Juror 51
Today has turned out to be quite a day. Late last night our home air conditioner blew a fuse and began pumping out 80 degree air. Today, myself, the wife, and three hot hairy cats keep glancing down at the curb waiting for a truck to arrive. "Maybe today, possibly tomorrow," they said. Gee, thanks.
I did escape the heat for a while, but in the last place on Earth I like to visit - the Fulton County Superior Court. Thanks to a computer randomly picking names from the County voter registration list, I was awarded the honor of sitting in a jury.
I arrived at 7:30am and immediately slumped into a chair surrounded by at least 200 people, all sipping coffee, typing on their laptops, and bitching to high hell on their cell phones.
"I got called for jury duty," they moaned and groaned.
After three hours, my name was called. "Todd Do-meney-?" the lady yelped over the loudspeaker, "Please report to courtroom 1-d."
Seated in front of two defensive attorneys and one district attorney with a group of 70 other civilians, we were asked a barrage of questions.
Do you own a gun? (One guy in the back actually asked if a rifle counted).
Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
Have you ever been the victim of a crime? (Of which the whole room raised their hand - they then revised the question to, "Okay, who in the room has not been a victim of a crime." 3 people raised their hand.)
Do you believe domestic violence cases should be handled in the home, or in a court of law?
Do you believe the state should pursue a domestic violence case, even when the victim doesn't want you to?
Do you donate money to the Police?
Are you afraid of the Police?
Have you ever had a "bad experience" with a police officer?
...and then my personal favorite...
Has anyone here already made up their mind as to the defendent's guilt or innocence?
One woman raised her hand. She was gone.
After seeing normal, everyday people admit their scars and personal faults by raising their hand in a room full of strangers for almost an hour, I was let go. My answers had nothing to do with it. My number just so happened to land in a sequence of "alternate jurors" who were no longer needed.
Back at home, sweltering in the heat, I can't stop thinking about the defendant, the attorneys, the group of people who were dealt the responsibility of deciding the young man's fate. Out of sheer paranoia, I won't divulge what he was being tried for, but let's just say it wasn't pretty. Jury duty may have been a personal interference out of one morning, but it paled in comparison to what the rest of this man's life could be.
Comments
I was seated for jury duty in Gwinnett last year. Fellow and an accomplice being tried (separately) for stealing some untold amount of merchandise from their friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart. Accomplice had already been convicted. We weren't told that, but it was fairly obvious by several things the judge said, questions that were asked ("are you familiar with the case of [name] tried here on [date]?")...
Our questions were similar to yours. I was let go most likely because I'm a highly-educated white male in a white-collar job who has been a victim of burglary and know people who work for retail establishments.
Unfortunately, it took three and a half days for them to make up their minds before I could go home...
Posted by: Bob at July 1, 2002 3:18 PM
People always complain about jury duty, and I couldn't disagree more. Unfortunately people's problems are with that they have to show up and do nothing. If people actually got picked, they'd like it. A lot of people want to get picked too. I'm 20, and last year I got randomly picked to serve and I actually landed on a jury, it was a nice experience and it was really eye opening to see just how things work. Yeah we all know juries are what the case comes down to, but to see these three people (judge, prosecution, defendant) with a couple dozen years of experience, and to see the famillies depending this case, and it all comes down to "the 12 of us". It really reminds you how good the system is.
Posted by: Adam at July 2, 2002 4:09 PM
I did a stint on a jury about two years ago, and I was picked. It was an interesting case involving Tamil gangs here in Toronto and a kidnapping charge. Unfortunately, the Crown Attorney (our D.A.) had no case at all and the four defendents each had a lawyer, so it was pretty unbalanced in the courtroom. We acquitted. My rationale was "it's not like these guys couldn't have done this, but is there enough evidence that they actually DID do it?" Since the answer was no, we had little choice. A really enlightening experience, though.
Posted by: james at July 2, 2002 5:28 PM
I agree with Adam. I have been called to jury duty twice in the last three years, and unfortunately never got picked to be on a jury.
I want to be on a jury more than anything because I'm fascinated with legal drama and I want to see the way the system works in real life, not on Law & Order.
The second time, I made it as far as the jury selection round where they ask all the questions. This guy's case was a DUI. So they were asking all sorts of drinking-related questions: "Could you tell if a person is intoxicated, even if you didn't see them drinking?" "Have you ever driven a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol?" "What are some signs, to you, that a person is intoxicated?" "Does anyone here recognize this defendant?" About four people in a roomful of 40-something potential jurors actually raised their hands. Miami is a pretty big city, but somehow, four people here knew the guy, or so they claimed.
Another thing that was curious about this particular jury selection (which I guess happens in Miami all the time) is that a lot of the potential jurors didn't speak english well enough to go through an entire trial and understand everything that is being said. A lot of them were Haitians or Cubans who barely spoke English. I had to translate in Spanish to the two people on either side of me most of the time.
I wish I had gotten picked. :-(
Posted by: Ivonne at July 4, 2002 10:11 AM
Whatz with all these bloggers getting called up for jury duty lately?
Anyway, I got my juror summons informing me where I'd be on the 29th. Unlike some of you, I desparately dont want to be on a jury - although it's not something I'd lie to get out of.
They didn't buy my freelancer excuse - we'll see how it goes at the court.
I can't honestly see any lawyer allowing me, a liberal 30ish white colllege educated male, on a jury...
Posted by: jca at July 4, 2002 11:46 AM
