[Mean Daddy]

By that judge a drink!!!

[pepsionice]

This is not like 1926. My grandfather got called three or four times in the 1920s....and then never got called again. He didn’t mind missing two or three days here or there, from the farm.

Today? Some guys are on a tight budget, and just missing eight hours means the electrical bill doesn’t get paid this month. I think within twenty years....we will have to agree to pay the hours/pay missed by a guy when he’s forced onto a jury.

I personally don’t think anyone under the age of thirty ought to be called to be on a jury....because of their limited life experience.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

One can avoid jury duty, but that is not the way to do it. Foolish.

[kiryandil]

By that judge a drink!!!

So, the black-robed clown is pretty good at pointing out certain portions of the Constitution that he agrees with.

I'd like to sit the judge down and explain the Declaration of Independence to him, and jail him for Contempt of American History.

[Sooth2222]

"The judge noted that the U.S. Constitution requires two things of most citizens: to submit to a draft in times of war and to serve on a jury."

Where? I thought the US no longer had involuntary servitude or a military draft.

("Most citizens". When I was last called for jury duty it was my impression that there was a noticeable under-representation of minority individuals in the jury room compared to my county's population demographics.)

[logic101.net]

No, that would not end well. What worked for me though was on the way in to the courtroom several of us were discussing our favorite methods of execution. Not pre-judging the case of course, but I think the defense lawyer may have overheard us and advised the guy to plead guilty.

[JPG]

"Dude looks guilty to me."

Excused.

[camle]

years ago there was a guy who didn;’t want to serve on a jury. IIRC it was a murder trial. he was ordered to serve. so the first day of trial, when they did the roll call, instead of answering ‘here’, he said ‘guilty’. immediate mistrial

[Mechanicos]

A lowly Juror should not talk smack about the master race...
...
“Well, they’re just wasting their time anyway because I think he’s guilty,” he told Friend.

A pause.

“And he’s black,” the juror said.
...

[JLS]

I believe the judge was already drinking if he thinks the US Constitution requires registration for the draft and service on juries.

[P-Marlowe]

Personally, in this overworked and underpaid society, I think the courts should run jury trials only on evenings and weekends. Paying some poor slob $5 a day to miss work is unconscionable. The government pays people thousands of dollars a month to do nothing, the least they could do is try to accomodate the needs of working people who are submitting themselves to involuntary service.

Just do the jury trials Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 9:30 and all day Saturday amd Sunday. Then maybe people would not be so reluctant to serve.

[HotHunt]

Avoiding sitting on a jury is easy. You have to be smart and appear to be intelligent. Lawyers do not like smart, intelligent people on their juries because they can’t manipulate them. Lawyers want dumb-down, duh! kind of folks so they can control them. I’ve been called many times but never had to serve.

My wife tells me the story of when she was called to serve one time. It was a trial about domestic abuse where a man was accused of beating up his wife. The lawyers were going around the courtroom asking questions to ascertain which people to pick for the jury. One of the questions asked by the defense lawyer was, “Can you remain objective about a man who beats his wife?” My wife says she listened as prospective juror after prospective juror answered the question “yes”. Well, when it was her turn, she stood up and said, “Not only no, but hell no!”.

She was home for lunch within the hour.

[muir_redwoods]

The judge and both counsels get paid to be there. The bailiff and the court reporter get paid. Why don’t the jurors get paid? I agree some may want to prolong the trial, milking the per diem but that’s no worse than the number who will want to speed the trial so they can get back to their jobs.

[kaila]

I served on jury duty for 2 weeks in 2 trials. Exactly a year from the day that I served, I got another order for jury duty. I felt that was excessive, they should at least wait 5 years . I asked an attorney friend, who told me if the summons comes in from the mail ( non certified), the court cannot prove that you received the order. Since it came in the regular mail, I trashed it. I never got another jury duty order again.
If not certified mail, then you are in the clear. They cannot prove you received it.

[dead]

I was a grand jury foreman and loved it. I was paid anyway from my job, on excused absence, so it was enjoyable.

Every Friday, I went to the court house, heard a bunch of cases, decided to indict or not indict, usually done by 1:30 and had the rest of the afternoon off.

The most difficult part was dealing with some real meatheaded co-jurors. There are some seriously stupid people out there, posing as normal members of society.

[aomagrat]

The first time I was called for jury duty I showed up in a Molly Hatchet t-shirt and a two day growth of beard.

The movie “My Cousin Vinny” brought back a lot of memories.

[CodeToad]

I’m a rich white guy with an education and a profession...fat chance I’d ever serve on a jury again.

[Polynikes]

I sat in jury pool once during voire dire. An older rather distinguished gentleman was called up to be questioned it went something like this. The names have been changed to protect the innocent

Lawyer: State Your name please

Juror: Raymond Perkins

Lawyer: Where do you work

Juror: At the law firm of Perkins,Abbot & Smith

Lawyer How long have you worked there

Juror:Since I help found it, about 35 years ago

At this point the lawyer was oblivious to what was happening. He continued with a few more inane questions at which point the juror started questioning him.

He was asked where he learned to examine a prospective juror, How many time did it take to pass the bar exam, and if he knew what he was doing. It was hilarious. Of course the gentleman was dismissed.

[PapaBear3625]

My employer continues to pay my salary if I'm on jury duty, so i don't care. In my jurisdiction, they send you a questionnaire when you're summoned. If you reply on the section "would serving on a jury cause undue hardship?" that you will not get paid if on jury, they will excuse you.

The judge was a jerk.