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Jury Duty Experiences

My (thus far) only jury duty experience came a few months after I retired from the Navy (prior to that, I got excused by being on active duty). Murder case. The accused allegedly killed his father and sister. The accused bought a knife for the deed a few days earlier, and confessed to the police after he ran away from home. The only thing defense brought up was his sister's diary and that his father had high expectations. Didn't provide much info from the diary to give reason for sister (apparently she said in it that she wanted to kill him) or father. Not much in the way of defense, nothing to cause reduction in degree of murder. They didn't keep us for penalty phase.
Trial lasted a week. Found out later the kid got 2 life sentences.
 
good thread.

I have actually been called 5 times but always had an excuse. I got called every 6 months for the first few years after I turned 18. Haven't heard anything from them in awhile though, they must have decided i was never going to show.

I would actually like to serve, sounds interesting, but I didn't want to waste my time showing up only not to get picked. Being a Berkeley student (now alum) who does genetics research and has been harrassed and attacked by cops on more than a dozen times for no particular reason I think most prosecutors would have a hard time not eliminating me. I have sat in on a number of cases though.

I witnessed an interesting child molestation case. I only caught the defenses closing arguments (took all day) but I was convinced by the time the defense finished that the guy was seriously guilty.

He had been caught in the girls bathroom with a young girl who had been stripped naked and had her mouth and arms and legged duct taped. His defense was that he had been looking for a place to hide from some 'bad guys' and fled into the girls' bathroom. He was hiding there when the victim came in and he was afraid she would scream or tell the 'bad guys' that he was hiding there. So he taped her mouth shut. But then because he was afraid she would run out he took off her clothes so she would be embarrassed to run outside. But she struggled and he had to tape her hands together and had to tape her legs spread apart and taped to the stall. The defense never explained who the 'bad guys' were who chased him in the bathroom. He also tried to suggest that the girl (don't know her age but it was an elementary school) made up the parts about him touching her in private places. Good news is he was caught before he could do too much with the girl.

I never caught the verdict, jury was out over a week I am told.
 
i've never been called, which is OK, but they wouldn't take me anyway-- i'm far too prejudicial towards a specific group of people. And even if i wasn't, i'd say i was. It actually kind of sounds like fun, i'm a Law & Order fan and i love courtroom dramas... which i'm sure are an accurate reflection of the process... but in reality i'd get stuck on some damn hog farmer vs. cow farmer case that would drag on for days...

My dad was on the jury of the first three-strikes case in the country, i believe. His last strike. It was pretty big for local media anyway.

paul
 
I have completed my week of jury duty. It consisted of being "on call" for five days and never getting called. I'd didn't get to help put any vile jaywalkers behind bars after all. :(
 
I was called for jury duty in Johnson County, Kansas where I used to live. I didn't want to participate so I dressed in my finest "redneck" gear. In the courtroom all the potential jurors where all there and they called up the first batch. I missed out (yea!) They asked them all if they had any reason why they couldn't serve. One lady who was extremely pregnant got out (imagine that) and so did several others for various reasons.

Well I ended up getting picked after all (damn!). Then the lawyers started talking and they got to ask us questions to see if each of use would make a good juror for them. The case wall dull. An African-American man had allegedly stolen a purse from an older Caucasian woman.

The defense lawyer asked me if I thought I could be partial. In other words, did I think that I could make a fair judgment. I answered in my best redneck voice with a deep and resounding "yeah" with a slight tone that said "No, not really". I was excused.

Now, I'm not really biased, but I had better things to do with my free vacation day. I now feel bad for not being a better citizen so I'm looking forward to jury duty again.
 
One of my family members is foreperson on a jury this week, deliberating on a battery case. I'm not sure if it's about Eveready or Duracell. :D

While I'm waiting to hear how that turns out, do any of you have new jury duty stories to tell?
 
Doctor Q said:
Do trial lawyers routinely accept or dismiss jurors based on (apparent) intelligence or level of education? If a case is tricky (say an Enron-related trial), would they prefer smart jurors because there is a complicated case to present, or would they prefer people less trained at logical thinking who might be easier to sway? Would prosecution and defense always have opposite opinions about this?

If I was on trial, I'd want a stupid jury if I was guilty and a smart jury if I was innocent!
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I've heard a lawyer say that never wanted an engineer on a case because they go through the evidence to throughly. bahahahaha
 
I just got a notice to serve. I always seem to get picked for federal court and have never been put on a case. Seems lawyers don't like confident, out-spoken people on juries.
 
rdowns said:
I just got a notice to serve. I always seem to get picked for federal court and have never been put on a case. Seems lawyers don't like confident, out-spoken people on juries.
Click to expand...

Last summer I received a notice to appear for jury duty on a civil case. I was in the first group questioned for a medical malpractice suit that resulted in a patient's death. I survived all inquiries that lasted until 3:30, but my fate was sealed when an attorney for the surviving spouse posed the following question to me.

