How Can I Be Impartial?
Seriously, the reliability of me getting jury duty exactly 3 years from my previous summons is really, really, REALLY, pissing me off.
Within a month of turning 18 years old I got my first juty duty summons. Since then, I’ve been called at a minimum of every three years. In fact, back when I lived in Boston (and moved fairly frequently) I got notified every year or two. Luckily, I was able to disqualify myself for having done jury duty within the previous three years. But that sure as hell didn’t stop the state from trying to get me to serve…again and again and again.
Meanwhile, I’ve got friends who have never been called. My mother got her first summons when she was 70 years old. SEVENTY! Yet the state harrasses me every three years like clockwork. This time, it was exactly three years. Well, technically, they contacted me before my three years were up, but the date they assigned me was 3 years and 2 months TO THE DAY after my previous jury duty.
So, I’m finding it incredibly difficult to be impartial when it’s obvious that their methods for calling people to jury duty is far from impartial. Otherwise, everybody would get called and not just the same people over and over.
I suppose I’ve been somewhat fortunate in that I’ve only been picked for a trial once despite being called so many times. Of course, that trial made me even less trusting of the judicial system upon observing witnesses lying on the stand or having the lawyers say something they know is not accepted just so they can have it verbalized before the judge asks the stenographer to strike it from the record. At that point, it’s already been said and is in the juror’s minds. Very sneaky.
Long story short, the murderer was obviously guilty of murder in the first degree, but it was reduced to manslaughter because of the lies by the victim’s family. Which sucks because if they’d have been honest and stopped trying to protect the image of their dead family member, the punishment could have fit the crime.
Anyway, I’m the last person the “system” would want as a juror as I’m fairly bitter about the whole thing. So, I’m warning all of my neighbors to behave over the next few months because I very well may be a juror on their trial.
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Damn, I sound really angry. I’m more annoyed than angry, despite the tone of that post. I’m just too lazy to edit it.
you were so angry yesterday when you got that notice. You spent 1 hr looking for your old form to see the dates and then looking up how to get there and then another few hrs grumbling about it. I think you need to step back and think civic duty. Dont register to vote then no jury duty. You are exactly what they want for juror. Smart, educated, mostly unbiased. Have fun. Im sure my turn is coming.
With those odds, I’d buy a lottery ticket!
They’ll NEVER find me!!!! haha. Of course I probably just jinxed myself….
I spent three and a half months in Federal Court. It wasn’t so bad, the food was good and we got a raise after a month. You’ve never really been bored until you’ve watched a three hour taped deposition from a “sports economist”