jury duty (1 Viewer)

[Micah Cohen]

I know, man. I'm making all these Archie Bunker pronouncements.

But... But I do feel a certain amount of this is true. Crowded into the courthouse waiting rooms with people I normally would never be near is sort of what I think a refugee camp would be like: awful. And I do personally feel assaulted, not just by the stupid constant TV chatter, but by the whole process. These are certainly not my "peers." It's Baltimore City...

Listen, I also hope that I'm never falsely accused of something. I'm generally law-abiding, you know? And if I am ever falsely accused, or otherwise, I'm in deep trouble. The system is awful, and flawed in terrible ways. And I'd get eaten alive. You can see this just sitting in the jury duty waiting rooms.

I'm terrible, I know. But, Archie Bunker had some points, you know?

MC

 

[MichaelBA]

To see Archie Bunker without the laughs rent JOE with Peter Boyle. Ignore all the dopey hippie-movie crap and even the story, and just focus on his character. Incredible performance.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

i don't know what this means. why are these people not your peers?

CJ

 

[dany]

Not only do i get one yearly,its the farest place i can go to do it when there is at least 5 places within a 10 minute drive but no,i get to drive for over an hour to serve. Now my mom who hasnt voted in 20 years and has no DL and is 82 and half loony got one and my wife called to explain and the answer is,show up or else.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

To all those who think you can get out of jury duty easily, I used to think the same thing. Until my sister-in-law got seated to a rape trial. My brother (her husband) is a cop and a lawyer, yet she was still not exempted by the judge. She was also selected after the defense had used all it's objections on other people, so she was seated. But the trial did not last long because the defendant was guilty as sin.

 

[Micah Cohen]

Mike: "You know, you are totally incomprehensible."
Archie Bunker: "Maybe so. But I make a lot of sense."



MC

 

[RobertR]

I've been called to jury duty 3 or 4 times (we get full pay for however long we serve where I work). Only made it to the actual jury selection once. The defendant was accused of a drive by shooting. I didn't get selected (I think one of the lawyers didn't want an engineer ).

Some may consider that an ideal, but it's far from the reality, O.J. Simpson being the best known recent example.

 

[Paul McElligott]

"A jury of your peers" is actually a somewhat archaic expression that doesn't apply that much in modern day America.

It meant that a commoner would not be subject to trial by the nobility or clergy, but would be judged by other commoners.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

i realize what the original intent was, but i was asking why micah did not consider them his peers.

CJ

 

[Todd H]

I've only been called once. I was actually picked to serve and ended up being elected the foreman.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Yeah. My mom is a nurse and my dad was until a few years ago a vollunteer fireman, so they didn't get called for jury duty for the first time until the late 90's.

 

[Micah Cohen]

There's no real way I can answer this, man. In polite company, I mean. You have to know Baltimore City, I guess.

Sorry for being so obtuse.

Can't wait to hang out with my neighbors all day tomorrow in the courthouse waiting room... :frowning:

MC

 

[Jay H]

"pears", they mean Jury of your Pears...

Like Bartlett!

Jay

 

[Mike Frezon]

Micah: Didn't your family ever tell you--if you don't have something good to say about someone, it's best not to say anything at all. This "peer" thing is a slippery slope my friend.

 

[MichaelBA]

I think Micah means he's too upper-class for this plebeian chore... either that or he's a rabbi?

 

[Micah Cohen]

Folks, for the record, I'm totally staying off this slippery slope. If it's so slippery, why keep bringing it up? I'm not discussing it, your honor.

Suffice to say I'm an elitist pig with issues about touching stuff that other sheeple have touched and with inconvenient ideas about the shape of society today. I thought we were going to colonize the moon. When is this happening? Because I'm sure all the sheeple will clammor to get there, leaving the earth alone again for me to enjoy in peace.

Jury duty in Baltimore City ("one day or one trial") is like "Scared Straight: Court's In Session!" or a slow night on "Cops." If I keep my shirt on, I won't get caught. (Slipperyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!)

MC

 

[Micah Cohen]

Well... Here's something that doesn't usually happen to me: something good.

I called the court recording thingy you're supposed to call the night before your jury duty, and my number is exempt! I don't have jury duty tomorrow!

(Couldn't resist that stupid dancing banana, sorry. I sort of feel like that, tho.)

I'm FREE! I'm FREE!

Sorry, peers. We won't be hanging out tomorrow.

MC

 

[Christ Reynolds]

because you mentioned how they were not your peers more than once, and i was trying to figure out what the hell you were talking about.

CJ

 

[Mike Frezon]

Kinda simple, really. Because you brought it up. You started the darn thread..which, I think, is actually an important topic that should be discussed and embraced by more people (for example, my daughter--who I mentioned earlier-- needed an explanation of why jury duty is an important civic duty). And...you're the one who felt the need to explain why you've got problems with serving.

Its sorta the entire reason we've all congregated here in this corner of the HTF.

 

[GordonL]

Not quite. I served on a jury once when I lived in DC and I quite get what Micah meant by that statement. This was quite a few years ago, back when jury duty was 2 weeks minimum and you had to sit on as many trials as you could within that time span. I ended up on 3 cases. Not a pleasant experience. :frowning: