Posted on 01/14/2015 12:31:25 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Editor’s note: Sen. Ted Cruz returned to Harris County on Jan. 9 to respond to a jury summons. As a member of the Senate, Cruz could have gotten an exemption from service.
Dear editor:
Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) applauds Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for answering the call for jury service. Despite being federally exempt from jury duty, Cruz took the time to show up and stress the importance of this bedrock civic duty.
Unfortunately, not every citizen places such value on this civic duty. While nearly 90 percent of Texans believe serving on a jury is important, in some counties, a recent CALA study found that an astounding 85 percent of those summoned do not report.
Obviously we’re talking the talk but not walking the walk when it actually comes to showing up to serve.
Jury no-shows jeopardize justice. Every citizen should do his or her part to bring fairness and balance to the civil justice system by serving on a jury when called.
Sincerely,
Hazel Meaux, Board member, Texans Against Lawsuit Abuse, Austin
What’s that old saw about fearing to be tried by 12 people not smart enough to get out of jury duty? < /sarc >
I served four times over a twenty year span; they’ve left me alone since.
I was summoned for a month-long duty but was never put on a jury in Iowa and when summoned for duty in Mississippi I explained to the judge that I had no other significant sources of income and it would impoverish me as a single person. Those were both over 15 years ago.
It is laudable and even if he isn’t selected, it’ll cost him a day. I doubt seriously if any lawyer will select another lawyer for any jury, though.
I applaud Ted Cruz, but could it be that the average citizen’s reluctance to show up for jurty duty has anything to do with the fact that most jury duty is spent staring around a room full of other unfortunate souls hoping to get into a court room just to break the monotony. Only to find that the legal system is such that there’ll likely be a last minute plea agreement, or some other legal, procedural or bureaucratic maneuver that renders the citizens who dragged their sorry butts down to the courthouse irrelevant for that day?
I definitely see the big picture of the importance of jury duty, but the reality of how it’s implemented in most cities I’ve lived is that it’s a personal time waster and the reimbursement is an insulting pittance. Other than the waiting room decor and possibly the jewelry, there isn’t much practical difference between the time the jurors spend waiting for the court and the time the defendants spend waiting for the court.
The one redeeming grace is observing how a bunch of people who are supposedly experts in their field, assisted with a highly paid group of specialized bureaucrats can manage to assemble such a dysfunctional fustercluck. It’s one reason why I seldom take an expert’s word on anything.
I’m no legal expert, but if after two hundred years this is the best legal system we can come up with, we’re seriously screwed long term.
Our terms were one week, and I was fortunate enough to be selected for a jury each time. Even got to be foreman twice; once by luck of the draw (assigned by the judge to whoever was in chair #1) and once by election, judge said pick someone. The cases were interesting, and twice I was working nights, so no lost income. The other two times I had started my real estate career so I had the flexibility to set my my own schedule.
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