Jury Duty
Still there? Hello? Way to hang in there.
Recently I served on a jury for a 3-day criminal trial in the great city of Phoenix, county of Maricopa. It was an experience that can be fairly summarized as such:
Jury duty gets a bad rap. So bad it makes Vanilla Ice look like Jay Z.
Most people get that notice in the mail and their minds immediately start trying to think of ways they can get out of it. I thought of my typical day - pink cubicles and white noise, florescent lights and reports, pre-meetings and meetings and post-meetings. Hmm.
One of my favorite parts of the whole experience was the initial thinning of the herd, or voir dire. This is done by asking questions, the first being the simple, why do you feel you wouldn't be able to serve on this jury?
Some people owned their own business, some were employed by companies that didn't pay for time served (shame on them), and some lived on tips. For them avoidance was understandable.
For the majority that wasn't the case, and that's when I got to see what my fellow citizens were made of - a snapshot of our society, and it wasn't pretty. Some of my favorite excuses:
Some people owned their own business, some were employed by companies that didn't pay for time served (shame on them), and some lived on tips. For them avoidance was understandable.
For the majority that wasn't the case, and that's when I got to see what my fellow citizens were made of - a snapshot of our society, and it wasn't pretty. Some of my favorite excuses:
- The drive here was very taxing. Actually my husband drove - but it was still very taxing.
- I'm a teacher and 3 days away from my students would severely harm their learning.
- I had a bicycle stolen when I was in college (the 80's) so I couldn't possibly be impartial.
- I hate cops.
- No hablo Englais (from a woman I'm pretty sure I heard in the hallway hablo Englais just fine.)
- I have to care for my critically ill mother. (When the judge asked her who was doing that at the time, the woman froze. Didn't really think that one through I guess.)
- My neighbor's dog ate my other neighbor's chicken.
Those that didn't try to wiggle their way out looked downright miserable. Those left behind after each round of dismissals acted as if they were being sent to the gallows. I'd compare the energy in the room to that of a funeral.
Part of me envied the others. If this was so bad then their typical days must be infinitely more exciting than mine.
By the end of the day we narrowed 56 down to 14 and had our jury set - yours truly as Juror #9.
Jurors don't work long hours. On day 2 of the trial we reported to the courthouse at 10:30. The trial started at 11. We broke for lunch at 11:30. Back at 1. Trial started at 2. Dismissed at 2:30.
The case wasn't terribly juicy - essentially an open-and-shut case. It actually took longer to appoint a foreman than to render the verdict, which I found a little disturbing considering we held a person's future in our hands. My concern was not shared by the group.
The reading of the verdict was the most uncomfortable part. Yes, the defendant had put himself in that situation, made his own bed, etc. but it's still not a pleasant feeling to look someone in the eye and tell them their life is going to change drastically, and not for the better.
You tell someone you've been called to serve and they look at you like you've just told them you have incurable, oozing testicular cancer. Search Twitter and you're likely to find more positive comments under #Hitler than #juryduty. Just say the words to anyone and watch the reaction.
It's a belief so firmly embedded in our culture that it has little chance of change. Which, really, is fine. The fewer willing to serve, the greater the chance I'll get to do so again. Of course, I'd have to once again deviate from my routine. But democracy isn't supposed to be easy. We all have to make sacrifices in a free society, right?
Part of me envied the others. If this was so bad then their typical days must be infinitely more exciting than mine.
By the end of the day we narrowed 56 down to 14 and had our jury set - yours truly as Juror #9.
Jurors don't work long hours. On day 2 of the trial we reported to the courthouse at 10:30. The trial started at 11. We broke for lunch at 11:30. Back at 1. Trial started at 2. Dismissed at 2:30.
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| Pretty close to what our jury looked like, actually. |
The case wasn't terribly juicy - essentially an open-and-shut case. It actually took longer to appoint a foreman than to render the verdict, which I found a little disturbing considering we held a person's future in our hands. My concern was not shared by the group.
The reading of the verdict was the most uncomfortable part. Yes, the defendant had put himself in that situation, made his own bed, etc. but it's still not a pleasant feeling to look someone in the eye and tell them their life is going to change drastically, and not for the better.
You tell someone you've been called to serve and they look at you like you've just told them you have incurable, oozing testicular cancer. Search Twitter and you're likely to find more positive comments under #Hitler than #juryduty. Just say the words to anyone and watch the reaction.
It's a belief so firmly embedded in our culture that it has little chance of change. Which, really, is fine. The fewer willing to serve, the greater the chance I'll get to do so again. Of course, I'd have to once again deviate from my routine. But democracy isn't supposed to be easy. We all have to make sacrifices in a free society, right?
