Jury Duty

[giza]

I got a Jury Duty summons in the mail over the weekend. Looks like I have to serve at least one day in May. If I don't appear, I can be fined as much as $500. I'm tempted to call them up and ask if I can just send the county a check for $500 so I can keep from wasting peoples' time.

It's not that I don't want to help preserve the rights of the accused or anything, I'm just pretty sure that I'll end up getting disqualified from the jury anyway. The moment "Software Engineer" comes out of my mouth, I have the feeling that one side or the other will disqualify me because of concerns that I could "influence a jury".

Apparently jurors have blogged before, too. I love this quote from the article:

Bob Kelley, a plaintiffs attorney who is a partner in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.'s Kelley/Uustal and runs a blog on the state's jury selection process, said lawyers should know by now to check whether potential jurors have blogs.

"Any lawyer who does not inquire during jury selection about a juror's Internet presence -- whether it be a Web site, a blog, an account on MySpace or an account on Match.com -- hasn't done their job," said Kelley, who regularly asks potential jurors such questions.

I also fond this interesting blog about jury selection: http://www.juryblog.com/

Comments

[tailen.livejournal.com]

That's easy to get out of. When they interview you just say that you know you'll be a good juror because you can instantly tell by your gut feeling if people are guilty or not. You can spot a guilty person from miles away.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Mr. Carlin. ;-)

[unkbar.livejournal.com]

I've been called for jury duty twice, once for a county grand jury and once for a federal jury. Neither one of them cared that I was a software engineer. I found them to both be interesting and educational experiences. Your mileage, of course, may vary. My employer gave me no problems at all about it, even though the grand jury term was a whole month.

[kiallamraptor.livejournal.com]

just say you can tell if a person is guilty just by looking at them.

[nius.livejournal.com]

When I was called in for jury duty, the judge had all the potential jurors sit down and presented the case to us. Outlined the details (it was a child molestation case) and informed us of our duties (reasonable doubt, etc), then they began to interview each juror one-by-one.

As it was a child abuse case, I very quickly told them "I was abused as a child." Ding, I was home a few minutes later...

I'm sure you've been a victim of a crime that would prevent you from being impartial. Of course, if it's a case completely unrelated to your life experiences or employment history, it would actually be very appropriate of you to serve on the jury. It's hard to find an impartial jury. Don't cheat the defendant out of the opportunity to be judged fairly.

[simbab.livejournal.com]

heh, boomeroo quotes George Carlin all the time too.

[simbab.livejournal.com]

The hard truth is that I would make a terrible juror. I tend to take a group opinion or trend and look for something wrong with it--basically I like unpopular stuff. Not to mention I'm pretty 'out there' in terms of personality, lifestyle, and political beliefs--something that is probably going to be a problem for some jurors.

[sagejackal.livejournal.com]

One way to get out of jury duty is to let them know you're aware of and believe in Jury Nullification.

You'll be out of there so fast, your head will be spinning.

[doco.livejournal.com]

Dude. Common law countries are weird.

[whitefeet.livejournal.com]

Just being a software engineer won't get you booted. Blabbing about Jury Nullification will =p But it will also get you yelled at

[giza.livejournal.com]

I thought about that, but the last thing I want to do is come off like a smartass.

That, and I'm sure it's been tried before.

[giza.livejournal.com]

My understanding, from the comments thusfar, is that if none of those things are related to the case, they won't be asked.

Now if the case is say, about a gay bashing, then sexual orientation might play a role.

[sagejackal.livejournal.com]

I was more so half joking, but I know some instances where it's worked. In some cases, they won't even know what the Hell you're talking about.

[giza.livejournal.com]

> In some cases, they won't even know what the Hell you're talking about.

That's another reason why I don't plan on mentioning it. I didn't want to sound like an armchair lawyer.

[bigtig.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Mentioning Jury nullifcation and that you believe that an intelligent citizen should be fully aquainted with it will often get you the hairy eye and a quick excusing.

The funny thing is I believe in it. And I also believe in wanting to fully do my civic duty.

[scs-11.livejournal.com]

Paying the fine won't help you. If Pennsylvania law is anything like California or Michigan, you pay the fine but are still obliged.

I'm told that being highly educated can cause you to be challenged by many defense lawyers. To be perfectly blunt about it, they want jurors who can be confused and bamboozled.

[whitefeet.livejournal.com]

I believe in it as well (tentatively) even as an attorney. It just gets a bit iffy when one admits to it in open court =)

[furahi.livejournal.com]

How interesting..

[wildw0lf.livejournal.com]

I've been picked for, and had to go to jury at least three times in my life. Each time, I waited in the jury room for hours during the hot summer with in a small room with no open windows and only a box fan for ventilation.

I never have served on a jury. Only once was I even called into the courtroom.

So the verdict is you actually have to tell the court officers if you have a personal private blog like LJ, which has nothing to do with the current trial?