Our jury system sucks. It's as simple as that.
I thought about writing on juries when I saw a story in the paper last week about a court in Sydney, Australia. A judge ended a trial because some of the jurors were playing Sudoku while evidence was being given.
The trial had already cost a million bucks and run for over 60 days (on a side note, Sudoku is idiotic; I have two friends that love it and there's not a more ridiculous game).
I always found ways to get out of jury duty. Earlier this year I decided I'd go when I got my notice. And, I was the first person throw out by the prosecutor. Which is odd, since I already thought the defendant was guilty (he was charged with beating up his ex-girlfriend in the Gaslamp Quarter). I always feel you are guilty until proven innocent, otherwise, they wouldn't have taken the time to arrest and prosecute you.
The defenses first person thrown out, was a former judge. The judge on the bench was laughing when he saw him there.
If you think about it, it makes you realize how crappy this entire system is. The defense doesn't want smart people on the jury. They want idiots. The same way Johnnie Cochran wanted people on a jury that would like his little rap ditties in the closing arguments. He could say "if it doesn't fit/you must acquit."
I remember reading in the paper a few months ago, Latinos complaining of the lack of Mexicans on juries. Whatever. I just know, if they want the system to work, they can't make it so easy for people to get out of jury duty. And...they shouldn't let lawyers throw people off a jury. If it's a black defendant, and the jury is 10 black guys, so what. Although, if it looks like the guy is guilty, and the jury is too stupid to see it that way, the judge needs to step in and do something. That's where the system needs to change. A judge needs to be able to have say over idiotic jury decisions.
My stepbrother had jury duty yesterday.
I remember in college he was on a jury, and when a bunch of us went bowling he was wearing a badge. It said not to talk about any current news event with him, because he was on a big case. But a badge like that just made us pepper him with questions.
In his case yesterday, a woman was thrown out of a restaurant in Del Mar. She wouldn't leave. The cops were called.
The jurors were thrown out and told the case was settled. He has no clue why. I said that the jurors deserved to have been told the outcome.
Again, yet another bizarre thing wrong with the system.
Our jury system sucks. It's as simple as that.
I thought about writing on juries when I saw a story in the paper last week about a court in Sydney, Australia. A judge ended a trial because some of the jurors were playing Sudoku while evidence was being given.
The trial had already cost a million bucks and run for over 60 days (on a side note, Sudoku is idiotic; I have two friends that love it and there's not a more ridiculous game).
I always found ways to get out of jury duty. Earlier this year I decided I'd go when I got my notice. And, I was the first person throw out by the prosecutor. Which is odd, since I already thought the defendant was guilty (he was charged with beating up his ex-girlfriend in the Gaslamp Quarter). I always feel you are guilty until proven innocent, otherwise, they wouldn't have taken the time to arrest and prosecute you.
The defenses first person thrown out, was a former judge. The judge on the bench was laughing when he saw him there.
If you think about it, it makes you realize how crappy this entire system is. The defense doesn't want smart people on the jury. They want idiots. The same way Johnnie Cochran wanted people on a jury that would like his little rap ditties in the closing arguments. He could say "if it doesn't fit/you must acquit."
I remember reading in the paper a few months ago, Latinos complaining of the lack of Mexicans on juries. Whatever. I just know, if they want the system to work, they can't make it so easy for people to get out of jury duty. And...they shouldn't let lawyers throw people off a jury. If it's a black defendant, and the jury is 10 black guys, so what. Although, if it looks like the guy is guilty, and the jury is too stupid to see it that way, the judge needs to step in and do something. That's where the system needs to change. A judge needs to be able to have say over idiotic jury decisions.
My stepbrother had jury duty yesterday.
I remember in college he was on a jury, and when a bunch of us went bowling he was wearing a badge. It said not to talk about any current news event with him, because he was on a big case. But a badge like that just made us pepper him with questions.
In his case yesterday, a woman was thrown out of a restaurant in Del Mar. She wouldn't leave. The cops were called.
The jurors were thrown out and told the case was settled. He has no clue why. I said that the jurors deserved to have been told the outcome.
Again, yet another bizarre thing wrong with the system.