5 Reasons Not To Avoid Jury Duty
- 1. It is the right thing to do
- Your are a Citizen and it is your responsibility
- 2. It is interesting
- You will learn about the Justice system and or some facts in the case
- 3. It is better than any TV or Movie portrayal of the Legal System
- The Clients, Attorneys and Judges are real and you are watching their every move
- 4. You will have interesting and bizarre stories to retell
- Criminals commonly have not thought out or executed well their plans
- 5. It is the right thing to do
If you or a
loved one were charged wouldn’t you want some one like yourself on the jury?
I was on Jury
Duty for 2 weeks this month. It was Federal Court, a civil case. I was reluctant
because it is a busy time of year for my business. I don’t think my background
was ideal for the Defendant but I was not excused. It was a very bizarre case,
and I now have great stories to retell for the Holidays!
My other
jurors were retirees, new parents, gainfully employed, high school educated,
advanced graduate degreed, racially mixed men and women. They were thoughtful,
articulate, and kind. For 2 weeks we could not discuss the case with each other
or anyone else. We swore we would not look up anything on line about the case.
This case
presented FDA agents and IRS agents. I learned about the training and course
studies these agents must perfect. Other witnesses were chemists, medical
doctors and microbiologists. Just when
the case started getting a bit dull with another PHD/MD expert testifying, a
bizarre fact and or testimony took a twist. It was very difficult for me not to
say ‘WTF’ at breaks!
Once as a jury
we could deliberate it was clear we all had similar impressions about the
Defendant. After we gave our verdict, the Judge talked to us back in the jury
room. He told us he agreed with our verdict and basically ‘WTF’!
Have you
served on Jury Duty? Was your experience positive?
6 comments:
I hate to say that I haven't served because then I will surely be called!
I know Shelley, you don't want to jinx yourself, but really it isn't a bad thing!
That sounds fascinating, Haralee. Will you be able to write about it? I would love to know more.
Helene, It was really bizarre. Selling 'nutraceuticals'of suspicious products saying it can help severe diseases. Modern day snake charmer to the tune of 3 Million dollars per year!
I've sat for several days in the County Courthouse waiting to be called on two different occasions and, once, made it as far as the initial jury interview before the case was settled at the last minute.
Another time, I was on call for Federal jury duty, but they never called me in. Much better than the County system because, at least, I wasn't sitting in a big room waiting for nothing to happen.
I think it would be an interesting experience.
Thanks Joy for commenting. Often the process is a lot of waiting like you experienced.
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