Have you ever served jury duty?

[Just Saying]

I'm curious since there are several threads on the Martin murder trial how many people have ever seen the justice system from the jury box and what their experience was like.

I served last year for a criminal trial. The experience was stressful but positive in that it did prove to me that 12 people could not only work together and respect the law but also come up with a just verdict. It did give me faith that the system can work.

24 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I've served on a jury and it was a positive experience.
	14 (58%)
	I've served on a jury and it was a negative experience.
	3 (13%)
	I have other experience with the judicial system. Please explain.
	1 (4%)
	I've never served on a jury.
	6 (25%)
	I watch Nancy Grace so I'm an expert. ;)
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[LuvNewcastle]

1. I've been called three times and I've always been eliminated.

I asked to be taken out the last time because I had some health issues, but I'm willing to serve now if called.

[Autumn Colors]

2. Sort of

I voted yes in the poll, but I was only an alternate. I was there throughout the trial, and then asked the clerk to notify me of the verdict (since we had that option). It was a criminal case -- actually 2 cases -- sexual assault against two young girls (sisters) that were being tried simultaneously. Two counts in each of the cases. Defendant was found guilty on all four counts. I was relieved that the jury had voted that way. I was disappointed at how little time he was sentenced to, though.

All in all, it was stressful (agree 100% with that), and when the jury was sent to deliberate, I wished I had been an actual juror and not just an alternate, but as with the OP's case, a just verdict was reached. It's unfortunate that the sentence seemed to be way too little for the number of counts and the ages of the victims.

(Sorry for multiple edits.)

[bemildred]

3. Called many times, chosen once (murder no less), but the perp. cut a deal. nt

[FarCenter]

4. The system would be much better if the jurors could question the lawyers.

In one case, both lawyers went for the fact-free emotional appeal. The judge should have tossed them both out of the courtroom.

[Scuba]

26. +1 In my one jury experience, the DA caught the defendent in a lie (yep, he testified) ...

... but the DA blew it, went to her next prepared question and never looked back.

I deliberations, one other jury member indicated she also caught the lie and was astonished the DA didn't go for the throat at that point. The defendent ended up getting convicted of a lesser charge than he was facing.

I couldn't believe she missed. Still can't.

[notadmblnd]

5. district court 3 times. Federal court 1

all were positive experiences. I was excused from the case in Federal court because I was able to express to the judge my objection to prisoners being able to sue for monetary damages for injuring themselves while incarcerated. This particular case an inmate was suing for money because he hurt his finger.

[FarPoint]

6. I served in March.

Three days on a criminal case. Excellent Judge, Defense team and Prosecution team. All very professional. Our Jury group was very attentive and followed all jury instructions. Very positive ....an honor to serve.

[Glorfindel]

7. Yes, many times

I have served on juries for criminal cases and civil case and been an alternate in one case. I have also sereved on two grand juries and one coroner's jury. Almost all of the experiences were positive.

[badtoworse]

8. Called once and they asked what newspapers I read.

When I said the Wall Street Journal, they said they didn't want me.

[mnhtnbb]

9. Yes. Once in a southern town.

African American defendant.

Three of us turned the all white jury from the first vote-- 9 guilty, 3 not guilty--to a not guilty
by reason of self defense verdict. The white 'victim'--who had been stabbed--was in the courtroom
when the verdict was announced. He was incredulous. Just incredulous. Talk about a red neck
good 'ole boy. It really was like living a scene from a movie.

I've often wondered whether the plaintiff realized how fortunate he was to get that verdict and whether
he swore off whatever dubious activities he'd been involved in after that experience.

[Initech]

10. I was an alternate juror on an assault case two years ago.

It was an interesting experience. There was a week break between deliberations because of attorney availablity, and then they wound up completely dismissing the case because of other issues.

[hibbing]

11. Once

Hi,
I served once and found it very interesting. It was a civil case against an insurance company. There was one guy on the jury though who obviously was looking information up on the internet in between days of deliberation and it drove me nuts. I guess I should have reported that to the bailiff.

Peace

[onehandle]

12. Went to jury duty, never selected for a jury.

Must be the Princess Leia outfit.

[Mr.Bill]

13. Been called for Jury Duty about half dozen times, never served.

I was probably going to be an alternat once, but the guy copped a plea at the last minute. Arson Case.

