Spencer

“The jury, passing on the prisoner's life, may in the sworn twelve have a thief or two guiltier than him they try”
- Shakespeare

“The hungry judges soon the sentence sign,
and wretches hang that jury-men may dine”
- Alexander Pope
(maybe the conflict between juridicial theory and practice is longer than we knew)

“Jury: A group of 12 people, who, having lied to the judge about their health, hearing, and business engagements, have failed to fool him”
- H. L. Mencken

[Ben S]

One of my law profs in the first year of law school told me the way that one calculates the IQ of the jury.

You take the IQ of the dumbest juror, and then divide it by the number of jurors. That is the jury IQ.

From my work in the criminal field, i can tell you that so far, it's managed to play out just like that.

[Flintlock Tom]

I had duty on a civil case a little while ago. When the judge asked if anyone in the pool had any "feelings one way or another" about all the news stories out there pertaining to lawsuits and capping damage awards, I was the only one out of ~40 people to raise my hand.

I was immediately dismissed when I told the judge and 2 lawyers, in side bar, that I believed excessive litigation was one of the worst problems our country faces. What really amazed me is that I was the only one who had any "feelings" on this matter. We have become a country of sheeple.

You were not the only person who had "feelings on this matter", you were the only one who was honest about it.