re: Do you like jury duty?

I always seem to have some conflict of interest. I either know the perp or plan on being out of the country within the next 6 weeks.

quote:

---

My old employer called a judge friend of his and got me removed from the list years ago.

---

This.. My old boss was a Birmingham Mason. Called me up an hour after I told him and said I didn't have to worry about it. He didn't want to do my job for a week. Maybe I'm permanently off the list?

I haven't been summoned since getting out of the military, but while I was in the Air Force I was a jury member for a General Court Martial. It was a sexual assault case, 2 victims. We found him guilty of aggravated sodomy for 1 victim and conduct unbecoming, not guilty for all other counts. It was a mixed jury of senior enlisted and officers, 8 members total. We had very different ideas for the amount of punishment to levy. Ultimately, we decided on a Bad Conduct Discharge, Reduction to Airman Basic, forfeiture of all pay and allowances for 3 months, and 6 months confinement. It was very interesting and I'm glad I got the chance to do it, but I really got to see the politics involved in the officer ranks and how someone with rank and an agenda can influence a jury room.

Once. Drug trafficking case. Mandatory 25 years if convicted.

Not guilty.

Got to actually see in person how actually shitty and inept the Athens GA district attorney office was. As a resident you read stories about people getting off or deals being cut and rising crime etc, but when you watch the ineptitude happen in person, it was shocking. It's like they wanted to lose the case.

Yes

Most memorable was a murder trial. Guy is still in Angola. His accomplice brother got paroled. Third perp got sprung when they let the 17 year murderers free a few years back.

The perps were Carey Smith,Craig Smith and Jesse Trevathan. Cold blooded murderers to a punk ( not man,punk).

All three punks should have been strangled.

quote:

---

I bet you try to tell your doctor what WebMD has told you too...

---

No. I don’t know much about medical matters, but I know some law from reading in the prison library.

Please point out where my explanation of the jury selection process was incorrect.

quote:

---

It will make you lose faith in humanity.

---

Little bit of this. I got called up 3 times in 2 years in Houston, first time for the county I got into a room but as they were paring us down they somehow plead out. Then for the city I actually made it to a jury, I was excited. But it sucked. Two school bus drivers got into a fight, basically, and it was some whiny bullshite. We wanted to sentence both of them but only one was being charged. Guilty of dumbass. The worst part was hearing the attorneys try to argue. Maybe they didn't see the point either, but they sounded like idiots and kept making arguments that didn't make sense and didn't align to any laws at all. And I just had to sit there and be bored. We doled out a guilty and some creative service.

My dad has been on 5 juries, I think. One for murder. He was in that one for weeks.