Facebook Stupidity: Jury Style

[IDrinkaRum]

I got called to jury duty once. I was excused from the jury pool and allowed to go home. Then I had to call every Sunday night to see if my group of jurors was supposed to come back in. The next 3 weeks were silence. Never had to go back.

In the state of Virginia, you're sent a postcard with a group jury number and instructed to call the number to see if the group number is listed amongst the ones that are supposed to show up that week.

[blas87]

I don't get an excuse, and I just got my warning letter in the mail that I may be summoned.

Yeah, time to think of something clever. I am not doing this. I have to work anywhere between 46-60 hours a week, at night to top it all off. I am not going to take unpaid time off, nor am I going to waste personal time to go to court.

Oh, and by the way, epic fail, eh? Forgive me for being biased. I want to be a prosecuting attorney. Of course I think defense attorneys are scum. Oh, and before anyone gets on my dick about "But jury duty would give you valuable court experience!", hoohah. No. Not when I don't have the free time or the money to lose out on work because of this.

[draco664]

Oh, and by the way, epic fail, eh?

Yes. Shall I count the ways?

One, you are fucking privledged to live in a country where the state has to convince twelve citizens of your guilt to all accusations. Have you got any fucking idea how many people there are around the world who don't have that simple benefit? There are countries where the police/politicians/clerics can have you arrested/imprisoned/killed with an accusation or at worst, a kangaroo court.

Just one person in a jury box can do more to limit a government's power over the populous than a whole armed militia. Jury nullificaiton has been used time and again throughout history to prevent those breaking unjust laws from being punished.

Maybe if more people weren't so keen on "doing anything to get out of jury duty", the general quality of the pool would be improved.

Two, any group of people you care to name have bad apples. Defense lawyers have an obligation to get the best result for their clients. Do you get that? An OBLIGATION. If there is a single fuckup by the prosecution, they have to jump on it. For good or ill, they have to. And if the prosecution fuck up and a criminal walks, it's never the people who fucked up who are blamed, it's always the defense lawyers who get the bad wrap for getting a criminal off.

I would put it to you that there are far more prosecutors who are notorious scum. Go and look at the Innocence Project. See how many prosecutors opposed things like DNA testing where it later came out proved the person's innocence?

They are the true scum.

Three, you think children follow their parents' values? Man, you're in for a shock when you have kids...

Forgive me for being biased. I want to be a prosecuting attorney. Of course I think defense attorneys are scum.

I hope you become a good one. One who doesn't try to imprison innocents.

Oh, and before anyone gets on my dick about "But jury duty would give you valuable court experience!", hoohah. No. Not when I don't have the free time or the money to lose out on work because of this.

Financial hardship is a valid excuse to defer jury duty. But hey, if you really want to get off, just hand out fliers explaining jury nullification in the waiting room... For some reason, judges really don't like it when jurors know they can nullify.

[MadMike]

Before this goes any further, I'd like to remind everyone that while controversial topics are allowed here, personal attacks are not. I just had to remove one inappropriate comment, and if it happens again, infractions will be given.