OT/Question regarding bailing on jury duty?

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Ok, I'll admit it. I've never served jury duty a day in my life (and I'm 41 years old). In my house, those notices get thrown away.

Think of me as you wish, but I work for a living and don't have time for that. I'm not trying to sound harsh, but let them call the people that are unemployeed and living on unemployment assistance. After all, we're giving them money, let them earn it.

I don't mean to offend anyone that's unemployeed, I've been there myself and wish that on no one. My point is that they have the time and there are plenty of folks to pool from (and they're being paid anyway).

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

If you were to put on trial for something you didn't do (lets say wrong place at the wrong time and thus wrongfully accused), would you rather have employed jurors (with a stereotype of them being educated and hard working e.g. your peers) or unemployed jurors (stereotype being they are lazy and generally less-educated) deciding your fate? Just wondering

I have never had jury duty, but I have always wanted to be summoned just to see how it all works first hand.

After reading David James thoughts I was thinking the same thing as you Rob. Then the more I thought about it I realized I wouldn't want David on my jury either.
The reason I say that is because I would rather have people there that care to be there and are willing to be "Juror 8" (Twelve Angry Men). I want someone who is willing to take the time to discuss the facts of the case.

[FrankWakefield]

DDS....

A range of possibilities are out there for you if you bail on jury duty. From nothing happening, to jail. Now that you've posted here about it, "I forgot" will be pretty weak...

I saw a federal judge send marshals to get a lady, and after a short discussion, she went to jail for 30 days, he let her out after about 2 weeks. He was the first federal judge I ever saw on the bench. It was sobering.

At times I let jurors slide with it if their absence caused no problems. A few times I kept a juror around to attend the trial, even though they weren't on the panel. I recall doing that once when it was painfully obvious to everyone that the juror answered initial questions in a way to get stricken... I allowed the attorneys motion to strike, but explained to the panel member what I was doing and let them sit through the trial. That panel came back twice more to hear trials, that panel member gave forthright answers to the questions upon returning. I never jailed a panel member for not showing, but did send the sheriff out to find a few jurors over the years.

As a panel member, it is not your place to decide you'd not be a fair juror and you shouldn't sit for trial; it's ok to have an opinion about that, but it isn't your decision. The parties, lawyers, and judge decide that. I gotta figure when a patient sits in that dental chair it is the DDS who decides things, after entertaining the patient's opinions. A patient who wants a good tooth pulled probably won't talk a good dentist into doing that...

Personally, I think you should serve, or you should have gotten off of the panel at the beginning.

Unanimous verdict doesn't mean an 11-1 majority jams a decision down on someone... A jury isn't a committee.