[KharmaTrain]

14. Served On A Federal Jury...

...in a straw buyer gun case about a decade ago. I was surprised I was picked for the jury considering I made it know of my opposition to hand guns and got one hell of an education. The trial went two weeks and even had a bit of local media coverage. The part that was fascinating for me was watching the jury process unfold...how 12 strangers would get to know one another and then be able to find consensus and pass judgement. If given the chance to serve again I wouldn't hesitate...it built up my respect for how the legal system can and does work...

[X_Digger]

15. Five regular summons- twice picked, one full trial; one federal but not picked; one grand jury

So I guess you could say I've only served twice.

The grand jury experience was enlightening- talk about power in the people's hands. Jurors grilling prosecutors, asking for investigation, examining what evidence the prosecutor presents (and why other evidence WASN'T collected/presented).

[Logical]

45. I think federal Grand Jurys are a rigged deal.....

The prosecutors present their side of the story. Mostly a rubber stamp for the feds.

[X_Digger]

47. Mine was a state grand jury.

Quite the eye-opening experience.

[tenormadness1]

16. Once, not long ago.

It was an assault case. One of the questions of the jurors was, "Where do you get your news?" I replied, "Anywhere but Fox or the Denver Post." I wonder if that factoring in my being selected.

[Laelth]

37. Welcome to DU. n/t

-Laelth

[aquart]

17. Special grand jury. 6 months 3x a week.

Then we voted to amend our name and really got down to business. Spawned other prosecutions all over the place.

The first day, a name was mentioned and my ears pricked up. The amendment at 6 months when we voted to continue included that name.

I still don't know why we weren't allowed to indict the lawyers for criminal obstruction.

And my jury was allowed to give questions to the foreman for the state attorneyqs to ask.

[Skittles]

18. yes, for vehicular manslaugther

gal had a bit to drink and was driving, rolled her jeep and her boyfriend was killed......we found her guilty but I did feel sympathy towards her.....what was strange was, the boyfriend had no alcohol in him - if only he had driven

[dimbear]

19. What happens time after time is you pay attention for two days, and then next

day the judge says thank you for your service and you go home because the parties settled.

Slow burn.

[mokawanis]

20. Never have, hope I never get called

Not that I've said that I'll probably get called tomorrow. If I am called I'll serve and do my best, I just hope it doesn't happen.

My wife served on a jury for a trial of a guy accused of sexually abusing kids at a day-care. He was convicted and got a 60-years sentence.

[MrSlayer]

21. No. I always get out of it.

Because they always call me when I'm working and I can't afford to miss work. When I'm not working they never call. It sucks because I'd like to do it.

[wercal]

22. I didn't get chosen, but I sat through 3 days of jury selection

I was surprised and impressed with how seriously and professionally everyone took the responsibility.

I was also fascinated with how the prosecutor was able to 'work in' his case, as part of the jury questioning.

A co-worker recently sat on a jury for capital murder...and both convicted him, and sentenced him to death. Very stressful and serious stuff.

[Shrike47]

23. I've been called down to the courthouse and gone through jury selection but they always excuse me.

I'm an attorney. They don't trust me.

[CBHagman]

24. I've reported for jury duty twice...

...but in both cases I merely spent the day at the courthouse as part of the pool of potential jurors. In the first instance many cases were settled out of court, and in the second the wheels of the legal process were moving too slowly for most of us to wind up getting picked that day.

[marions ghost]

25. People should do jury duty for criminal cases but not for small civil cases IMO

--big waste of taxpayer money to have juries of 12 for cases that Judge Judy could decide. And justice is often not served, in the ones that I have witnessed.

I think the system as it is now is antiquated and bordering on non-functional. I feel very strongly that it is kept alive just to fatten lawyers pockets and pander to people who have an interest in gaming the system.

For very large civil cases with damages over a certain figure or for criminal cases, seat juries. For all else PLEASE don't waste our time. Call in Judge Judy.

(If you want to be eliminated from a jury, just say what I said above).

[RantinRavin]

32. There is this little document called The Constitution

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

[marions ghost]

34. obsolete

Twenty bucks?--I think we can up that amount.

