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Jury duty

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longbridgehealey

longbridgehealey

Obi Wan
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Back from two weeks of jury duty. Pretty amusing when they tell you it will last either two days or one trial, and you get selected for the trial that last two weeks!
 
Civic duty.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
yep! Amazing how many people try to get out of it, even after they've been selected for a jury.
 
I've sat on 3 different juries. Two civil cases - that settled. One after two weeks of the trial just before it was given to the jury (boy was the judge PO'ed) and the third was a criminal case that was a total joke. I felt really bad after that because we had to disregard a lot of stuff that came out during the trial and ended up having to let an obviously bad person back on the streets. I still get sick to the stomach every time I think about it.

Other than that I've been excused the last 6 times I've been called to Jury duty.
 
I've only been on 1 - a murder trial...he got death!
 
This was the first time that I've actually been selected. I was surprised, because they had a jury pool of 109 people, so I thought that my odds were pretty good of not being picked. All that being said, though, it was a pretty educational experience.
 
This was just a civil case, malpractice suit against a surgeon and a hospital.
 
Which insurance company represented the surgeon?
 
They never told us. The hospital had two lawyers, and the surgeon had a seperate one. They tried it as tweo seperate defendants. We ended up, after two weeks, finding no cause for malpractice in either party, doc or hosp.
 
My wife and I seem to get called every year! I was dismissed on a murder case last year (after three sessions) because I knew some of the cops on the investigative team.

My wife had to sit through a totally bogus trial in which a lady tried to commit fraud by faking a neck injury that occurred in a McDonald's parking lot with a car going about 2 MPH! The jury dismissed it out of hand.

Can't smirk at jury duty, it's literally the basis of our judicial system.

But, I sure do wish they'd call someone else this year!!!
 
Without getting into the specifics, what really amazed me is how fickle a jury trial seems to be. Many of the jurors started out basing their opinions on personal predjudices and the desire to "get" the doctor and facility. There was no concern for "what are the facts". Ultimately common sense prevailed, but it made me question the whole concept of a jury trial.
 
I have been called a couple of times, and usually dismissed or excused. A couple of years ago, I got called for a criminal case. Guy was caught by the police coming out a window with a DVD player and a pistol. He, of course, said it was profiling.

We found him guilty. I think he got fifteen years because a gun was involved.
 
The California Supreme court keeps sending jury summons to my house for my uncle, who incidentally never lived at my house. He died several years ago. I guess they are hoping that his condition has changed.
 
I got called once for a domestic violence case. Pretty uneventful, but had to go with not guilty for lack of evidence. It was somewhat entertaining when two clueless teenagers who "hadn't been coached" according to themselves had absolutely verbatim detailed descriptions of what happened, but no idea of anything else, like what day of the week it happened on or what the weather was like that day. One kid thought it was on a Tuesday, the other thought it was on a Wednesday. When the Wednesday kid was asked what he was doing home from school that day, he thought maybe he was sick. Prosecutor showed him a calendar to have him find out it all supposedly happened on a Saturday. D'oh.
 
I keep getting Jury summons for my landlord. Told her about them but she keeps telling me she dosn't care & to trash the notices. Kind of upsets me really, but isn't surprising in the leastm as I can't get her to fix a dang thing around the house when something breaks. Usually have to fix it myself if I want it done. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif

But if they ever come knocking on the door looking for her I'll make sure they have all the contact information I have. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
I got summonds to Fedral Jury duty while living in Texas, I went to the selection, when the judge asked if anyone had a GOOD reason for not being selected to so state the reason. {mine was, I had just purchased an airline ticket to go to Utah and was due to leave in a matter of days} HIS WORDS "Thats not an excuse sit down and shut up"
Needless to say I WAS selected.
Luckily the case only lasted three days and we jurors made our judgement {2&1/2 days in the jurror room} and I was outta there just in time to go stright to the airport and catch my plane. {only made it by a matter of minutes}
I don`t mind doing my civic duty by any means, but that experiance was an eye opener. That is to say, what is obvious to some, others can not, or refuse to see no matter what! Even if the FACTS are pointed out and explained IN DETAIL to them!
Yes the verdict was guilty but it took the resignation of one jurror {HER WORDS: "YES he`s guilty as HE&& BUT I just can`t convict a Brother"} and two days of convincing four others. {was a 12 Person Jury}

NO WONDER Americans are SO DIVIDED on most issues.
Next ime I get jury selection I will sit quitely and take what comes with dignity.
 
I've an acquaintenance who is always getting called for jury duty but he never serves...I asked him why.

He said here's his playbook:
..he's always the last one to finish his questionairre
..if judge askes whether anybody would be financially harmed by serving, he always tells them he's self-employed & without him doing his job, he goes out of business
..on any question he considers a bit risque, he answers in such a way that somebody would be offended
..he always carries a real conservative book to read like one of O'Reilly's.
..he always agrees there should be a death sentence
..he states he has no problems with racism, mandatory maximum sentences, etc. that are politically incorrect positions
..he always lets the lawyers asking questions know he's a veteran & believes in universal military service

& there were a couple other things he told me that I've forgotten...but they work for him as his goal is to never sit on a jury.
 
Things that've kept me out of jury service when called.

When asked if I was ever been a member of, have family in or know anybody who's in Law Enforcement. (well duh!)
Have I ever been in the Military? (Double duh!)
Do I have any experience with firearms. (Strike Three I'm out'a there)

I must admit that each was a murder case - I was regjected.

Can't recall why I was rejected from the others but I seem to think one was because I was a victim of a crime similar to the case in question. Judge asked if I could be impartial and I said yes - but the Defence's mouth piece still didn't like me & let me go. (I mean whats not to like? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif )
 
AweMan said:
mine was, I had just purchased an airline ticket to go to Utah and was due to leave in a matter of days} HIS WORDS "Thats not an excuse sit down and shut up"
Click to expand...

I'm in agreement with the "it's your civic duty" line - but y'know what, when you have something planned that you can't really break, or you've spent your hard earned cash on a trip like you did, that isn't an excuse - it's a darned good reason why you should be able to postpone your "civic duty".

I got called up this year for the first time. I got my notice in the mail while I was out of the country for a month. I opened it up while I was home for two weeks before heading out again. Just so happened that they wanted me to show up when I was committed to be away working (keep in mind I'm the only one in this company of two people that can do my job).

They said in big bold red letters "work commitments are not an excuse" - but I wrote to the court and explained the situation. No problem, I was excused and would be rescheduled.

The rescheduled time was on the day of a work-related conference in Tampa that I had to go to. It is held once a year, and I was supposed to be there. I wrote to the court, explained the situation, and again - no problem.

My third summons came, I drove an hour to the court, sat around for hours, went to lunch, came back, and was told to go home. Done - for at least a year.
 
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