Posted on 04/25/2010 10:38:27 AM PDT by SmithL
When the Rev. Karen Stokes was called to jury duty and found herself being screened for a long and complex trial involving a member of the former Your Black Muslim Bakery, her first thought was, "I can get out of this."
When Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Reardon said the trial would take about six weeks to complete, the calendar in Stokes' mind lit up. The trial schedule corresponded with Lent, the Christian season culminating on Easter.
For Stokes, the pastor of Montclair Presbyterian Church, it was, in simple terms, her busy season.
She listened as Reardon talked to prospective jurors about hardship.
"He said it was a hardship for everyone," Stokes recalled in a recent interview at her home.
Then, she said, the judge said the standard for dismissal from the jury poll was undue hardship.
Stokes, 57, knew then she was in. She didn't have a child care problem, or a sick relative to care for, or a job that wouldn't pay her for time performing a civil duty. That the trial was scheduled for the Lenten season was simply "one of God's little left-landed jokes," she said.
Her husband, who is also a minister, told her, "You don't want a jury made up of people who aren't smart enough to get out of it."
So she sat through all the testimony and was chosen as the jury forewoman. The jury eventually convicted Lewis on April 7 of six felonies for the kidnapping of two women in May 2007 and the torture of one of them in what was described in testimony as a failed attempt to learn where a drug dealer hid his money.
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
Some of the excuses I’ve heard to avoid jury duty were amazing!
/johnny
I got called for jury duty, and was ready, willing, and able to do it.
They asked me one question - “Occupation?”
“Scientist.”
Dismissed.
Good point - happened to me twice when deployed. Wrote back, happy to do it - you pay the transport and arrange leave.
Dismissed!
I served on a grand jury for 6 months, cases from murder to embezzlement. It was interesting. The other times I was called I usually knew someone involved and one of the lawyers disqualified me. St. Augustine was much more close knit in the past, it was hard to find a stranger.
I have had jury duty twice. It was interesting. One time I swayed the entire jury from a quick non-thoughtful “guilty” to a thoughtful “not guilty”.
Now, Mr G has been called for federal jury duty. He informed them he was the sole breadwinner in our household, so they reduced it from a month to a week..... although if he gets on a trial it could last longer than a week.
"It is really important for this city," she said. "Being willing to pass judgment is different from being judgmental. What is hypocritical is to judge someone and not have the same rules applied to yourself."
Her jury judged Lewis' actions "not his value as a person," she said.
She did her job. Thank God.
It is a shame that people try to get out of jury duty and jury duty is one of the means to keep tyrannical gov’t in check.
“Stokes said she was a liberal “who approaches things intellectually.”
That’s an impossibility and will give the defense an excuse for an appeal based on her being a liar.
I’m surprised they got a guilty verdict what with her frequent comments about feeling empathy, etc for the defendant and the guy that hung him out to dry on a plea bargain.
Yup. Jury duty is one of the most important obligations we have as citizens.
I actually wanted to be on the jury. I'd been on a Court Martial once, and I wanted a chance to compare the two.
My wife did serve on a jury, but it was a one-day thing. Not a long trial.
I’ve been called several times, but have never been on a jury.
The closest that I ever came to actually being on a jury ended when the defendant saw all of us sitting around, waiting to see who would be judging him, and then decided to take a plea bargain instead.
Only got called in once. The arresting officer was a neighbor and the local Boy Scout Troop bully. A real @sshole when we were growing up.! One of those that couldn’t wait to get a badge and a gun so he could demonstrate his authority.Was known to pull his gun out on simple traffic arrests, shot his own cruiser once.......and is now a detective with 35 yrs on the force.
I was honest and told the judge I’d have a hard time believing anything the cop said since I’d known him all my life. Got the nod to go after that.
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