Questions about Jury Duty

[KBCraig]

Jury Duty is like a mini draft!  It does provide the chance to nullify unjust law, so it's worth the temporary enslavement.

If this had been a malum prohibitum case, I'd have been chomping at the bits to get on the jury. But, it was a case of "assault with bodily harm", a misdemeanor charge. The accused was at a party. The neighbor's kids were over at the same house as the party. The 9 year old son went home crying, because someone had poured beer on him. His father went to the party house to find out what happened. Confusion ensues, but the father gets whupped. Defendent claims father started it, and got what he had coming.

Or, as the DA (not a deputy, but the DA hisownself) put it during voir dire: "I'm sure every one of you believes in the right to self defense. I expect that to be the argument put forward by the defense. You have to judge the truthfulness of the witnesses. And there are cases where someone starts a fight, and then loses. Around the DA's office, we call that 'Sumbitch had it comin'.'"



Now, I agree... but I was rather surprised to hear an elected DA say that out loud in a case that he was prosecuting, without a blink from the judge!

Back to jury duty... most trials are very small. Most have no audience. In most, only the parties involved are in the courtroom.

I relish the chance to serve when it's "State v. Bippy Spliffpuffer". And even when it's "State v. Kickedhisass Whenhethreatenedme", I'd like to serve, just to make sure someone with two or more firing synapses gets on the jury.

After all, if I was the defendant, I'd like to know thinking open-minded adults were on the jury.

Kevin