Q: Would you be willing to award a substantial amount of money to the family of the decedent if you believed the doctor and hospital were negligent and contributed to the man's premature death despite his preexisting conditions?

A: I have no fundamental problem awarding monetary damages in such a case. However, earlier it was made clear by all the attorneys that the man also had been diagnosed with cancer from having been a smoker for 25 years and was previously told his remaining life expectancy was likely 6-9 months. I would decide in the family's favor if the facts led me to that conclusion, not merely because one side exhorted me to do so.

After the final afternoon break, I was dismissed ... and not the slightest bit unhappy about it.
 
Just received a jury summons after a thirteen year hiatus. Which brings me to...

1993. The summons came a month before my folks and I were to vacation, so I was able to get a one month delay. Had I not delayed, I would not have served due to cancellations all sorts. However...

Parked in a jury lot several blocks from the courthouse, so I was a bit warm seeing how it was early June. No metal detectors in those days, though they would soon do so when someone's family member brought a gun and shot up the place a couple of years later. Asked around for the proper room, opened the door and found numbered circles on the floor nearby -- when your name is called, a number is associated with it, and that is your location in the jury box.

Checked in, used the lavatory, got something to eat (it was not yet 7am), and then watched a fun film saying what a joy jury duty is, relating how attorneys could actually determine your worth by your clothing style, type of shoes, & etc; how reserve jurors could be passed over from one case to the next but would find at least one case that would "fit"; what a joy it was to get paid a few dollars for your time.

And then I sat, paced, read boring issues of Field & Stream, and then...

Small number (number one is mandatory foreman), bailiff calming everyone assembling, informing us before leaving what the case is roughly about. We then strolled though the building discussing nothing, filed into a tremendously lit courtroom, was sworn in, and each of us stood up playing show-'n'-tell with our names, address, phone number (yes, all in public), and our employment status, followed by questions regarding the case, whether we knew anyone involved (including the judge), and etc.

Had to go into chambers to discuss something with the judge; consequently, didn't have to serve. Back to the pool room.

Next case? Pub brawl, with things flying and bones breaking. 32 jurors called, after 27 interviews and me at 29 (if I recall properly), the rest of us were dismissed.

Lunch called, then back for another two cases. One involved loans so complicated, the judge had to send for more jurors with money backgrounds. The last case I don't recollect, save for the judge leaving for his chambers to the whims of a attorneys with attitude, and returning, arguing with a heart specialist juror that his being on call 24/7 would just have to wait regardless of what he or the hospital thought -- incredibly, he argued back at the judge with some force, which we all thought later was rather extraordinary.

Not selected for the first day, I came back the next to discover I could've stayed home.

This time around will have to delay for various reasons.
 
I was a on a jury for a murder trial. Two gangbangers. One was hispanic, the other black. They grew up knowing each other, went to the same school, lived in the same neighborhood. When they got older they joined separate gangs, the hispanic gangster shot and killed the black one. We convicted him. We didn't decide his sentence or anything, but I doubt he would be out anytime soon. Very sad situation.
 
Years ago I worked in a building that was next to a federal courthouse. One day I spent time observing a proceeding in a drug possession trial when the defendant's mother was allowed to address the court.

She spoke of how much her son was out of control due to his involvement with drugs. She then requested that prison time be imposed because she felt that was the harsh wake-up call he needed. The judge said he had basically decided the same thing since her son had a prior arrest and then handed down a sentence of two years. It was difficult watching a family go through that.
 
I'm on jury duty again this week. By luck (good or bad, depending on your point of view), I've never made it onto a jury. As of today, I'm in a panel of about 60 potential jurors from which a jury will be selected. Maybe I'll actually get on a jury this time.

I'm sure I'll be able to decide guilt or innocence by writing software that determines the truth of testimony with absolute certainty. I'll ask the judge when I should start writing it.

Cross reference: I noticed a related thread: Students: Jury duty
 
I'm also in MA, and yes, you may be called every three years under state law. I've been called four times over the last twenty years, and I'm not "up" again for another two. Of the four times I've been called, I was only actually impaneled on a Jury once. It was a drunken driving case, and the accused had made the dumb mistake of trying to pick a fight with the police officer who had stopped him.

So, what happened? Well, after I took my seat in the box, I was challenged by the defense. No idea why. He looked at me, looked the form I had filled out, looked back at me, and challenged. So, I was off that one. Who knows? Dandruff maybe. I forget how many peremptory challenges they can use.

On the other occasions I have gone, I have spent most of the day in the Jury assembly room, getting caught up on my reading.

Bring reading material with you, and some bottled water and snacks. Whether or not you may have your cell phone depends on local laws. In MA, you may use your phone in designated areas of the court house, but not in the Jury assembly room, and absolutely not in the court rooms. Best to check before you bring it.

Federal Jury Duty is another matter. Don't know too many people who have done it.

We all know that the reason for having juries is to prevent the government from using the courts to "get" people they just don't like. Still, with so many people pulling so many crazy stunts and excuses to get out of it, you would think they would realize that maybe something is wrong.
 
