Did you ever serve on a Jury?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

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Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
I got called for Jury Duty. I was picked to hear several cases, but I guess we looked like mean jurors; because they all settled out of court, as soon as they saw us.. Plus, we pulled down a mean $1.35 each day while we were at Court. Did you ever serve on a jury? What kinds of cases?
 

I haven't on an actual jury, but one time while I worked for a temporary job service I was with 11 other people who heard about a case pre-trial. Don't know if we were a mock jury but the lawyers (for the defendant?) wanted to get a grasp possibly of what they'd encounter in a real court. This was in the 90's. They may not do anything like that these days.
 
Yes, but I never would again if I could. Most of the time you sit in the jury room and argue
with each other, actually making enemies with some jurors.

I'd rather spend the night in the slammer !
 

I was on Jury duty many years ago. I was only about 21yrs old at the time. I still remember the defendants name ,address etc. The trial was about incest, corrupting the morals of a minor and rape. Honestly I wouldn't want to go through an experience like that again.
 
Yes, three times. 1979, 1989, 2004.
Deliberated on one criminal, one civil, was an alternate for one criminal, and on another civil they settled before jury deliberations.

I didn't mind it at all. I was working and it was an interesting break but the waiting got boring sometimes.
 
Well, sort of...… I was chosen for a civil case and we were seated, just in time to be sent to lunch. We came back from lunch and were seated again. There was a big discussion at the bench and we were sent back to the jury room.

About an hour later, the judge came in and explained that it had been found that the defendant was actually wanted for something much worse, something criminal and that the civil case wasn't going to be held. We were then dismissed and sent home.

Usually, I get rejected when they hear my last name. My late husband was in court quite often presenting the state's position on the matter and was pretty well-known to the judges and the attorneys (I have a very unusual last name). I always knew I wasn't going to be chosen when they would pronounce my name correctly.

Now, I don't get jury summonses because I'm over 70 and have opted out.
 
I have gotten summoned a few times, but have only once gotten past the call in to see if they need me part. The one time I did have to appear, I did not get interviewed, they sat the whole jury before I was called.
My dad was called in once, but as soon as the defense attorney saw him, he asked my dad be excused. A few years prior, my uncle was murdered, and the defense attorney defended the guy who was ultimately found guilty. My dad went to the trial every day. I am guessing the lawyer felt my dad would not be impartial. I did ask my dad about it and he confirmed that. In his mind, if you are on trial, you are guilty.
 
I was called three times and never chosen. The second case was a murder case and so midway through the instructions I stated I will neve vote for the death penlty the a second and third joined me and none of us were picked. Most of the chosen that day came off like they were hangers on from the drugs an flower-power years in San Franscico.
 
It’s something I would hate to do and have been called only once, I was seriously ill at the time and excused on medical grounds
 
I was called twice, once for a grand jury, on which I served for 6 months, and the other for a petit jury. I was't chosen to sit on the trial jury because I worked in the legal field and knew the counsel.

I personally strongly believe it is our duty to serve if called if we expect our legal system to work.
 
I've been called a number of times, but served on only one jury. It was in insurance fraud case. All of the jurors felt the woman was probably guilty, but the prosecutor did such a pitiful job of presenting the case that none of us felt that, based on the evidence presented, it met the judge's criteria for a guilty verdict.
 
Butterfly said:
I was called twice, once for a grand jury, on which I served for 6 months, and the other for a petit jury. I was't chosen to sit on the trial jury because I worked in the legal field and knew the counsel.

I personally strongly believe it is our duty to serve if called if we expect our legal system to work.
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I agree. Far too many don't want to serve because it's inconvenient, or not fun, or they aren't being paid a lot of money, or they have other things they'd rather be doing, etc. Unfortunately that's indicative of the mindset of a lot of people in this country. :mad:
 
911 said:
I was selected twice and denied twice. I wonder why?
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Ummmm -- because you were a law enforcement officer and presumably would vote for conviction, unless of course the defendant was a police officer, in which case you would presumably vote for acquittal. Not saying this is true, but that's the way lawyers and jury selection experts think. Also, because you were a police officer and presumably used to telling people what to do, that the chances were presumably good that you would be elected foreman and your opinion would carry too much weight with said jury.

Same reason people who work for lawyers are gotten rid of pretty quickly -- presumably they are in possession of "inside" information on how the system works and what the lawyers are saying (or not saying) and other jurors presumably would look to them for explanation or guidance and they could therefore possibly sway the jury.

When I was on the grand jury, the judge made it crystal clear that the only way anyone was getting off that jury was in the event of their own death (besides which the purpose and the way a grand jury works is completely different than the way a petit jury works).
 
I did once back around 1968. Now I am old enough to legally say no. That age varies by state.
 

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