Jury Duty!

[RJDSRT05]

First day of jury duty today.....

Now im glad to serve as a juror and be a part of the lovely judicial branch that I know everyone here loves so much....

but holy crap! how boring to sit there all day! I fell asleep most of the time, and did nothing at all today. However, my number was called for a for sure trial tomorrow. :D

Plus, they do buy lunch for everyone! so.... Ill bare with it ;)

Anyone ever had an interesting case they were called in for??


-RJDSRT

[DAL]

Ill bare with it ;)
-RJDSRT

If you do that in court, you are likely to be arrested.

[RJDSRT05]

:D Right you are!

[Syncrosonix]

i remember being in the selection process for a case about 4 years ago in fresno county. it was a capitol murder case. there was one obvious sissy trying to weasel his way out of it by claiming he couldn't handle graphic pictures and what not. i was up there, too, and when i was asked if i could handle that stuff, i said, "it can't be any worse than what i've seen on the internet. yes, i can handle whatever is shown." the facial expression of the prosecutor, judge, and defense attorney were priceless! a few days later, i was dismissed. :)

the guy was found guilty, by the way, and is currently on the long, drawn out waiting list to meet his maker.

[SBSO_DISPATCHER]

______________

[mikeymedic]

Glad I never had jury duty.

[RJDSRT05]

Glad I never had jury duty.


Dont jynx it!!! :p

[DAL]

it was a capitol murder case.

It happened at the capitol building? Or was it a capital murder case?

[Monty Ealerman]

I got a computer-generated jury service notice in the mail, which is part of the penalty for being a registered voter, and I didn't consider it to be a proper summons, as it wasn't served personally by someone who could swear I got it, and it was not accompanied by carfare or an offer of transportation, and it wasn't signed with a real signature, so I didn't go.

Later I got another computer-generated order, this one saying to appear to show cause why I hadn't shown up on the in my view deficient jury service summons, and I didn't show up for that either.

I figured if they sent a process server out, I would of course show up, and would be amply able to show cause why I hadn't responded to the computer-generated mailed purported summonses. But they never did send anyone out, and no warrant was issued, and they left me fine over it. I thought it was probably not going to mean the public would lose any actual jury service of mine anyway, because for various reasons, I almost certainly wouldn't get past voir dire in any case.

I believe that the documents bearing the letterhead of the Circuit Court were in fact sent by the Circuit Court's computer system using an authorized procedure, but how do I know for sure? What I do know for sure is that due process requires more. They're trying to apply compulsory process by computer-generated mailings. We still have human process servers for a reason.

That method of issuing jury summonses emplaces a bias that stacks juries in favor of tractable and credulous persons and against recalcitrant and skeptical persons. I suppose which side that favors would probably vary to some extent on a case-by-case basis, but I think on the whole it tends to favor prosecution more than defense. Anyone can get out of jury duty anyway, for example just by saying on the form, "I have trouble with keeping ethnic bias out of my thinking", or "I'm not epistemically certain that other people actually exist", or "I'd be happy to decide on this case in all matters of fact, law, and equity".