The way it works now is a waste of time and money for all concerned. I say this from observation and experience
(reporting). It's often a travesty of justice, more importantly.

Let Judge Judy decide. Many will disagree. But think about it. Big cases only warrant a 12 person jury.

[Puzzledtraveller]

27. 39 times!

On DU.

[Little Star]

33. lol

[Scootaloo]

28. Got called for Jury duty in Montana once

While living in Oregon; had never lived in Montana a day in my life. Called 'em up to let them know what was up. Other than that, never have been called for jury duty.

[mike_c]

29. other experience....

I've been called up for jury duty several times, and been a prospective juror twice. Both times I was rejected by the DA's lawyer after being asked my profession. I'm a scientist. In both cases I was the first juror dismissed, immediately after answering that question.

I take that to mean that prosecutors know scientists to be difficult to convince without strong evidence. Best solution? Get them off of juries.

[MADem]

30. I have been called many times, but they never pick me, because, I suspect, I tell them

that I've served on a significant number of courts martials and meted out Captain's Mast (Art. 15) punishments in my former life.

I pretty much go with the expectation that I won't be picked, I think the attorneys don't like people who have my sort of background. When called, though, I get off my ass and go--I've learned to bring my own breakfast because it's usually a long morning before they tell me to go home.

[Puzzledtraveller]

31. other

As a corrections officer and police officer.

[davsand]

35. I had to pass because I've been called but never got to serve.

My husband and I both have been called for jury duty but because of who we are and what we both do to earn a living neither of us was ever allowed to stay on a jury. We either knew one of the lawyers, or we knew the judge or else we'd had some kind of contact with one of the parties.

My husband got called last, and he got booted out of the jury pool because it was a med-malpractice case and the hospital involved had been suing me as a public official (part of a larger case involving property tax exemption) and also because he used to be the administrative director of a local health care consumer group. I joked that he was a "two-fer" boot, but that is just how it goes. The last time I got called, I knew the defense attorney AND had grown up with the defendant in a DUI case.

If I had to guess, neither of us will ever be allowed to sit on a jury in this county, and it is sad. I'd LIKE to do it!



Laura

[Laelth]

36. I've been called up for jury duty several times.

I have never been selected to serve on the jury. As an attorney, I always get struck. In my experience, and other attorneys may disagree with me on this point, I think attorneys want easily persuadable people on the jury, and that I am not. They'd also prefer people who are ignorant of the law, and that I am not. Judges, on the other hand, would prefer legally savvy people to serve on juries in the hopes that they will produce better legal outcomes.

I've always thought that I would be insulted if I were not struck from the jury pool. So far, I have managed to get struck every time.

-Laelth

[melm00se]

38. Called four times

1) called, spent 3 days sitting in a jury room, got picked, questioned and released (I guess they didn't like the fact that I worked for a bank managing the fraud department for a fraud trial)
2) 6 months later got called again, sent in letter saying had been picked recently and was released.
3) got called again 4 years later for a state (NY) that I no longer lived in. The cleark I spoke with had a hard time wrapping his brain around the fact I lived in NC now (and had for 2 years) but finally relented after I sent in my NC drivers license.
4) less than a year later, got called for NC jury duty (revenge by NY?). completely different experience: had to call a number the night before and an automated voice said "summons numbers XXXX to YYYY are to appear the next day. summons numbers ZZZZ to AAAA are to call in tomorrow" and this went on for 3 days and the voice finally said "your number has not been called you are released for jury duty">

[Earth_First]

39. I've been summoned a handful of times...

I've never been selected.

[Le Taz Hot]

40. Been called but never served.

For a long time I'd get picked every year, then all of a sudden about 8 years ago, no more notices.

[Atman]

41. Two big ones.

A civil rights case, and suit against the state of Florida.

They were both real eye openers. The "civil rights" case involved a white man who took a pay phone out of a black woman's hand and hung it up. He was facing an emergency, told the woman so, but she wouldn't give up the phone. She told him to piss off and kept talking. He paced frantically for a few minutes, occasionally pleading with her to hang up. She refused. It was the only pay phone in a poor neighborhood and his kid needed medical assistance. He finally lost his patience and grabbed the phone from her. She filed charges against him, claiming her civil rights were violated because she was black and it was a public phone.

