I was the first juror kicked off of the panel by the defense. The judge had eliminated a few, but of the 10 voir dire challenges given to the defense, I was the first.
"Mr. Schmoe" the defense attorney said a few minutes before my dismissal "frankly, you make me nervous."
"I have concerns about your being a former arson investigator and you working relationship with law enforcement during your career. That and your wife's career choice makes me wonder if you can be truly impartial"
Little did he know,
I know cops aren't perfect and I know the D.A.'s office has it's issues as well. Each witness, piece of evidence and victim statement has to be judged on it's own merit and weighed as to it's value to the case - both on the prosecution and the defense side. You can't get much more impartial than that.
It all worked out in the end, I got booted just before lunch and I was able to meet The Saint I Am Married To for lunch, something that I probably would not have been able to do had I remained on the jury. It would have not have presented well and could have created issues for both of us.
As it was, I was able to spend some time with someone who wanted me and not be stuck on a jury where I was not.
Thanks for reading,
Schmoe
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I laughed a little when I saw your last post about getting called for jury duty. I wasn't laughing when I got home and saw my Jury Office notice in the mailbox. Fortunately, it was just a presummons questionnaire. My wife told me to check the box that said I was mentally challenged so that I could avoid the summons. I think she was only half joking.
ReplyDeleteJoe - I had laughed several times over the past few months, both of my kids had received jury summons. Of course, they laughed at me, especially when I found out that I actually had to report.
ReplyDeleteI don't really mind, except that I feel it's a waste of time knowing that I'm going to get bounced by the defense.
Really, the only chance that I have of actually hearing a case is if I get empaneled on a civil case. As the overwhelming majority of cases tried in this county are criminal, it's probably not going to happen.
If your wife is like mine, she wasn't joking much, if at all.
Thanks for the comment.