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Jury Duty -- Mrs. Lizard's Thoughts
My husband has strong thoughts on jury duty (see http://www.mrlizard.com/juryduty.html). I totally agree with him on many points, yet I would still rather have 12 people who can't get out of jury duty to decide which overpriced lawyer did the best dog and pony show than to have a judge who may be in someone's back pocket make the decision himself (or herself).
As for myself, I have been trying for 16 years to get on a jury. This desire on my part has done more for me *not* getting picked than any other excuse that human kind has thought up over the years. I am a bit idealistic to be sure. I think that if everyone *really* believed it was their civic duty to be jurors, then we would have a much better jury system. I still believe that it is important for the person behind the defense table to get a fair trial. Still, when I get the postcard in the mail, I get all excited thinking that maybe this time I will get picked to sit in judgement on a case.
Now I was single when OJ had his trial. At the time, I was teaching (or attempting to teach) high school English in a classroom with no air-conditioning and a heating system that had two settings -- OFF and BRIMSTONE. I have to admit, I looked at the jurors for his trial with no little envy. For over a year, they got a hotel with maid service, dinners cooked for them, family visits, and a trip to Disneyland among other things. They also got all the dirt on the trial that I didn't get. Yes, it was televised, but I didn't have time to watch. I had 312 essays and bookreports to grade each month as well as write tests, teach class, do tutoring, keep my own home and the 1001 little things of daily life. Each day I thought longingly of getting up in a hotel, going to "work", having the system cater to my needs and having my evenings free to work on a large piece of needlework. Of course I want to serve on a jury. I know the reality is that I would get a one or two day trial of nothing all that exciting, but in a small way it would be. I like being "in the know" on things.
Still, the truth remains, that as long as I actually *want* to be on a jury, it will never happen to me. Someone who wants to be elsewhere, who doesn't care if the man behind the table gets a fair trial or not, will get my seat. I will go towork and wonder if I might have made a difference.
December 2000. copyright Elizabeth Armstrong Harac
NOTE: Mr. Lizard's essay is primarly on the need for professional jurors. My essay does not address this concept as it is one of the items I agree with in his essay. But until then....
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