Just call me Juror #12! Somehow I knew I was going to get picked this time. It seemed karmically unavoidable, considering that the last time I narrowly escaped being selected for a 6 week gang murder trial. That time I was literally one of 2 out of 80 people not called to interview with the judge and the attorneys, the first subjective part of the selection process. Both times I watched carefully as people gave various excuses of why they couldn't serve, each with an escalating level of absurdity. Very few tactics work reliably - a select few can prove that they don't have an adequate grasp of the English language, to which some judges sympathize and others chastise. People who are very close to law enforcement officers or who have extensive experience working in law are sometimes be dismissed, though that was not the case this time. Occasionally those who have had experiences similar to the defendant or alleged victim will be let go. Only those who resort to genuinely disruptive, desperate, and otherwise embarrassing measures can count on a release.
One gentleman arrived huffily with his file box and tape recorder, making it clear to those around him that he was far too busy to spare any of his time on such nonsense. When asked if he had any reservations about serving as a juror he came up with a litany of responses, all designed to make him look more ignorant, pig headed and unpleasant than the last. A collective "oooooh" spread through the room when he called the judge 'arrogant' and the prosecution lawyer 'lousy'. I exchanged many knowing and shocked looks with the young man seated next to me and we briefly discussed how we resented that this man was dragging the process out for the rest of us. When my seat neighbor was called to the stand, however, he changed into the very desperate character he was mocking, and made claims that implied he was too bigoted to serve. Personally, I would rather serve on any jury before I stood before a large group of people and tried to convince a judge that I was so racist that I couldn't possibly make a fair judgment on a case - that I would rather send an innocent person to jail than look beyond prejudices.
Many times I've contemplated whether or not I would resort to any tactics to avoid serving on a jury but after watching this process I realized that I would be doing a great disservice to the justice system by acting this way. If I was the defendant or the victim I would want a fair trial, and that would not likely come from a jury full of retirees and unmotivated, unemployed people. My employer pays for 10 days of service and this trial should only last 5-7, so I decided to answer the questions fairly and honestly, which led to my selection. Fortunately my case is at the local courthouse which means that I can easily go home for lunch and avoid rush hour traffic, and the hours are easy since we start at 11, get 2 hours for lunch, and end at 4:30 sharp. Hopefully it will be an interesting learning experience, and once the case is over, excellent blog fodder. It's hard to believe that we'll be making a decision that could seriously impact someone's life, their family members' lives, etc. It's no Paris Hilton trial and I won't be getting a million dollar book deal, but I feel like I'm doing something good in supporting a justice system that strives to give fair judgement.
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