Federal district jury duty- CRAP!

[brier patch charlie]

I bet you walk in and start reading any book by Anne Coulter, and they send you out on a rail.
I have never been called up for juror duty, and with me working for the DOJ, pourable never will. But I think it would be neat to see how Justice's is supposed to work.

[Just Randall]

So, what do you think would happen if you walked in with a copy of 'Mien Kampf' and Machiavelli's 'The Prince'? 

[SirRichardBear]

So, what do you think would happen if you walked in with a copy of 'Mien Kampf' and Machiavelli's 'The Prince'? 

I serious doubt that anyone at the court house would have the historical knowledge to have ever heard of either of those works and most likely only one in a thousand of the employees at the the court house would ever heard of either author in any context. 

[Noble Dreg]

...But I think it would be neat to see how Justice's is supposed to work.

Me too, but I don't think you would see how it is supposed to work in court!   


Sorry, too easy of a shot!

[Tipsy Gypsy]

I've jokingly considered looking for a copy of The Anarchist's Cookbook, but I don't wanna wind up in a cell of my own!   

[Just Randall]

So... What happened? Does homeland security now have a file on you? Are you an instigator of anarchy? Or just "Mostly Harmless"?

[captmarga]

Here's something I learned earlier this year on criminal court jury duty.  They were seating six jurors for a DUI.   There were 25+ people pulled into the room for voir dire.

The lawyers are each allowed to strike three jurors, starting from the first row.  Then they MUST take the next people in line.  So if you are in the first 12, you have a fifty percent chance of being seated. The rest - not likely.  Now, the only reason they bring in more than 12 is so they can reshuffle if they need.  If they look at the way people are seated, and say (this is ONLY an example and NOT meant to be thought of as racists or bigoted or anything in any such way) there are 6 white women in a row and 9 black women in a row, and the defendant is a black man.  The lawyers may ask for a reshuffle, as there are NO men that would get picked and if they skipped all the white women, then they would have only black women to choose from.  That's not a diverse group, so they would ask for a reshuffle.  They dismiss the jurors, put their numbers in a different (hopefully more random) order, and call them back in.

Capt Marga

[KeeperoftheBar]

I always thought they could strike a potential juror for cause and up to three without cause.  With cause might be a receint mugging victim in a mugging trial.  But as I am not a lawyer, what do I know.  Of course, I would rather cut my throat than be a lawyer.  Don't like them in the least,  lowest form of life in existence,  gunk pulled out of a wino's bellybutton has more moral fiber than your typical attorney.

Go ahead, ask me how I really feel.......

[captmarga]

It may be true they can strike a juror for cause, but I did pull the clerk of the court aside and ask him.  That's how he explained it to me.  In cases like that, they'd probably agree NOT to strike one of the first six so that they could strike the 7th (the victim, whatever).

Might be worth researching.

Suffice it to say, I was not impressed by the opening statements of either lawyer at the Voir dire I sat in on...

Capt Marga

[Cobaltblu]

No one has to serve on jury duty if they do not want to because they can just say they aren't comfortable deciding the guilt or innocence of other people and do not judge others in such a manner.

The bottom line is that no one is forced to be on a jury if they do not want to be because they wouldn't be suitable to impartially judge the facts.

Regards,

CB

[KeeperoftheBar]

That may be true, I have never tried it.  However they can FORCE you to be there, wasting your time, treating you little better than cannon fodder while they of the legal profession prance around like they are God's gift to civilization simply because they can.

One time I had to report for Harris County jury duty and was assigned to go for jury selection.  As this was an "experiment" they paraded us several blocks to a different court where the Judge immediately decided to break for lunch.  Why he couldn't have done it before we were moved to the new building is beyond me.  The first building had a cafeteria and the second one had no food whatsoever.  As this was before StudMuffin I decided to go hungry as the prospect of seeking nourishment was daunting to say the least.

Nope, I don't like Lawyers or Judges or the legal system.  Too much "precidence" and not enough common sense.

[Dominic_Deegan]

When I was living in San Antonio, TX last year, I was summoned for jury duty. In the notice mail, they included a one day use Metro bus pass. There was also a notice saying they would give us a new one a day if needed, but that was only if they kept calling us back. I called in on the day they told me too and they didn't need me. That was the first and only time in my 25 years so far that I have been summoned. I bet you anything that I just jinxed myself on that!   

[Tipsy Gypsy]

So... What happened? Does homeland security now have a file on you? Are you an instigator of anarchy? Or just "Mostly Harmless"?

A. probably
B. mwahahahahaha!
C. Harmless? *snerk*! You don't know me any better than that, by now?

I managed to weasel out for the time being, but I'm up again in June. Suuuperrr... Got my Ann Coulter book and my Ollie North bio to bring along, and I'm gonna practice my goose-step in the meantime. At the very least, it'll contribute to a good pair of legs... In the meantime, I'm open to any suggestions to enhance my right-wing aura. I figure, they don't care for anyone who leans too strongly either way, and although I couldn't pull off a liberal act for more than a few minutes without giggling, Uber-Conservative is just a stronger version of me!

[Zaubon]

Print up a couple brochures from the Fully Informed Jury Association http://www.fija.org/ and keep them in view/read them where the lawyers and judge can see you. You will be struck for cause.

[Tipsy Gypsy]

Mwah! Gramercy, good sir!