Jury duty...I didn't get picked

[finesse_r]

It is actually a little depressing that I have been selected for Jury duty as often as 25% of the times I have been called in. I say depressing as I believe most attorneys and DA's want a jury that is mostly dumb as posts with little or no education, and absolutely no professional training. I could be wrong in this, as my opinion is purely based on personal experience and nothing else. However the people I have shared jury duty with have certainly mostly been dumb as posts.

 

[Skeet 028]

Got picked one time..A serious Death Penalty murder trial. I figured no way I'd get picked. I worked with cops..fire marshal's office fire dept Holy Crapo... Sure 'nuff ended up on the jury. 5 weeks is a long time. I learned there are bleeding heart type people who should NOT serve on a jury. Stabbed a man fifty times for 50 bucks. I never want to serve on a jury ever again. Bad enough seeing it as a paramedic...but seeing it in pictures and hearing the details over and over is a very hard job..and not for the faint of heart. Yeah we all can say oh hell I could do that easily but it really ain't easy

 

[Twiki357]

I've lost count of how many times I've been called for jury duty or how many juries I've actually been on. I never minded jury duty. It's other jurors that drive me nuts.

I think the worst was a murder case. Right off the bat we had 11 guilty and one not guilty because "I'm sure he's guilty but I'm not sure it's beyond a reasonable doubt!" We accumulated four days of jury pay before the guy finally voted guilty (In lieu of going to the emergency room.)

 

[sigp220.45]

I'm always a little disappointed at the people who try so hard to get out of jury duty. In the federal system, the case agent (me) sits with the federal prosecutors (Assistant United States Attorneys - AUSAs in the vernacular) for the whole trial, including the jury selection process.

A lot goes into it - the AUSAs pour over the jury questionairres and make their picks. They have a limited number of strikes and they try to use them wisely.

In my experience, just being in law enforcement or related to someone in law enforcement isn't enough to get an automatic strike. There is a follow up question - can you be fair and impartial despite your connection to law enforcement? The same thing for being a victim. If you can honestly answer yes, then you can get on a jury. I did.

I think most folks just recognize the question as an easy out and take it, which is understandable in a way but frustrating for the other players.

I worked Indian Country cases so by the time we picked a jury our victim (probably of child sex abuse or rape or a violent assault) had been through the initial trauma, the scab-picking of the investigation, and - once a trial loomed - several sessions of trial prep. While they are sitting in a witness room waiting to tell a jury of complete (and usually white) strangers about the worst thing that ever happened to them, those same folks are trying like hell to get out of hearing it.

On the bright side, somehow the system gets it right most of the time. Not always by a long shot, but usually.

 

[the ringo kid]

It is actually a little depressing that I have been selected for Jury duty as often as 25% of the times I have been called in. I say depressing as I believe most attorneys and DA's want a jury that is mostly dumb as posts with little or no education, and absolutely no professional training. I could be wrong in this, as my opinion is purely based on personal experience and nothing else. However the people I have shared jury duty with have certainly mostly been dumb as posts.

Another that happened to me was I was called for a lawsuit had been asked if I knew or was friend s with the person being sued. Well I knew of the person being sued and was friends with his SiL an d daughter. I could have been a tainted jurer and even told them so. Well guess what, I was the 2nd one called and served four days.

 

[S&WIowegan]

I have always taken jury duty seriously and am willing to serve. I have been summoned in every jurisdiction I lived in since 1971. I only sat on a jury once....a criminal case in New Jersey. We reached the correct verdict but I was shocked at the jurors who seemed to have missed/spaced off important facts and testimony.

Our system in Polk County calls a huge number of candidates who report to the court house. Very few ever get into a court room. We have people who wear their NRA logo clothing and Harley stuff is also popular. I don't know if it really gets them DQed.

 

[Derry 1946]

I was called and dutifully reported. On voir dire, defense counsel questioned me.
Him asking and me answering:
Do you know any lawyers?
Yes.
Have you ever been to court ?
Yes.
Do you know any judges?
Yes.
Have you ever been involved in litigation?
Yes.
On and on he went. Finally:
What is your occupation?
Judge.
When all the laughter died down, I was excused. Pays to ask your questions in the right order.

 

[OldeTSgt]

I have been called 3 times - got bounced twice as soon as they found out I was an active or former LEO - my next summons is 13th of July

 

[Comrad]

I love jury duty and get called every two years like clockwork. My employer pays me for the time and the County gives me $5.00 a day that I get to pocket. Time out of the office, lots of newspapers to read, free coffee, start late finish early, what's not to like.

 

[DWalt]

I love jury duty and get called every two years like clockwork. My employer pays me for the time and the County gives me $5.00 a day that I get to pocket. Time out of the office, lots of newspapers to read, free coffee, start late finish early, what's not to like.

That is the upside, but I don't ever remember any free coffee, or anything else. However, hanging around the courthouse bull pen to wait with all the hundreds of other jury candidates for 3 or 4 hours before your name is called is not too agreeable. It might be better if some of them bathed every so often. Fortunately, I am now over-age for mandatory jury duty if I choose to not attend, and that's exactly what I will do.

 

[vytoland]

I've been summoned to jury duty several times....but never selected as a juror....that's ok by me....in ten weeks I turn 70 and get an automatic exemption from jury duty for the remainder of my days....sounds good to me....

 

[ModernRifle]

I have problems with serving Jury Duty.
I do have problems with the scheduling at times.

When I received my summons, I was snowbirding in Arizona. I was able (with just a click on the webpage) to reschedule it for when I returned to Washington. This worked well.

But it seems that Jury Duty NEVER comes at a good time.