I have been called once since I posted in the other thread, and that was a few months ago. I did have to report one morning, but fortunately both cases were settled (one was a public nuisance case that was settled civilly while the other was a drug case that was plea bargained) without needing to proceed to trial. So we all sat there for two hours before they let us all go home.

My mother was recently called to serve in personal injury case stemming from a car accident. The defense tossed her from the pool of jurors when they found out that she had had a 20-year career as an x-ray technician and asked if she would be able to make her own interpretation of x-rays presented in the trial. Guess their evidence was awfully weak...
 
Ninety minutes ago I was released from jury service, after 2 days in a courtroom on a jury panel.

Now I can discuss the case. It was a felony murder charge. The victim was linked to the defendant by DNA evidence, with expert witnesses testifying about DNA as well as about the autopsy. I will be spared having to study some rather grisly photographs. I've never before (knowingly) been in a room with a murder suspect!

I found it interesting that one man on the jury revealed, during his interview, that he was found guilty of a car registration violation many years ago, and that it was by the very same judge who is presiding over the current case. He said he could still be impartial in this case, and both the people's attorney and the defense attorney signed off on him. So he's on the jury!
 
I was almost called once! And I was exceptionally disappointed that I didn't even make it to the court house! The whole trial was cancelled and I was off the hook! :(
 
Perhaps I shouldn't have brought my iPod speaker system into the courtroom and cranked up the volume playing [playlistId=79026988&s=143441&i=79026882]Murder, Murder[/playlistId] from the "Jekyll & Hyde" musical! I do, in fact, have that song in my iTunes library. :eek:

OK, I didn't really play music. You know me better than that. I was a model potential juror while doing my civic duty. Although, despite the seriousness of the case, there were a few lighthearted moments and chuckles from the audience during the jury selection. One example: The attorney told jurors that TV shows like CSI aren't always based on real court rules. When asked if he watched that kind of show, one prospective juror replied "I watch Court TV" and the attorney said that was a "little more realistic."

While I was in downtown Los Angeles, I made the most of my lunch hours. Today I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
 
The only time I really got to the point where they started seating jurors for a long case -- it was about for someone who beat up, robbed, and raped a senior citizen.

Lucky my excused for not being able to come back was, no car and lived over 5 miles from the nearest bus stop. ;)

Otherwise it is usually missing my group number, or the judge scaring the DUI defendants into a plea bargain -- which usually means bringing a bunch of us into the court and getting ready to start the trial.
 
While sitting in the courthouse for 2 days, I studied the number of people there and the probability that I would get on the jury in the courtroom I was assigned to. Each time jurors were accepted onto the jury, my chances were reduced. Ever time jurors were dismissed from the pool, my chances were increased.

Of the original people assigned to my group, 17.3% were excused from jury service in the first round, mostly for having an obvious bias in the case or for having too poor an understanding of English.

Within the remaining group, I noted the acceptance/rejection rate as the judge and attorneys interviewed prospective jurors and dismissed more of them, for a variety of reasons.

Within the initial group a random person would have only a 20.0% chance of being selected for the jury. Those remaining after the first round of the judge's dismissals had a 42.1% chance of being acceptable for the jury and a 57.9% change of being unacceptable. Only a random 61.3% subset of the candidates were interviewed before a full jury (12 plus 3 alternates) was established.

I started with a 61.3% chance of being picked for those interviews. With each round of dismissals, the called more names from the dwindling pool, and my chances of being called in the next round changed: 18.4%, 22.6%, 14.8%, and finally 17.4%. In each individual round, the odds favored NOT being called, but the accumulation of rounds meant I was more likely than not to be interviewed eventually.

If interviewed, I expected that I would be accepted for the jury. Knowing that from the start, I had an overall 57.5% chance of being on the jury. However, by random chance, I wasn't chosen, so here I am back 2 weeks earlier than I might have been.
 
Doctor Q said:
If interviewed, I expected that I would be accepted for the jury. Knowing that from the start, I had an overall 57.5% chance of being on the jury. However, by random chance, I wasn't chosen, so here I am back 2 weeks earlier than I might have been.
Click to expand...

As someone who picks juries for a living, it is always interesting to read comments such as these. The stats are interesting, but miss one point -- the lower your juror number, the better chance you have of ending up on the jury. Let's say the judge asks for 100 potential jurors, and needs to select 9 + 2 alternates. If juror #1 is not challenged for cause or dismissed with a peremptory challenge, he/she will be on the jury. Then they move to juror #2, same process. Then juror #3, and on and on. When they have 9 + 2, they stop. So, someone with a juror number of 70 or something probably has very little chance of ending up on the jury. It varies, of course, depending on factors such as how many peremptorys the judge allows (it varies), whether the judge does the voir dire him or herself or lets the lawyers do it, etc.

Unfortunately, the odds are very low that I will ever end up on a jury. I'd love to see it from that side.
 
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