2wheelwoman

Thanks Lisanne and Quiltncrazy. It's nice to know I didn't offend.

Being a juror really is an interesting experience, and one that I think everyone should do at least once. Getting out of it can be a bugger. I agree with the previous poster who said the judges take a dim view of those who try to get out of it. I was being questioned on one and some guy sort of snickered and said he would be biased and he obviously expected to get excused. The judge told him that if he was selected, it was his duty to be unbiased and he'd be held in contempt of court (or something like that) if he failed to deliberate in good faith. It was so clearly a ploy to get out of jury duty that the judge had to call his bluff and slam him. On another one a guy said he had to be in Japan in just a few days to speak at a conference. No mercy. The judge just said, well, you're not gonna make it. Some are really harsh.

You do have to have the patience of Job for jury duty. So much hurry-up-and-wait time. And so much bickering in the jury room. On one trial the forewoman was a 3rd grade teacher, and that's how she talked to us. I wanted to throttle her by the fifth or sixth day in a row of this. Patience is not one of my many virtues. :lol:

Overall, it's a cool study in human behavior. And the BEST thing to get is to be selected as an Alternate. You get all the in-court experiences, and none of the petty nonsense of trying to get people to all agree during deliberations. You just get to hang out in the waiting room and read while the fireworks go on. 8) In answer to the original question - I think people can be unbiased and make a rightous decision - but many of them do have their own agendas and egos and all those other annoying traits they bring with them. Some don't pay any attention, and are then useless in deliberations. Some make up their mind as the trial starts and nothing will change their mind during the rest of the proceedings, including conflicting testimony. On one trial we had to have the reporter re-read whole chunks of testimony that some people missed the first time. It really does make you (or at least me) want to smack 'em upside the head. :twisted: As an alternate you don't have to deal with so much of that.

Hmmm. I haven't been called yet this year...

sandpat

I've been called twice..got off once, had to serve the next time. I was a salesperson, so no worky...no pay. I had a friend with some pull who got me off the first time, didn't even go before the judge.

The second time..we met in a huge room, the judge basically said..if you are no going to your own funeral...you will serve..no excuses..period. This was for a 2 week session. We all sat in a huge room everyday and the attorneys would come in and maybe call your name...maybe not. After a few days of sitting, I was called to serve. It was a train/car accident case. A family was sueing the RR because they didn't have the guard that drops down at this particular crossing where the accident occured. We listened for 3 days...I did listen intently to both sides of the story and wasn't sure which way to decide when they came back and said there had been a settlement.

So...I think that I can listen, however I have a very black/white personality...I just don't see too much gray...you either do right...or you have done wrong type of thing.

DH got called for federal...he had to serve for 2 years...and this has happened to him twice! A nightmare which is another whole story in itself!

DA Mayer

I have been on county jury, county grand jury and federal petite jury. I was called on all of them but only went to trial once. the federal jury I had to travel a long distance and stay overnight. The defendant didn't show up so we were released to go home. I did get paid mileage, motel room and for the day in court. The county jury we got paid so much a day and I turned that in to my workplace and they paid me my wages for the days I missed work. Discussion was very interesting in the jury room. We had to keep coming back to evidence presented and not making inferences about what might have happened. We had to say not guilty because evidence didn't prove guilt even though we were sure she was guilty.

judee0624

Many years ago I served on a jury for about three days. I was very happy it was short and we did a good service to the defendant. He was an immigrant from Central America who had been accused of assaulting a police officer. BUT, that officer had entered the home and pushed his way around without backup and for no good reason. Talk about terrifying the immigrant. We found him not guilty. The officer didn't even wear a uniform to court. I didn't know until after that there had been a problem with some officers in that community. So I was glad we did what we had to to get that guy justice.
Other than that, most times I have been called, I get a lot of reading done. A couple of years ago I came way too close to being on a very long (think months) multiple murder trial. Fortunately, they excused me. I couldn't understand why the guy was on trial when he had confessed and was in jail. My cousin is a Superior Court judge in another state and says it is hard to get good citizens to serve on juries.
Pay? When I was working, we got paid for jury duty but the county only pays something like $5 a day plus mileage after the first day.

judee

sewnsewer2

I haven't but would like to.

Mousie

Patti, please tell me, your husband didn't serve for two years on the same case? (you could birth an elephant in that time :shock: )
Wow, I guess it all depends on how much evidence, how many witnesses, professionals have to testify, such as police, doctors, psychiatrists, forensic ppl, etc.
I'd like to hear more about some of these things, and how a judge can MAKE ppl serve, short of dying. There has to be some situations with potential jurors, that are considered excusable.
Having said that, I also, believe that we need good ppl to insure that there are fair trials, etc. Would any of us, want to be a defendant, whether accused of a crime, or being sued for damages, etc. and our so-called peers, on the jury, didn't give a hoot to the outcome?
I really appreciate each and every reply and feedback. I didn't realize how interesting this all was. I am intrigued. :D

Mousie

thanks so much for this.
I am wondering, when your gut tells you, something is amiss, or you really believe the person guilty, but based on evidence or lack thereof, you have to vote not guilty...do any of you feel remorse?
How do you turn it off, after it is all a done deal?

Mousie

You've really got my attention on this one, judee, bc I thought, even in self defense or whatever, that if you struck a police officer, you were automatically guilty by law.
Don't get me wrong, I think even professionals have to have a protocol. We can not give ANYONE, absolute across the board, power, to do as they please.
Its comforting to know, these cases we have heard about on the 6 o'clock news, or such, of the FBI or the IRS, just busting down granny and gramps door during dinner, or whatever, can be unlawful and ppl can do something about it.

reneebobby

They wouldn't want me I believe in the death penalty.

Mousie

Actually, I don't know if it's 50-50, but they certainly would want you.
I believe the smallest case to the most severe, should be juried with the same consideration, and if they were, we wouldn't be stacking the prisons on top of each other to make room for new ones.
There's an article in Reader's Digest called, "That's Outrageos!", and much of it, are cases that ppl have considered judges to have done some ridiculous 'judging' and so forth.
It's unreal, how ppl will abuse the power granted to them, if allowed to, and it' also unreal, what society will permit, sometimes. :shock: