Jury Duty on Officer In High Profile Case

[G-Man]

If I got the call to show up for jury selection in the Floyd death, I’d yell and scream and do whatever I could do to get as far away from that case as I could get.  They’ve already given out the race and backgrounds of some accepted jurors.  If this case goes in favor of the cop and he doesn’t go to jail it’ll be because of that old racist white guy on the jury and me and my family would have to flee for our safety.  How dare they divulge ANY Jury information, but I suspect it jury tampering by the state itself to make sure they get the verdict.

It All just stinks.  Heaven help us!

[old2soon]

          their-deez left whatever-AGENDA. RIDE SAFE.

[Oss]

I would want to be on that jury


But I am knucking futz as you know

[Oldfishguy]

Since this is ongoing just down the road from me (about an hour away) I have been tuning in to the selection process.  One can have it playing in the background while doing other things and without watching, still catch 99% of the gist of things. 

It is an educational and interesting process.

The potential jurists filled out a 13 page questionnaire before even reaching the court.  It seems 1/3 are eliminated by this process.  Then others get on the stand and are eliminated by the judge for a variety of reasons: financial hardship, extreme prejudice one way or another, etc.

The real game begins when the jurists are questioned by the lawyers.  Each side has the opportunity to draw out prejudices one way or another and "strike" a jurist off the jury.  The defense has 15 potential strikes they can use and the prosecution has 9 (?) (I would think this discrepancy was negotiated out previously).   These "interviews" on the stand are as short as an hour and as long as several hours.  These are skilled lawyers, no doubt about it. Each side is trying to find a potential jurist but equally trying to get the other side to use up their "strikes" before all the jurists are seated. 

It is a deadly serious game they are playing with still a pleasant demeanor to all the potential jurists.

[Jess from VA]

Challenges "for cause" (if the judge agrees there is cause) are unlimited in number.

Peremptory challenges (just based on feelings) are limited.  You save these for the worst for your case.

Every lawyer's nightmare is getting a juror who smiles and says all the right things, but secretly wants to get on the case to decide a certain way (regardless of the evidence and argument), and to work hard to get the other jurors to go along with him/her. (read Tom Grisham's Runaway Jury.)

You are never supposed to use all your challenges based solely on juror race.  Yet good prosecutors in city-urban areas have had to deal with potential jury nullification for decades in criminal prosecutions of black men.  And so have insurance defense lawyers in civil cases in those same areas where juries love to give away vast amounts of insurance money, regardless of the facts of the case.

It's wrong to think that all black jurors will always vote the same way.  It's also wrong to think that none of them will vote solely on race, because some will.

The jury system has many faults, but it beats the hell out of the emperor's thumb. 

 

[Willow]

...
The jury system has many faults, but it beats the hell out of the emperor's thumb.    

Doesn't that depend upon who is the emperor?

[Jess from VA]

...
The jury system has many faults, but it beats the hell out of the emperor's thumb.    

Doesn't that depend upon who is the emperor?

This is true, there were so many good ones.   

[scooperhsd]

I never, ever, want to be called up for jury duty (one Courts Martial case was enough for my taste).

[Jess from VA]

My experience is.... if you want to be on a jury, one side or the other won't want you. 

[Serk]

I never, ever, want to be called up for jury duty (one Courts Martial case was enough for my taste).

I approach it as, if my life is ever in the hands of a jury, I don't want that jury to just be composed of 6/12 who were too dumb to figure out how to get out of jury duty...

Been called many times, served on 3 juries.... All interesting in their own way, all experiences I'm glad I was able to have and think I made the right decisions in each...

-Civil - little girl got the tip of her fingers clipped off in a fast food restaurant automatic closing door
-Criminal - DWI. Kind of.
-Criminal - Capital Murder.

[old2soon]

       Called once in Colorado. Drug case. I was chosen as 1 of the 12. Day of trial starting there was a settlement. RIDE SAFE.

[carolinarider09]

I was chosen once for a jury.  Simple motor vehicle case.  In the 50 plus years I have been eligible to serve on a jury I have been summoned only three times. 

By summoned, got a notice to come to court.  The last time was a couple of months ago and I was told I could "opt out" due to age and I did. 

[scooperhsd]

I would do any and everything to get off a jury that is going to be sequestered. If the system can't trust me to consider only evidence presented in court, the system doesn't deserve me as a juror.

[CoreyP]

Here's my experience. I was called to jury duty for a double murder, one look at this guy and where this all went down, I would say he is guilty right off the bat.

We got a questionnaire  and they didn't want me. I've had a long history in restaurants and bars along with being witness too and be a defendant in what are considered violent crimes. That was 20 years ago, have never been called to jury duty again. We were warned that the jury would be sequestered, they didn't say might, they said will.  I wanted no part in that trial. Jury's shouldn't have people who are thinking let's bang this out, I got things to do. BTW the guy was guilty of two drug related murders.  

My wife on the other hand has been called 4 times in the last 20 years and once for a federal case. On all occasions she said we have small children, can't do jury duty. Maybe something like traffic court but we have too much going on for jury crap. I know it's your civic duty, well catch me when I'm older and have the time.

They do seem to favor white women for juries. Who gets called here is way out of proportion white females.  

[0leman]

In my 70 plus years of life, I have been called only twice for jury duty.  One was in AZ back in '72.  A grand jury type.   I was getting ready to move out of state when they called.  IT was for a murder case.  A day later got call that guy pleaded out.  The second was in WY.   I got called up along with 30 other folks.  Went thru the first selections, 15 of us selected.  They never got to me, as they had their selection before it was my turn.   It was a 6 person jury with two back ups.  Maybe it was good that my name didn't start with  "A".  Besides the guy was guilty, could see it in his eyes.

Since I turned 70 several years ago.  Won't be called up here in OR.

MY wife on other hand has been called up every 4-6 years since we been married, some 50 years ago. 

[Jess from VA]

I was never a juror (and never selected for jury duty once).  Attorneys are often exempted from jury service by state law (including my licensing state MI), because they obviously know too much to be trusted to follow all the rulings, arguments or jury instructions after trial.  I was surprised to discover attorneys are NOT exempted from jury service in VA, but never been called (and I've been told very few make it through jury selection (vior dire).  I was exempt from federal jury duty on active duty and during 18 year's service with USDVA, but not since my retirement.

However, my first year out of school I took a job as law clerk/bailiff to a MI Circuit trial judge for a year and had to take charge of every jury that year.  Always in the courtroom, attending to any problems, surreptitiously motioning to the judge of a sleeping juror, escorting to and from the jury room, making sure there are no fistfights in the jury room, taking them to lunch, keeping counsel and witnesses away from jury members (and tackling any escapees, if any).  And taking charge of physical evidence during trials and breaks.

I had the bullet and brain matter from a shooting homicide, but they would not trust me with the 2.5 lbs of weed.  I had the clothing of a rape victim in a bag.  When opened at trial (months later), it stunk pretty bad.  The prosecutor got carried away with the bloody panties (on a pencil) and asked me to hand them to the jury for examination.  I walked over to the jury (mostly old people) and no one would even look at me or take them.  The prosecutor asked what was the hold up, and I had to go on the record that no one wanted to touch this particular evidence.  So he told me to walk around and give everyone a good look.  The judge told the prosecutor to move on.  That defendant got 40 years (underage by a couple years).  

If ever called, and asked if I can disregard my schooling, training and 35yrs legal experience, my answer would be no.  Or ..... I'll try but I can't make any promises.

Where attorneys actually make good jurors is in technical cases like engineering patent infringement, or admiralty, or other cases with a lot of administrative detail.  But in the vast majority of civil or criminal trials, one side or the other does not want you at any cost.    

[3fan4life]

Always figured that if called for jury duty.

If questioned first by the defense I'd say:

"The police wouldn't have arrested them if they weren't guilty."


If by the prosecution:

"The police always lie so that means they can't be trusted."

[Rams]

Never been called, would be happy to if asked.   
But, so far, never had the opportunity.   

I'm thinking they are discriminating against good looking older, balding, overweight guys. 

Hey, it's the best excuse I could come up with.   

Rams

[MarkT]

I have no idea how they will find unbiased jury in this country.  I quit watching mainstream media Jan 6 and even so if they interviewed me for the jury, I'd say GF killed himself with fentanyl.  INNOCENT. 

EXCUSED.