The Rural Juror
well, my civic duty for the year was completed without making it to the jury box. it looked pretty bleak when the first round of 12 yielded only 1 juror…all the rest were dismissed. i looked despairingly at a sympathetic lady in the row in front of me.
beside me an old soldier of the raider nation sort of snored while awake…it was quite interesting. i couldn’t help but look at him every now and then, only to be surprised at his open eyes and obvious lucidity. he was eventually chosen as a perspective alternate, but then dismissed.
being the first time i made it into the actual courtroom when summoned, here’s what i learned about jury duty today.
first, even though we all know it, no one wants to serve on a jury. well, strike that, 99% of kings county citizens do not want to serve on a jury. out of the 100-150 people who were in my particular courtroom there was only 1 gentlemen who said “i’d like a chance to serve on this jury.” he was promptly dismissed. i mean…we don’t want someone like THAT deciding the fate of a defendant…
when everyone else was called they reacted like you asked them to donate their savings (not voluntarily, but forcibly) to finding a better wall-paper for portable bathrooms in…Ontario.
(note to self…if ever tried, do NOT select a jury trial)
second, people get really irrational when questioned. the sorts of answers (or absolute lack of answers for that matter) that our judge and lawyers received from perspective jurors was just laughable.
judge – ‘do you think you could be a fair juror in this case?’
perspective juror – ‘………..nhuh uh….’
judge – ‘why is that?’
perspective juror – ‘………………………………’
judge – ‘why don’t you think you could be a fair juror in this case?’
perspective juror – ‘……………………………..’
judge – ‘mrs. ****** we need an answer.’
perspective juror – ‘i dunno…i just don’t. i think that this particular crime is bad.’
judge – ‘mrs. ******, are you telling me that if this were a murder trial it would be any easier?’
perspective juror – ‘………uh nuh uh…….’
i couldn’t help but laugh. laugh and disdain. come on people…you are deciding the fate of an american citizen. get it together.
like i said, i never made it into the box. and, to be honest i was glad. i would like to serve on a jury sometime…i really would. i just don’t want to spend the week before christmas on a jury.
i’m pretty sure i’ll never get the chance for a number of reasons: having studied criminal justice in college i know that i’m not exactly the most appealing person if lawyers are being demographic in their selection process.
the second opponent to me being a juror is my occupation. ‘pastor’ just doesn’t sit well with a lot of defense attorneys.
in this particular case there were a few other obstacles to my being selected. first, a general question that seemed to get other people bounced: ‘do you have more than average knowledge about the crime in question?’ which, sadly, i do, again because of my field of study in college.
the second question that would’ve gotten me ejected was an unusual but interesting one: ‘does anyone in the jury box not drink alcohol?’ for those who answered in the affirmative, as i would have done, that seemed to be the last question the defense was interested in.
all in all, i’m glad i didn’t have to hear the testimony on this particular case, and i’m glad i didn’t have to serve this particular week.
maybe next year…
i got one answer, but i don’t want to lose the question yet.
random-question-of-the-post: if you had to serve jury duty 1 week a year or fill potholes 1 week a year…which would you choose?
in general | December 17th, 2007
Serve 1 week in a Jury for sure. I’d hope to be like John Cusack and sway all the others on the jury. I’d be the best rule jerr of them all.
I’m assuming you watch 30 Rock.
thats a tough one. i might have to say fill pot holes! at least you’d be outside, but it would have to be in the spring!
I’d serve on a jury! I have gone several times, but each time I was there most of the day and they didn’t choose me. You find yourself thinking “CHOOSE ME!” It is worse when they dismiss you for no obvious reason….
Jury. For a Fresno State lawsuit. No one can write a good book about digging potholes.
Man, you blog a lot! Too bad I read it… btw I have a blog now. :)
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thanks for the great replies. i think i would choose filling potholes because i can’t stand listening to people make the lame excuses they do at jury duty. it’d be a lot harder to pull that noise if a big Cal-Trans worker named Bruno is standing beside you with a shovel and an angry outlook on life.
tyler, thanks for reading…you should never feel bad about it. and thanks for linking to your blog. i will blogroll you asap.
I would gladly fill potholes. You get paid better and it is not nearly as painful.
Having served as a juror in Kings County I would have to *strongly* agree with you in that if you have to be tried, don’t choose to be tried by your peers. God help us all.
And the jury selection process is rather disturbing. My case dealt with an African American and Meth. Now I was fine with the idea if I was to be selected, but not wanting to miss out on work I tried not to be selected (and this is a confession) by showing up dressed as closely to a skinhead as possible…the defense and prosecution both wanted me to be a member of the jury.
Well congratulations for missing out and making it through the painful selection process.
Blessings,
Michael
well, on the surface the idea of being a juror seems cerebrally appealing, but i’m afraid that almost every crime i would have to hear all about would give me small (and/or large) fits of anxiety. so i’ll take potholes, please! nothing wrong with a hard day’s work. or maybe the pothole-riddled area that i’d get assigned to would be virtually pothole free! either way…potholes.