Monday, September 03, 2007

Jury Duty

Several weeks ago I received a summons for jury duty. I report for jury selection in the morning and am weighing the probability that I will be dismissed. When I was an undergraduate, one of my math professors told me that when he was summoned for jury duty he ended up being dismissed during selection because of his profession (professor of math and logic), i.e. lawyers want people who can be swayed by emotion, not reason and facts. An isolated case or the rule? Maybe we'll see tomorrow.

Update: After standing around for an hour, some kind of agreement was reached and all jurors were dismissed. I guess it happens a lot. Oh, well. Next time.

6 Comments:

Blogger steveH said...

Every single time I've been called up for jury duty, I've been dismissed as soon as they find out I'm a technical writer.

Not that it has all that much to do with logic sometimes.

9/04/2007 7:38 PM  
Blogger Stickwick Stapers said...

No, but they probably know what kind of background you likely possess for the job (science, language, etc.) Plus the technical thing just makes it sound like you'd be all hung up on facts and details. Can't have that. :-)

9/05/2007 2:50 PM  
Blogger Billll said...

I'm an engineer. I tell them that I favor the side with the hardest evidence. To my observation, the side with the weakest case always throws me out.

Often called, never served.

9/05/2007 7:36 PM  
Blogger The Conservative UAW Guy said...

I'm a schlub.
UAW clock puncher electrician controls guy.

I was on jury duty for 3 months.
8 defendants, a slew of lawyers and twelve commoners.
TWO weeks of deliberations.

Much to the state's displeasure, we acquitted them on all charges from top to bottom.

With me as the jury foreman. Sticking up for guys that make more money in a year that my house is worth. Against a overzealous, poorly prepared government.

Good times were had by most. ;O

9/05/2007 8:04 PM  
Blogger The Conservative UAW Guy said...

And don't get me started on jury nullification...

9/05/2007 8:05 PM  
Blogger Stickwick Stapers said...

Geez, two weeks to deliberate?? Wow.

Well, the only reason I know about jury nullification is because I read about it at The Smallest Minority. (My excuse is that I grew up in a foreign country, heh.)

Wow.

9/05/2007 9:28 PM  

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