We found the man not guilty after a two-day trial. Afterwards, he approached me and a couple of the other jurors outside the courthouse. He was in tears, thanking us profusely. It turned out the poor guy had been in jail for six months because he couldn't afford bail. He spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in jail, away from his family, because some stupid coke dealer (yes, it came out in trial) thought using a pay phone was her "civil right." But she wasn't very civil.

[a kennedy]

42. Yup, and didn't like the experience at all....

federal drug charge of selling 3.some amount of cocaine. The whole arrest and trial was because a known druggie turned his dealer in with cop money. He even tried to keep some of the drug money for himself at one "drop". The informant had been in an out of jail since he was 17 he's now 30 something and when he got caught for his 3rd drug arrest he gave up his dealer, a woman in her 30's with a young daughter. He told the cops, "I know how the game is played and I'm willing to play". No defense witnesses at all, and we found her guilty. I brought up the fact that the whole case was based on this known drug addict's actions. No good, we found her guilty on all three charges in about 30 minutes. With being on this case I don't have to serve for another 10 years, and then I'll be to old to be eligible. Did not like the experience at all.

[Nine]

56. But you didn't have to vote guilty if you didn't want to.

Do you feel you were pressured into voting that way? Or do you feel that the defendant was technically guilty according to the law but that in a more cosmic or humanist sense of right and wrong, justice was not served?

[a kennedy]

60. felt a little pressure.....

foreman just read the charges, and we did all agree, I just wished there would have been a lot more discussion on the cops using a loser informant for their whole case. I did feel bad after it. Never could find out what her sentence was. Don't want to do it again.

[littlewolf]

43. been called 3 times never selected.

I worked for DOC at the time. showed up in uniform.
one time it was a guy that had done his time and gotten
out, for 8 months then back into the system.
the judge asked if I knew the defended I said yes sir,
I worked in the same wing he was housed in. the judge just
laughed and told me to go home.
the other 2 times the defense just asked me where I worked
(I am in DOC uniform !) I tell them and they tell me to go home.
heh

[Johonny]

44. If you live in a big city you get called in like clock work

The whole experience is stressful and unfairly blanketed on a small percentage of the population in my experience.

[cynatnite]

46. One federal grand jury and a local jury trial that only took a few hours...

The federal grand jury was the most enlightening and positive experience over the other.

[Quantess]

48. It was just a one day trial.

Really easy. A DUII. We deliberated about 20 minutes and found him guilty.

[Xithras]

49. Called 7-8 times. Never selected.

Interestingly, I always get waived by the prosecutors. No idea why.

[Silent3]

50. I'm surprised I've never been called

I've been a registered voter continuously since 1984, but haven't been called even once yet.

[George Gently]

51. I was called, but the jury was impaneled before they reached my high number.

I am never going to forget filing out of that room and the guy next to me said, "You know he's guilty, don't you?"

I looked at him quizzically and said, "How?"

He replied, "The police never would have arrested him if he wasn't guilty."

[Auggie]

52. Two civil trials ... fraud & personal injury

[11 Bravo]

53. The last time I was called, the defendant turned out to be a former student of mine!

I informed the judge, and she excused me from the panel. I've been called two other times, but in both instances the case was settled prior to trial. I really want to serve on a jury, but am still awaiting the opportunity.

[rrneck]

54. I showed up when they asked me to but never saw the inside of a courtroom. nt

[Shrek]

55. Served on four juries

Selected as foreman twice.

Double murder, insurance fraud, obscene phone caller, and a traffic violation.

Also testified as a witness in a criminal trial.

[Lizzie Poppet]

57. I've been called in, but never had to serve.

Not with court in session on a case, that is...I did have to show up at the courthouse for a few days running. I was kind of disappointed not to get to serve on a case.

[riqster]

58. Once.

Two drug dealers, one stabbed the other. The Prosecution did not call the only other witness, so we had to choose between the stories of two confessed criminals.

Hung jury. Not a surprise.

[bigwillq]

59. Was called a few times but never served

I would be for it, though.

[Retrograde]

61. So far, no

I've been on phone standby a few times (in my county, if you're in a jury pool you have to call a number twice a day - it's now a web site, I believe - to see if you're wanted): got to go down to the courthouse once, but never made it to a courtroom.