Jury Duty - What Does It Mean Now?

me | now | me

[ggrrrrr23456]

I served on jury duty today.

The prosecutor asked the question, "Does anyone not want to be here for jury duty today?"\

I raised my hand.

I then went on record saying that my view of the process had been clouded by what I consider to be an abuse and politicization of the judicial system in NY, GA, and Washington D.C.

The judge, who I don't doubt is an honorable chap doing his duty, gave a speech about the importance of jury duty, how it was a responsibility and privilege that had been fought for by our Founding Fathers through blood, sweat and tears.

25 years ago, that would have made sense. But now, not so much.

Is anyone else facing the same challenge with their jury duty service?

[rlmorel]

I had an interesting jury duty experience when I was younger. (I will preface this anecdote by stressing that I used to be all in on the civic duty aspect of jury duty.)

When I got out of the Navy, I got called that fall for Jury Duty. I went and did my duty. Then, three years later, I got called again. And then I got called again. And again.

Turns out in my state, every three years you become eligible for jury duty. And was starting to get pretty irritated by it. Especially since NOBODY I knew, and I had a large circle of friends, had been called even once.

I got called in 1979, 1982, 1985, and 1988.

When I got called in 1988, I was fit to be tied. But I went. It was the only time I got picked to be on a jury, and it was for an older woman arrested for drunk driving.

Then, there was a hiatus.

That lasted until 1998, when I got called for Federal Jury Duty, but...I didn’t get picked. They notified me that I didn’t have to report on the day I was supposed to go in. (People told me all kinds of horror stories about Federal Jury Duty)

Then, in 2002, I was called for Jury Duty again.

Boy, was I steaming mad. I went in and decided I was going to act out in some way. There were at least a hundred people reporting on that day, and we were broken up into smaller groups that were each individually managed by some minor court official as we filled out our paperwork. When we had to fill out our forms, I filled it out in a completely illegible manner, I was boiling mad. The Bailiff called out my name and made me fill it out again.

Then, we all filed into the huge courtroom. I think it was one of those open courtrooms that has a bunch of different areas where legal processes can go on at the same time, and they explained to us that there was going to be an important case and they needed to explain it to us.

It was about two brothers who got pulled over by the State Police and had unlicensed weapons in their car. Then they asked anyone who had a problem sitting in a jury trial for this case to raise their hand.

I raised my hand immediately. They called me up to the bench in front of all these other jurors who watched this odd process curiously, the judge was sitting there in his black robe, and the District Attorney and the Defense Lawyer were there. The judge asked what my issue was. I completely lied, because I was so pissed, and said I didn’t trust the police. I would assume the State Police planted the weapons. (I didn’t really feel this way, but I was so angry I felt as if I could say nearly anything)

While I said this, I could see the Defense Attorney stroking his chin as he eyed me, and I imagined that if he had a thought bubble above his head, it would have said “How can I get this guy on the jury?”

The judge said “Well, if you can’t be impartial, we can dismiss you for today, but you will have to come back again.”

When he said that I did an immediate 180 and said “Fine. I can be impartial.” So I didn’t get picked that day.

Then, in 2002, I got ANOTHER jury duty notification, and I nearly had a stroke. I didn’t get picked, but as soon as I got home, I typed up a letter to the State Commissioner of Juries. I didn’t use profanity, but I was nearly apoplectic with rage at this decades long stupidity and imposition on me.

I was never called again after that.

I would willingly go and serve now, as I am at the end of my career, and I am not “in demand” in my work the way I used to be (I am the old guy, and everyone is cutting me some slack to extend my career another year or so!) but...I think my Jury Duty days are over. I doubt I will get called again, and rightly so. I thought I served enough.

[flamberge]

I have been called for jury duty several times.

In all but one of those times, the case was settled before the trial was to be started. A big waste of the morning for 100 people or so who had been called. Good thing most of them were retired.

The one case in which the jury was called for a trial was "interesting".

The prosecutor had no evidence, the lead witness was also the plaintiff, and she recanted all of her testimony while under oath. It was quite obvious that the original complaint was a setup based on perjury.

We were 11-1 for acquittal within two minutes of deliberations. The lone holdout for conviction finally gave up after lunch, the foreman announced a "Not Guilty" verdict, and we all went home.

I am glad I served on that jury.

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

My experience with jury duty is that if you show any intelligence above 100 then the defense doesn’t want you on the jury. Defense lawyers want dummies on their juries who can be easily swayed toward their cases.

[nd76]

I’ve been a registered voter for 50 years but I’ve only received a jury summons four times in my life: twice when I lived in Maryland and twice when I lived in Virginia. In Maryland, I was a venireman once, and during the two week period of jury service I only had to go to the county courthouse once, and the one trial that was set for jury selection settled that morning. The other time was in August and there were no jury trials scheduled for that two week period.

In Virginia, I had to call into the courthouse on the days appointed in the summons, but did not have to go to the courthouse during either period of jury service.

