Jury Duty....Arghhhhh

Ikeepitcold · Feb 23, 2018

I’ve gone once. It was a child murder case where the mom had kill the baby on accident by shaking. The baby had broken bones that had been healed when the baby died so abuse had been happening for awhile.

Although it was very sad about the situation I found the whole thing very interesting on how the court and trial works.

Both mother and father went to prison.

JimP · Feb 23, 2018

Jury duty can be a rough road to haul at times. My first one was a sexual assault in a position of trust which ended up with a hung jury. We had one lady that just would not believe the girl. A couple of years later the scumbag was nailed up in Montana after doing the same thing to his cousin.

Just last year I sat on another one, welfare fraud this time. After the first day we came in and sat in the jury room for 3 hours. All the rest of the jurors had no idea of what was going on but I told them that the lawyers were working on a plea bargain. Then we went into the court room and that is just what had happened, a deal. The evidence that we heard the first day was overwhelming towards convicting the lady.

I couldn't tell you the number of times that I was called in and had to sit in the court room while the lawyers hashed things out only to go home. But at times it can be quite interesting on how our justice system works.

Winchester · Feb 23, 2018

I'd been called in a number of times but never selected until a couple of months ago. I was selected to sit on a murder trial which wound up taking 2 weeks. I definitely didn't expect to be there so long, but it was very educational to see how the court system works and hear all the expert testimony. The guy did wind up going to prison.

Hilltop · Feb 23, 2018

I haven't been called in the last 23 years.... My one and only time I wasn't selected. My wife has twice in the last 10 years. Expecting it any day

Sawfish · Feb 23, 2018

Colorado Cowboy said:
Served jury duty all day yesterday and have to go back to finish today. One trial (felony traffic incident) 6 jurors. Called 60 in for jury pool. Wouldn't you know it, it was called for the jury and picked. Sat most of yesterday listening to testimony, motions and tons of dead time in the jury room. Back today,,,hope it finishes up. Initially Judge said wouldn't take all day yesterday, what a misstatement , the attorneys are all really jerks!!

Oh well, at least it's in the winter when there is less to do. Glad to do my civic duty....I think!

Now, CC, you know that they needed a Rocket Scientist on the jury!

JimP · Feb 23, 2018

It is too bad but that kind of stuff happens and ends up wasting everyone's time.

On one of the juries that I sat on we had a juror tell the judge that he saw a mention of the trial in the local news paper. After about 20 minutes of questioning we continued on with the case.

mallardsx2 · Feb 23, 2018

I work out of town. Been called twice and excused twice.

shootbrownelk · Feb 23, 2018

I was on Grand Jury duty for 18 months. That was an eye opener!

kidoggy · Feb 24, 2018

I have been on jury duty twice, only sat a trial once and it lasted for half the day before the lawyers plead out a deal and the scumbag walked.

can't say I enjoy jury duty but was sure looking forward to playing a part in that dirtbags punishment.

he and another stole a car the the passenger leaned out the window with a screwdriver scraping other cars as they passed .
it is my opinion that those who do these things do not deserve to share our oxygen

RICMIC · Feb 24, 2018

I've never been called for jury duty, but I was a cop for 25 years, and then worked for 5 years for the US Marshalls as federal court security. Lawyers are one of the few occupations where if we didn't have them we wouldn't need them. I do feel sorry for someone who is self employed who is called for duty, because it will be a big financial loser for them.
Kidoggy; no defense attorney worth a damn would ever let you sit on his client's jury. But, you would be a prosecutors dream.

kidoggy · Feb 24, 2018

RICMIC said:
I've never been called for jury duty, but I was a cop for 25 years, and then worked for 5 years for the US Marshalls as federal court security. Lawyers are one of the few occupations where if we didn't have them we wouldn't need them. I do feel sorry for someone who is self employed who is called for duty, because it will be a big financial loser for them.
Kidoggy; no defense attorney worth a damn would ever let you sit on his client's jury. But, you would be a prosecutors dream.

depends on wether I think they are guilty or not.
I don't generally take it on faith that the accused is guilty until is proven to me to be so.

but once proven, I am all for maximum sentences

JimP · Feb 24, 2018

Jury duty is one of the burdens that you need to bear when you live in a county with a small population base.

When I first moved to Eagle County it wasn't unheard of for the judge to send a couple county sheriffs to the local grocery store to find jurors. The first time that I was called and they called the roll the judge said that he was then going to issue bench warrants for those that did not show up, and that if their addresses were correct he was going to haul them in.

Since that time I have been called multiple times just to show up and sit around while they either picked the jury or while the lawyers plea bargained a outcome. I have heard just about every excuse to get out of jury service that there is. One of the best was by a lady that just didn't want to serve. She was picked to sit on the felony trial of 13 jurors. That is 12 to actually decided the case one one alternate. She was there all 3 days and then when the lawyers were finished and before we were sent to decide the persons faith they picked a juror number to send home. Yep, her number was picked to leave. She stormed out of the court house.

kidoggy · Feb 24, 2018

yep always some trying to weasle out of their civic duty.

I doubt many of them will be disappointed to get a jury of peers if they are ever in the hotseat though

WapitiBob · Feb 24, 2018

Civic Duty doesn't pay the mortgage or grocery bill for a working stiff.

hoshour · Feb 24, 2018

Only been called once. It was for a coed rape case. I had daughters pretty close to that age but wasn't asked that. Instead, one attorney asked if I would weigh circumstantial or eyewitness testimony more strongly. The way he asked it, he seemed to be leaning toward eyewitness testimony and when I answered that I would consider both he decided he didn't want me on the jury.

Since I'm self-employed, that didn't break my heart, but I would have liked the experience of being part of a jury as long as the trial wasn't super-long.

Thank you to you guys that did serve. It's an important role, especially since today everyone seems to be know the right outcome without having heard any testimony and cry foul when a jury comes down on the other side.

kidoggy · Feb 24, 2018

WapitiBob said:
Civic Duty doesn't pay the mortgage or grocery bill for a working stiff.

neither does letting criminals walk the streets.

I am a working stiff and am proud to do my duty when called.

but if I were on trial for something , I sure wouldn't want a jury made up of folks who didn't want to be there and who were simply willing to go with the crowd so they could leave sooner

Jury Duty....Arghhhhh

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