Jury duty

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by nosborne48, Aug 27, 2022.

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  1. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Yup, just got the summons. I'll appear, too. In New Mexico there's no exception for lawyers or judges.
     
    Dustin likes this.
  2. Charles Fout

    Charles Fout Active Member

    I have been called to Jury Duty several times. It was only the last time, three years ago, that I was ordered to go to the courthouse. After reporting two or three consecutive days, my group never reached the Voir dire stage so, we were dismissed.
     
  3. sideman

    sideman Well Known Member

    Ha! We all dream of serving on a jury like the one in "12 Angry Men", or sitting in the one where Morganna (The Kissing Bandit) is represented by Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, and to hear his explanation of how gravity played the key role in his client's misdeed. But alas, reality is quite different.
     
  4. Vicki

    Vicki Well-Known Member

    When I had jury duty, I was called on the first day. Selected for the case that was about 2 weeks long. Interesting case about a string of robberies. All but one guy pleaded guilty. Our case was the one guy who didn’t. The rest of his crew testified against him.
     
    Charles Fout likes this.
  5. MichaelGates

    MichaelGates Active Member

    The last time I went for jury duty I had to miss an important event. Those of us called went to the courthouse and were seated in the courtroom. We sat and sat. After a long while someone came by the door, saw us and ask why we were there. There was no trial set for that day. No judges or lawyers in the building. We then had to sit some more as they had to go and have a judge drive to the courthouse to release us from the courtroom.
     
  6. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Back when I was a commanding officer, I got called to sit on a court-martial panel (jury). The accused was a young enlisted man who'd taken his government credit card and had run up about $12,000 in charges for unauthorized things. He pleaded guilty before we came on the scene for the penalty phase. During testimony, the credit card company appeared...on HIS behalf. Their rep pleaded with the court not to discharge the guy. It was clear to us they wanted him gainfully employed (and ensured of their payback through payroll deductions). We gave him a BCD instead with no time in prison.

    Being a commander who routinely administered non-judicial punishment for smaller--but similar--offenses didn't excuse me from serving. Also, he opted for an all-officer jury. (Enlisted members can have 1/3 of the panel be made up of other enlisted members.) Good thing, too. I'm sure we went easier on him than some NCOs would have liked--and argued for.
     
  7. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Before that, I once served on a jury for a civil trial. The plaintiff was suing for damages related to a car crash she was in. One morning, on her way to school, a pickup truck coming the other way crossed the center line and struck her car. The other driver wasn't in court and we were instructed to draw no inferences regarding that.

    For two days we heard arguments regarding her injuries and loss of future earnings (she was in school to become a nursing assistant). When we got to the jury room to deliberate, the foreman wanted to discuss damages. But I objected, saying that we first needed to determine if the driver was even liable. The jury realized quickly that there really was no establishment of liability. So, we returned with a finding for the defendant. The plaintiff's attorney was steaming! The defendant's attorney, however, wanted to ask about our deliberations. A few of us stuck around and explained that we didn't feel the plaintiff established liability. The attorney explained that it was because the defendant WASN'T really liable. He was driving to work that morning towards the sun when he hit a pool of water caused by a broken water pipe, skidded across the street, and struck the other woman's vehicle. He died in the accident and his estate was awarded a fat settlement from the city. The plaintiff had also been given a settlement from the city, but decided to go after the defendant's estate anyway. (Deep pockets.)
     
    sideman likes this.

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