In February I was called for jury duty. I actually enjoyed going and I recommend that everyone do it at least once. I was chosen to be a juror on a trial where the defendant was accused of shooting the plaintiff in the foot and robbing him of $400 and two gold chains. The plaintiff and his witness were from Honduras so we had an interpreter involved in the trial which slowed the process down. When we reported for duty the morning of day 2 of the trial, the defendant (A white guy probably in mid 30's) pleaded guilty to a lesser charge so the trial ended. Darn, I was hoping to see exactly how the sentencing part of the trial worked. The judge was a friend of mine. We have been in BSF together and a Sunday school class together years ago. It's refreshing to see a strong Christian judge on the bench. He was actually pretty funny and had everyone laughing during the jury selection process. I have often thought I would have been a good attorney and found myself daydreaming of nailing the defendant and the prosecuting attorney just like Matlock would. But then the thought of going back to school snapped me back to reality. I think we have a good judicial process and I found the quick civic lesson to be refreshing. I also made some friends with the other jurors. It reinforced the fact you can go anywhere in the state of KY, mention KY basketball and immediately have a room full of friends. I love it.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Everyone Should Do It Once
In February I was called for jury duty. I actually enjoyed going and I recommend that everyone do it at least once. I was chosen to be a juror on a trial where the defendant was accused of shooting the plaintiff in the foot and robbing him of $400 and two gold chains. The plaintiff and his witness were from Honduras so we had an interpreter involved in the trial which slowed the process down. When we reported for duty the morning of day 2 of the trial, the defendant (A white guy probably in mid 30's) pleaded guilty to a lesser charge so the trial ended. Darn, I was hoping to see exactly how the sentencing part of the trial worked. The judge was a friend of mine. We have been in BSF together and a Sunday school class together years ago. It's refreshing to see a strong Christian judge on the bench. He was actually pretty funny and had everyone laughing during the jury selection process. I have often thought I would have been a good attorney and found myself daydreaming of nailing the defendant and the prosecuting attorney just like Matlock would. But then the thought of going back to school snapped me back to reality. I think we have a good judicial process and I found the quick civic lesson to be refreshing. I also made some friends with the other jurors. It reinforced the fact you can go anywhere in the state of KY, mention KY basketball and immediately have a room full of friends. I love it.
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3 comments:
I've gone 3 times and it is interesting, however, I've never sat on a jury. One of the first questions to prospective jurors is if you know anyone in the courtroom. I generally know the judge and sometimes the court reporter (Care used to work for them) so I get excused - unfairly I think.
They never asked if we knew the judge and when they asked if we knew the attorneys or anyone from the prosecutors office they followed up with "would it affect your ability to remain an impartial juror?" If they said no - they stayed in the pool.
Never been. Hope I never have to.
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