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Jury Duty so far...


Mrs.Cicero
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Soooo, I went in for jury duty today.  First of all, when Covidiocy started, the County rented a  large room in a building a couple blocks from the courthouse because the regular jury room in the courthouse was far too small to allow for social distancing.  Now that the restriction has finally been relaxed, they are still using it because they send out jury duty notifications 2 months in advance with directions to go there and not to the courthouse. So, I went there, signed in, listened to their half hour instructional/informational spiel, and then we all had to go back to our cars and drive to the courthouse (and find the correct parking lot to not be towed away), and then all 38 of us fit into the jury room about a foot away from each other.  I'm fine with this, but I suspect the 6 people still wearing masks were a little freaked... the one next to me certainly seemed to be (I am just NOT that scary in person, really).  

There was only one trial being seated today - and it was for some dude charged with fleeing the police (in his vehicle) and then resisting arrest.  I can't even figure out why this would make it to trial and not get pleaded?  pled?  down.   I didn't get seated for it, which might be  a good thing since I would have been hard put not to sing the "Bad Boys" theme song from COPS when they played the dash cam video, and the body cam videos from the three sheriff's deputies present at the arrest.  I just think the entire thing was a bit weird.  But funny.  Especially the part where the judge asked the jurors if there was any reason they shouldn't be on this jury and one of the potential juror's in the box raised his hand and said, "Well I got convicted of a felony and you were the judge that sentenced me..."  (yes, the judge excused him for cause, and we all laughed).

Anyway, I have no idea why sitting in a pew for a few hours should have been so tiring but I came home and took a nap.  And nothing got done.  So I'll be up late tonight and doing it again tomorrow.  

I still really wouldn't mind being seated for a trial with firearms related charges so I could nullify the whole thing, seeing as how the proper application of jury nullification is the highest duty the juror...

but we will see...

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Last time I sat on a jury I ate at the county justice center's cafeteria for a week. Good eats! Prime rib on Monday, Stroganoff on Tuesday, meatballs Wednesday, beef stew on Thursday, and fish & skrimp on Friday. Sunday I came down with the gout. :( When I hobbled into the courtroom the judge asked me if I was fit to serve. I said "Yes, ma'am, but I can't eat the specials in the cafe anymore." 

 

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1 hour ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

I still really wouldn't mind being seated for a trial with firearms related charges so I could nullify the whole thing, seeing as how the proper application of jury nullification is the highest duty the juror...

but we will see...

That actually happened to me.  I lived in a different county where i worked.  Anyway. Dude got drunk and fired five rounds down a street and didn't hurt anyone.  But got canned.

In jury selection they asked me five questions.

1, Have you ever seen a crime?
A. Yes, many.  (odd look from judge)  I'm a cop your honor.

2. Have you ever been the victim of a crime and what did you do?
A. Attempted murder/Agg battery of a police officer.  I tried to kill the suspect.

3. Do you know anyone in the court room?
A. I trained the bailiff at the academy and a portion of the ones I have seen on shift today.  Not sure who was part of the arrest team but i may know some of them.
(Bailiff waved at me at this point)

4. Are you a member of any pro-firearms or anti-firearms groups?
A.  Ben. member of the NRA, ILA, and instructor, and the a couple of cop organizations (left out for brevity)

5.  Are you willing to serve?
A. Yes, it's my duty.

Suspect was starting to feel very uncomfortable and sweating.  His eyes were getting wider and wider with every question.   He did not want me on that jury.

They picked a judge's daughter. They got rid of me.

 

 

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32 minutes ago, Historian said:

That actually happened to me.  I lived in a different county where i worked.  Anyway. Dude got drunk and fired five rounds down a street and didn't hurt anyone.  But got canned.

In jury selection they asked me five questions.

1, Have you ever seen a crime?
A. Yes, many.  (odd look from judge)  I'm a cop your honor.

2. Have you ever been the victim of a crime and what did you do?
A. Attempted murder/Agg battery of a police officer.  I tried to kill the suspect.

3. Do you know anyone in the court room?
A. I trained the bailiff at the academy and a portion of the ones I have seen on shift today.  Not sure who was part of the arrest team but i may know some of them.
(Bailiff waved at me at this point)

4. Are you a member of any pro-firearms or anti-firearms groups?
A.  Ben. member of the NRA, ILA, and instructor, and the a couple of cop organizations (left out for brevity)

5.  Are you willing to serve?
A. Yes, it's my duty.

Suspect was starting to feel very uncomfortable and sweating.  His eyes were getting wider and wider with every question.   He did not want me on that jury.

They picked a judge's daughter. They got rid of me.

 

 

Of course they did.  Not "they", the Defense.

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3 minutes ago, Swampfox762 said:

Of course they did.  Not "they", the Defense.

Yeah, it was a no brainer.

But i was still willing to serve.  If you get picked you get picked.  I think it's a duty like many others...and i would want to be judged by someone line myself.

