Two and a half days of mind-numbing jury duty service are complete. The case I was placed on has been settled without We the Jury rendering a decision. Apparently the defendant “copped a plea” and is now likely on her way to the pokey in Perryville for an undetermined length of time.
Everyone ought to experience jury duty once. It’s quite interesting to see how the court system really works. Law & Order, CSI and other such shows, while entertaining, are not based on reality. But you (hopefully) knew that.
I’ve now had the pleasure of sitting on both a civil and a criminal jury. I’m proud to have served as I think other than voting and military service, jury duty is probably the single most important civic duty we can partake in. That being said, seeing how I’ve been on both of the major types of trials, I think I should have a lifetime exemption from serving again.
Somehow I suspect I’ll be getting another summons in two years.
I anxiously await my check for $24 plus 37.5 cents per mile for my time and travel. (Note to Arizona State Legislature; have you seen the price of gas lately?)
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t believe they picked you, last year I was lucky enough to get picked as an alternate, I got to sit around for a couple of days and didn’t even get to voice my opinion since none of the regular jury members either got sick or disqualified.
Jay, see if you can find an hour or so sometime to tidy up some web stuff for me. Thanks.
I kept waiting for the (dink-dink) sound when I served. Just didn’t happen. We just sat in the room waiting to go back to court again and again. Luckily we have 4 years in PA. 2012 Jury duty. Here I come
After my last experience, I have a different mindset. Yes, jury duty is an important civil duty. But it has MAJOR problems - A) no such thing as “jury of your peers”, since our demographics spread a very wide range, and B) I didn’t think some of the jurors were fit to take care of themselves, let alone decide somebody else’s fate after listening to and then carefully weighing the evidence!
I’m a big proponent of paying professinoal jurors - make it a full-time job with some type of pre-law education required. They can be monitored to listen carefully and with an open mind. They would get better with experience. They would have a desire to be there. (all missing from today’s system.)
OK, I’ll get down off my soapbox now…
Chris - Interesting thoughts. I will freely admit there were people on both juries I’ve served on that I would NOT want on my own jury — should the need for my own jury ever arise. They paid no attention, appeared biased from the get-go, and to be perfectly honest, just were not very bright. Many did a great job, but there was 1 or 2 that really shouldn’t have been there. They simply went along with the flow, and did their time.
I would hazard a guess that no one on this most recent jury could really be called a “peer” of the defendant. Unless the definition of “peer” is simply “human being”. No one looked to be in her age, education, race or socio-economic class. I’m not real sure how to define “jury of your peers”, but this jury wasn’t remotely composed of what I think most people would define as peers….
I think that if you don’t believe a jury will give you a fair trial, you can ask for the judge to decide your case. I hope I don’t need that choice
Jay, an idea for a blog on how reality is different from fiction. Your experience vs what one sees in Law & Order etc. For those who do not get the experience!
> I think other than voting and military service, jury duty is probably the single most important civic duty we can partake in.
What about paying taxes? That is at least my biggest interaction with the government.
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