Besides renewing your drivers license there are few experiences that expose you to the awful reality of everyday Americans. Jury duty is one of those experiences.
For 37 years I have side-stepped the many attempts by the government to donate my time to the courts. My skills failed me Monday when I reported at 7:45 am with 200 of my peers.
As the judge in our case began questioning the prospective jurors I was shocked to hear the many sad and sordid details that emerged about the lives of my "peers." Divorces, confirmed bachelors, childless couples, DUIs, incarcerated family members, etc. Ok maybe peers of the guy we would eventually convict. Initially I had assumed that I would have been a terribly conservitive and biased juror who would never be picked, but I can see how in comparision I looked pretty good.
For 37 years I have side-stepped the many attempts by the government to donate my time to the courts. My skills failed me Monday when I reported at 7:45 am with 200 of my peers.
As the judge in our case began questioning the prospective jurors I was shocked to hear the many sad and sordid details that emerged about the lives of my "peers." Divorces, confirmed bachelors, childless couples, DUIs, incarcerated family members, etc. Ok maybe peers of the guy we would eventually convict. Initially I had assumed that I would have been a terribly conservitive and biased juror who would never be picked, but I can see how in comparision I looked pretty good.
The jury room deliberations played out like any generic movie involving a jury. We had the usual cast of characters. The loud bimbo, the strong silent type, the engineer, the doctor, the student, the very conservitive retired teacher, etc. We spent 3 hours on a simple case that I expected to take 10 minutes. But...I guess that might just be the point.
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