Jury Duty, 2025
whoops, I've developed an issue
I was in the potential juror pool for a civil 7-week trial this time. I discovered I have a problem now with jury duty that I did not use to have.
I was asked several times in a questionnaire if I would decide the case based on the law and the judges’ directions. Each time I was asked there was a yes and a no check box. Each time I drew my own checkbox titled ‘maybe’ and checked it. Without knowing the law or the judge’s’ instructions I could not be definite. Since reviewing some black history and seeing the passing of oppressive laws, I know that some laws should not be obeyed. In addition, many laws have been applied oddly. If the judge asked me to decide based on one of those laws, I would disregard their instructions. Also, I do not know the judge and how well the judge adheres to the principles stated in the heart-warming video given to new jurors.
As I was watching the juror instructional video. A person I was sitting next to gleefully told me how a Judge had been determined to make him jury foreman in a trial because both he and the judge were determined to give the death penalty to a ‘cop killer.’
For me the solution might have been if the judge better described what his final instructions would be, and the laws involved in the case. Repeatedly asking for yes or no without explanation was unacceptable to me. It was reminiscent of several bad times in my life when ‘I followed the rule’ and have regretted it to this day. I was not this rational during the process. Essentially my gut was telling me something was wrong, so I started making ‘maybe’ check boxes attempting to be as honest as possible.
Thinking about it now and going forward I would decide based on the evidence, the fairness of the law, and if the law was fair to the individuals involved in the lawsuit, as I would hope, a jury would decide things for me.
I was not selected for this trial… in the future, not sure if I ever will be.
