eddiehimself
Platinum Member
What is the point in being a good little law-abiding citizen, if you still end up having to go to court, through no fault of your own?
Jury duty? Meh... you get a day off work if nothing else...
Even if you are a good law biding citizen your whole life...the legal system will somehow involve you like it or not. Price of living in a free country.
I had to go to a class for DUI in 2005. In the class was this one woman. The reason she was in the class? A few weeks prior, she was getting her hair done. Someone hit her parked car. The officer wanted to breathalyze her, she refused, and was arrested. No fair, right? Where was the D in her DUI?
So more details, please.
I went in for jury duty last week. Not my first time mind you, and I've been on panels, as well as been excused after the requisite day to be part of the process. In L.A. County, they have a one-day-one-trial policy. When they need you, you have one day to get on a panel. If you don't, they consider your service completed and you go about your business. If you get on a panel that day, and the trial lasts for 2 days, you've also completed your service. You're not required to fullfil the 10 days' of service you're obligated to.
What I didn't like was NOT being called for anything. I sat around all day, and it was for nothing. I would much rather have been called for a panel, got to hang out a few days and do some good for a trial that might normally have a bunch of people on a jury who really don't want to be there.
Believe me, if you're ever a defendant or plaintiff, you'll want jurors there who care enough to weigh the facts.
Anyway, while it's very amusing to want to make yourself unattractive to the attornies during jury selection, don't get too cute. You can be charged with contempt (see paragraph above.)
Bermuda
I hope it's not too bad.
I'm quite glad that I'm ineligible!
Just be thankful that we live in a country where we have trial by jury rather than other (more corruptible) methods.
Lucky you for being inelegable. I'm going to make myself inelegable from now on, that's for sure. TBH I think trial by jury is pretty outdated. I'd rather have my guilt determined by qualified professionals than 12 members of joe public who have their opinions informed by the SUN and would much rather not be there.
A prominent "I'm a drummer" t shirt should do the trickI'm going to make myself look like the least suitable candiate for a juror whilst I'm there lol.
A prominent "I'm a drummer" t shirt should do the trick
Are your opinions informed by the Sun? I assume not so perhaps you do have an important role to play on a jury.
As to jury trial: that is 'the lamp that shows that freedom lives'. 'Qualified professionals' are typically white, middle-aged and middle class and are poor arbiters of justice: you only have to look at the system of magistrates to realise the risks of doing away with jury trials. But then I suspect that you believe you will never have to face a criminal charge in court and if you ever did you are confident that you would not be discrimnated against by those in a postion to judge you.
What makes you so sure that any normal member of the public is not going to be discriminatory? Honestly, you read any article on Yahoo! news about crime and the comments are almost all discriminatory in some way. Also, what if we're talking about a high profile case, one that is portrayed widley in the media? How can you possibly get a jury together that has not seen the story in the news and had their views altered by that in some way? I don't think a jury makes the process any less discriminatory.