 

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i served on two.

one was a Civil Dispute, a Woman refused to pay for a Home Repair because it wasn't to her exacting liking, and her many change orders were not free.

she lost.

the other was a guy who broke into his house, stabbed his estranged wife while she laid in bed in the Chest a bunch of times some while she was holding a Baby the Mother in Law smashed him in the head with a Lamp to stop him.

she survived.

he Confessed, then Recanted and we took the Privilege of Jury Sentencing and gave him the most possible 3 life terms, run concurrent, no Parole, Maximum Security at Walpole.

in Massachusetts at the time that was 36 Years, with his Record and Anger Issues its doubtful he`d be making it out.

looked him right in the Eye as i read him Guilty.

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16 minutes ago, holyjohnson said:

woulda been if we had the option to,...

Some "people" need to be taken out of "circulation", too many "bleeding hearts"..... A few come to mind.....George ? (What a fiasco that was)

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1 hour ago, Historian said:

Well....some people need to go.  I've seen those cold eyes up close.

Anyway:
That's a heavy thought on a lot of people.  Some people can't pass that judgement.

 

I guess that was the motivation behind the prosecutor asking the potential jurors if any of them had a problem seeing someone do something and telling that person it was the wrong thing to do... could they handle that kind of confrontation?  I thought that was a weird question at the time.  

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6 hours ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

I guess that was the motivation behind the prosecutor asking the potential jurors if any of them had a problem seeing someone do something and telling that person it was the wrong thing to do... could they handle that kind of confrontation?  I thought that was a weird question at the time.  

Some people just don't want to be involved.   Being on a jury is a powerful experience for some people.   No confrontational people...may not be what you want on the jury.  You want someone who can make a decision.

Looking a guy in the eye as you are about to send him away for life is a hard thing to do.  The jury foreman usually announces the verdict and the judge gives a sentence. That sentence is often done at a different hearing. 

We have an amazing system.  It works very well when people want it to work correctly.

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12 minutes ago, Historian said:

Some people just don't want to be involved.   Being on a jury is a powerful experience for some people.   No confrontational people...may not be what you want on the jury.  You want someone who can make a decision.

Looking a guy in the eye as you are about to send him away for life is a hard thing to do.  The jury foreman usually announces the verdict and the judge gives a sentence. That sentence is often done at a different hearing. 

We have an amazing system.  It works very well when people want it to work correctly.

Unfortunately, sometimes a really "good" lawyer can "overcome" the "correct" outcome

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1 hour ago, Historian said:

Some people just don't want to be involved.   Being on a jury is a powerful experience for some people.   No confrontational people...may not be what you want on the jury.  You want someone who can make a decision.

Looking a guy in the eye as you are about to send him away for life is a hard thing to do.  The jury foreman usually announces the verdict and the judge gives a sentence. That sentence is often done at a different hearing. 

We have an amazing system.  It works very well when people want it to work correctly.

Unfortunately, there are  still incentives to manipulate the system... and people like that jackass prosecutor this summer reading the names and addresses of the jurors into the public record in order to threaten the lives  and property of the jurors and their families in order to get the verdict the prosecutor wanted...  It made me seriously reconsider the merits of some of the Thanksgiving dinner arguments between the various lawyers and law professors amongst my in-laws... having said that, as much as I can see flaws in the current system, I cannot think of a better one.

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26 minutes ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

Unfortunately, there are  still incentives to manipulate the system... and people like that jackass prosecutor this summer reading the names and addresses of the jurors into the public record in order to threaten the lives  and property of the jurors and their families in order to get the verdict the prosecutor wanted...  It made me seriously reconsider the merits of some of the Thanksgiving dinner arguments between the various lawyers and law professors amongst my in-laws... having said that, as much as I can see flaws in the current system, I cannot think of a better one.

That should have been the cause of a mistrial.   Not sure how that lawyer got away with that kind of crap. That's called jury tampering.

My wife and I are exempt from public records.  If you make them public it's a crime in it's own.

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Got a jury summons for November 4th. They won't pick me: retired Marine and retired adult probation officer. 

For the privilege of being a citizen in this country, little is asked: vote, serve on a jury, pay taxes, obey the law.

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4 hours ago, Historian said:

That should have been the cause of a mistrial.   Not sure how that lawyer got away with that kind of crap. That's called jury tampering.

My wife and I are exempt from public records.  If you make them public it's a crime in it's own.

Should have been… but they convicted Chauvin anyway…

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8 minutes ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

Should have been… but they convicted Chauvin anyway…

I have yet to understand how that man even came close to a fair trial.  I also think it will be over turned on appeal.

Provided the people who do that:  Are not afraid to do what is right and just.

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On 10/5/2021 at 5:40 PM, aomagrat said:

The first time I got jury duty, it must have been 1980, I showed up wearing a Molly Hatchet t-shirt. I got the "My Cousin Vinny" lecture on proper attire from the judge.

Similarly I got called to serve on a grand jury.  The prosecutor didn't appreciate my long hair and biker jacket.  I told him I'd be happy to wear whatever attire he liked if he was buying as that was my only jacket.  He relented.

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