A follow-up on Jury Duty

A short while ago I discussed my distaste for the jury system. I was on a jury that convicted a man of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As I said there, he was no doubt guilty by the LETTER of the law. There were some extenuating circumstances I wanted to think about and discuss, but people pushed through the verdict because the jury foreman and a couple of other women hated guns and as soon as the charge was brought he was guilty no matter what, one guy had a baseball game to be to, another one went with "however everybody else votes" even though he disagreed with the verdict...in other words, the verdict had very little to do with the case itself and a whole lot to do with prejudices, selfish desires over sporting events, and go-along-itis.

At the time I said I would never sit on another jury. If the point of a trial by jury is to insure a fair and impartial hearing before your peers, this poor sap did not get it. Again, by the letter of the law, nobody disputes he was guilty. But in the case there were circumstances which might call for judgment to be tempered with mercy to achieve justice and that was never a possible outcome in front of this group.

If people are not going to do their job properly then the very foundations of our system of justice fall by the wayside. And of course Tuesday I had jury duty. I had to think about what I would do if selected for a jury.

And when it came down to it...I changed my mind. I would and will sit on a jury again. Because people like me are needed. I am going to actually think about the case. I am going to consider the evidence offered. I am going to take into account the law involved. I am going to use my head, not my emotions. I am not going to vote based on how other people vote or believe, I am going to make up my mind independently.

And when all things are considered if I believe a guilty verdict is needed, I am willing and able to deliver that verdict. If an innocent verdict is called for, I am willing and able to deliver that verdict. Or at least the vote for that verdict.

But I will not decide a case for extraneous reasons...personal prejudice against some element of the case, my time use preferences, going along with the majority...in fact, it is exactly people like me who are needed on juries because it is people like me who provide the fair and impartial juries that must exist for the American justice system to work.

I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. When I said I would not sit on another jury, that is when I was wrong. For me to adopt that stance when push came to shove would be to deprive my fellow citizens of their basic rights. And I am not that type of person. So I was willing to sit on a jury. I just get dismissed for cause an awful lot....