I’d love to serve on a jury, now that I am slowing down. I would have whatever time it took to do it right. If you’ve got a defendant like Sam Bankman-Fried, then you have an obligation to your neighbors to find him guilty. If you have a defendant like Donald Trump, you owe it to not only your neighbors but to the tens of millions of people who believe in him to refuse to cave in to a corrupt prosecutor. It only takes one person to stop an injustice. “If it is to be, it is up to me”.

[Organic Panic]

It is only a matter of time, if not already, that jurors will be required to vote as they are commanded to vote by the leftists. Vote wrong, to the DC gulag for “insurrection.” Currently I expect the FIB is monitoring anyone on a federal jury for wrong think and to intimidate them. Obama and his rotten bastards have infested everything and they don’t plan on letting go.

[4Runner]

I was brutally honest in the questioning during several voir dire’s but was rejected in every instance by one or the other of the attorneys present because I said I was a subscriber to the National Review magazine, and that was when it was being run by Bill Buckley. That was many many years ago. I haven’t been called for jury duty ever again, after I last responded to a call for jury duty with a written explanation as to my belief that the criminal justice system was inherently corrupted. They haven’t called me since and I’m sure they never will again.

[gundog]

A couple of years ago, I sat on a jury for a sloping-forehead tweeker goon that was accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The case never should have been brought, in my estimation. It came down to the State having to prove that the accused knew that there was s gun in the car that he “borrowed” from his girlfriend. He was moving out, and there were issues of domestic violence, or fear of it. He used the car to move, but kept it longer than the girlfriend wanted. Three days longer...the magic number for a meth bender...so she called the cops to get it back, using the fact that he was in possession of the gun as a pretext to motivate thrm to go after him.

The two female prosecutors were jokes...Kate Brown’s front-line troops in the war on firearms. The public defender was competent, if uncharismatic. A big show was made of the indisputable fact that there was a gun in the car...a loaded, functional gun....but they couldn’t possibly prove the accused knew it was there. A fingerprint on the gun, magazine. or any of the cartridges would have convinced me, but the oops never printed it. The jury saw things clearly...the foreman started deliberations with “Much as I hate to say it, the State failed to prove their case....”. We acquitted.

A few weeks later, the accused killed a woman...allegedly...a couple of hundred yards from where I live. He’s still sitting in jail, awaiting trial in that case.

[jonascord]

My one time for a jury duty selection, I was the only one wearing a coat and tie.

Add to that, when asked if I could be impartial when the the defendant was a LEO, I mentioned that when I still lived in Chicago, I've bought 2 cops and an alderman.

I didn't get selected.

[caddie]

Like the Electoral College and the VP decertifying electors, so-called jury nullification is one of the few backstops we have left. We had better get used to it and get goid at using it.

Gotta be on a jury to do that.

[usconservative]

I ignore the notices and throw them in the trash. There are zero consequences for ignoring jury duty notices here in Hellinois, where we have no cash bail and the same offenders released again and again without being prosecuted.

So exactly what's the point of jury duty here, anyway?

No, you're not the only one.

[fruser1]

too stupid to figure out how to get out

I always figured they were mostly the lazy type that "had an excuse" to get out of work, or weren't working, and were content with the $3 per day or what not. The same types that are happy to stay in the hospital as long as the insurance allows it because of the "free food and tv".

In other words, mostly shitheads who are probably also willing to be "hired" as activists, which is why we get folks in jail for defending themselves.

[UnwashedPeasant]

If I am ever before a jury, I hope it includes some Freepers.

[Night Hides Not]

Funny you bring that up. 40+ years ago, I served on a court martial. It was a drug case, but there were strong indications that CID was the real perp.

We acquitted the soldier. His battalion commander got really pissed at us, it was a unanimous verdict.

I've never been selected for jury duty, due to sitting on that court martial. Perhaps the defense attorney should ask, "what was the verdict?"

[CodeToad]

I got permanently kicked off juries in Colorado for saying I thought the courts and cops were corrupt and the accused was probably innocent.

[cyclotic]

I’m the same way. We have the duty to serve. If only to be sand in the machine.

[mewzilla]

I never get called.

But then I’m a Trump donor.

Don’t wanna get called for jury duty, donate to Trump.

Worth a try.

[crusty old prospector]

In my county, everyone in my family gets called about every two years. They are large panels and we only get chosen for the jury about one out of four times.

[joe fonebone]

I just did jury duty.
The only problem with it was other jurors.
This guy confesses.
On camera.
He knew he was on camera.
One woman did not believe his own confession.

[rlmorel]

It really bugged me at the time. I might not have felt that way had I seen others being called at the same rate.

I am still a believer in the system, as flawed as it has become. If they called me now, I would go without protest. Back then, I was a young and busy man, and felt I had much to do.

[Rlsau1]

Too many jurors vote emotionally regardless of the evidence. All to often in capital cases jurors just lie about their ability to weigh the evidence and make the hard decision. That’s now spilled over into the judicial ranks.