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OT: First time on jury duty


superdave

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I was chosen this morning to be on the jury about an auto accident. I was not expecting to be chosen and then WHAM!!!! they called my name. It kind of freaked me out but at the same time it's also kind of cool to see how the process works. They sure did waste a lot of time today though. We were given four breaks during the course of the day and it didn't seem like a very effiecent use of time. Maybe that's one reason the courts are so backlogged.
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I'd feel I was making a difference in deciding the guilt or innocence of someone accused of a major crime, versus something routine. Not that justice isn't called for in every case, I'd just prefer to devote huge chunks of my life to setting a precedent, if given the choice.
Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never!
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Originally posted by superdave:

I was chosen this morning to be on the jury about an auto accident. I was not expecting to be chosen and then WHAM!!!! they called my name. It kind of freaked me out but at the same time it's also kind of cool to see how the process works. They sure did waste a lot of time today though. We were given four breaks during the course of the day and it didn't seem like a very effiecent use of time. Maybe that's one reason the courts are so backlogged.

Jury duty is an American's civic duty.
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Must have been a pretty bad accident to have a jury trial. I had to sue over an accident but we just sat at a table in the judges office. Two lawyers, me, the defendent and the judge.

 

My wife had a great one. An employee was stealing books and pages of books out of the rare books section of the UGa Library. They burned that dude on 12 of 13 accounts. She loved looking at all of the antique prints.

Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren.
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Originally posted by Bluesape:

I'd feel I was making a difference in deciding the guilt or innocence of someone accused of a major crime, versus something routine. Not that justice isn't called for in every case, I'd just prefer to devote huge chunks of my life to setting a precedent, if given the choice.

Well, my mum had to serve in a jury once. Murder trial back in Australia.

 

And it was a pretty sad affair all 'round. One homeless junkie killing another in the abandoned building they were squatting in.

 

Sure, it's cool that justice was served and that the guilty did not go unpunished and all that, but she got the feeling that the victim might just as easily killed the perpetrator, had it been a different day. It was a pretty sordid and squalid affair and had little to do with absolute justice and all that.

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I served on one jury. It was an attempted murder case. I almost bailed, because I took a look at the defendant, and took an instant dislike to him. He happened to be black, and I started to wonder, "am I closet racist?" But I stuck it out anyway, and we in the jury found the guy guilty in about 10 minutes... and the jury was racially mixed. We just didn't feel that anybody had a right to rob people (in the first place) and then say, "you know, I can #@$@ kill you!" and then shoot the person. Luckily for the victim, the crime occurred about two blocks away from the hospital, so they were somehow able to save his life!

 

Serve again? I'd like to, but I work on a freelance basis, and if I served on a jury I'd be out the money for the time served, except for the tiny amount of money they give you for bus fare. So it'd be better to have someone on the jury who wasn't thinking, "I gotta get out of here as soon as possible," for everyone's sake, especially the accused.

 

No, if I could afford to serve, I wouldn't be looking to convict someone in 10 minutes if the evidence didn't suggest the person was guilty!

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Once, I was in the jury pool for an "alledged" mobster. I wasn't chosen. The trial went on for six months with the defendent acting as his own attorney. He was acquitted and found floating in a river two weeks later with a credit card shoved up his ass. Some kind of symbolism, I guess.
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Originally posted by Guitar55:

He was acquitted and found floating in a river two weeks later with a credit card shoved up his ass. Some kind of symbolism, I guess.

Isn't that a Capital One commercial-- "What's in your ass??"

Cass Anawaty, Chief Engineer

Sunbreak Music, LLC

High Resolution Stereo and Surround Mastering

www.sunbreakmusic.com

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Originally posted by Sunbreak Music:

Originally posted by Guitar55:

He was acquitted and found floating in a river two weeks later with a credit card shoved up his ass. Some kind of symbolism, I guess.

Isn't that a Capital One commercial-- "What's in your ass??"
LOL :D

I still think guitars are like shoes, but louder.

 

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Have only ever served on one trial. It was for shop lifitng. Some woman was stealing stuff at Disney Land. She had in her posession over $300 worth of stuff, but she was only caught stealing a stuffed doll ($40). We found her guilty. I felt bad about it all as she was a single mother. After the trial, we were allowed to speak to the attorneys. Turns out she has a long record of this. It made me feel good to know that she was getting what she earned. How stupid. Steal some souvanirs from Disney Land rather than just go there and have fun. BTW, She had enough money on her to buy the stuff. She just wanted it for free. I figure the only reason DL pressed charges is that she lied to them about who she was and the fact that she had hundreds of dollars worth of stuff on her and no recipts for any of it.

 

All in all, I would rather not have to sit in judgement on someone, but if I have to, I will.

"I hate music--especially when it's played" Jimmy Durante
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