thoughts on jury duty

[Bamaman]

I've been called to jury duty, and a couple of times been grilled by attorneys.

They keep rejecting me as a juror. Something about being white, a college graduate and a career in the financial world. They think I'd be too judgmental.

[COcheesehead]

I made it into the jury box and was let go by the defendant's attorney in the last cut. Was it something I said? LOL.
Anyway, I felt it was an honor to try and help. Your results may vary.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socca I was impressed by the power of the state to force me to make the hour-long journey downtown, stay for the day, and make the hour-long journey back.

Just be happy you weren't summoned to be on a grand jury...that service can be pretty long.

[easysurfer]

I served as a juror twice. Once on a criminal case that only lasted on day. The other a civil case that lasted about 4 days. Also, once got shuffled into the jury box, someone cried uncle and the case settle just before the court session started.

I've never been eliminated during the judge/attorney weeded out process so either I have an honest face or look like a chump .

[Mdlerth]

"I should be on every jury. I can tell whether a person is innocent or guilty just by looking at them."

Anybody who wants to get out of jury duty should remember this line.

[braumeister]

The last time DW was on a jury her comment afterward was "We all agreed that it just boiled down to deciding which side was lying less than the other."

[GravitySucks]

Have been called twice and empaneled both times. Not a fun time but not to bad. Part of being a citizen.

[samclem]

Last time I checked, most places still use voter roles as the starting point for sending out notifications for jury duty. So, if a person wants to avoid jury duty in those jurisdictions, a foolproof way is to just not vote/register to vote. Some citizens who can't be bothered to sit on a jury and are willing to give up their vote to avoid it--well, it sets up an interesting dynamic.

Some places/jurisdictions now use drivers license rolls instead/in addition to choose jurors. Maybe some places use property ownership records? You'd have to be careful not to inadvertently skew the pool of potential jurors with some of these methods.

[Another Reader]

The civil grand jury here is voluntary and in my opinion politicized. Here's the description of the application process.

Civil Grand Jury - Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara

The civil grand jury also hears the largest and most controversial criminal cases, including cases involving public officials.

[ncbill]

Last time I was excited to be the first juror selected...never got out of the waiting room before!

Sadly, I was one of the first the defense (peremptory) excused, probably because the alleged crime took place right outside my neighborhood.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem Last time I checked, most places still use voter rolls as the starting point for sending out notifications for jury duty. ... Some places/jurisdictions now use drivers license rolls instead/in addition to choose jurors.

Every place I've lived has used both.

I think the biggest improvement to the present jury system would be to provide a comfortable place for prospective jurors to sit while waiting to be called. I've experienced both the good and the bad, and it made a huge difference in my attitude.

[scrabbler1]

Besides the 3 times I was called for jury duty, I was called one other time in late 1986. However, I had moved out of Manhattan (and out of NYC) earlier in 1986, so I simply replied to the form that I moved away and that was that. However, jury selection for the Bernhard Goetz subway shooting case was about to take place, and I sometimes wondered if I would have made it onto the jury. I was out of town for 2 week just after the shooting a few days before Christmas of 1984, so I was not exposed to any of the local publicity in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, something which probably would have me a good candidate for getting onto that jury.

[Dtail]

When I was working I didn't really feel like going. Now in retirement, I don't mind and if the case has some twists to it, I find it challenging.

[gwraigty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathy63 Right now, a really large percentage of jurors are driven by a desire to minimize the negative financial impacts they're suffering as a result of being on a jury and this absolutely affects verdicts. This is not good for anyone who is relying on an impartial and fair jury of their peers. As it stands today, if I were involved in a legal proceeding, I am certain that I would prefer a bench trial to a jury trial.

+1

I served on a jury for 3 days. When we were deliberating, it was a little scary the reasoning that some people had for automatically declaring the defendant guilty, with little to no thought. "Well, he was brought to trial, therefore, he must be guilty." The case was complicated by the fact that the victim had died between the time of the event and the trial. We were assured that the event hadn't contributed to her death. There was no physical evidence, only hearsay, which was allowed. We were given medical reports to study with no professional explanations of the data, that showed the victim had so many illegal drugs in her system at the time of the event, I wondered if the victim knew what planet she was on at the time of the event.

[Exit 2024]

I am on Jury Duty currently, started September 30 and will end on November 1, total 5 weeks. Our works the way that all need to check website every evening to see if your number called for next day. Fridays are off. So far I had to go 4 times - 1 for orientation and 3 for jury selection, was not chosen for trail so far and all 4 times I was out of the court by 11 am, so it is not that bad. Will be paid for each show up $12.5, but I am getting paid for that time by my employer anyway, so no any misses on earnings

[PawPrint53]

My father lived all but the last two years of his life in Seattle and was never summoned for jury duty. We moved him to Oregon where he got the summons within the first year. As he was 90 and had dementia, he got out of it. I've been called three times and served three times. One of the cases was the (younger) wife of a local TV weather man accusing the (older) ex-wife of battery. That was kind of fun. Not sure how the jury ended up being all middle-aged women--bad defense attorney? Luckily, there was actually a legal reason to find the ex-wife not guilty, and we jumped on it.

[Big_Hitter]

jury duty is great - it's one of the only opportunities we get to judge laws, as well as facts

[cbo111]

I would love to serve on a jury. Called up 5 or 6 times. Every time I get asked the questions of "what do/did you do for a living, and do you have relatives in law enforcement?" When I answer "retired military officer, and son is a LT in the Sheriff dept," I am politely excused. Not sure if its these answers or maybe I have a smug look that one of the attorneys does not like.

[El Jacinto]

I've never been called upon for jury duty. I imagine that I would be pretty annoyed at having to alter my life for it, especially when I wouldn't trust my future in the hands of some strangers off the street.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Jacinto I've never been called upon for jury duty. I imagine that I would be pretty annoyed at having to alter my life for it, especially when I wouldn't trust my future in the hands of some strangers off the street.

I have the opposite view - if I were the defendant, I'd want 12 people like myself to be on the jury