Monday, April 6, 2009

I'm at work

I realized before 9 am that I was not going to be picked for jury duty. There were only 2 trials on the docket this week, both felonies, and they were only going to need 14 jurors out of the 90 who were in the jury room. I was #89, or close to it, out of the 90 who were there.

I didn't even get to see the inside of the courtroom.

If I had made it to the voir dire process, there is still a chance that I would not have been allowed to serve because the judge taught the Criminal Procedures class I took several years ago. I wonder if that matters? It isn't like we were friends.

Anyway, I'm done for the year, at least for circuit court. There is always next year. Maybe then I will get to see the inside of the court room!

8 comments:

andante said...

Lucky skunk. Back years ago, this peaceable Quaker lady who made a very obvious point of my peaceability was chosen for a particularly nasty violent murder trial.

Just a couple of 'good old boys' who were drinking and packing. Pathetic.

LeftLeaningLady said...

That isn't the point. I WANTED to be picked. :-) Crazy I know.

Was yours a captital trial? Because I wouldn't be comfortable with that.

Michelle said...

Sorry you weren't chosen. There's always next year! :)

andante said...

Yep - Superior Court. Coroner's photos & testimony were most unpleasant. The whole side of the victim's face was blown away. We did give the "perp" 2nd degree murder (he confessed, and claimed self-defense, which was probabl7y at least 1/2 true)rather than the fire-breathing prosecutor's demand for death, with hopes he'd dry out in prison and maybe turn his life around a bit. I sort of doubt it, but one can always hope he never gets near a shotgun and a drinking buddy's head again.

I would have MUCH rather worked those days! But I just kept telling myself at least a little child wasn't involved. I really don't think I could have lived thru a child abuse case, and here you never know what case is coming up.

The friendly bailiff assured us this would be a quick and (relatively) painless case and advised us not to hope for such from the next on the docket.

LeftLeaningLady said...

Shel, I am now hoping for a state or federal summons. I am a freak. :-)

Andante, that does not sound pleasant. I don't think either of yesterday's cases were murder, since Florida demands 12 jurors for murder (at least capital) cases and they were only recruiting 6.

The worst part was the 3 hours of Faux News on the TV. And why did my county pay big dollars for flat panel TVs in the jury room?

andante said...

You got a TV!!? All 12 of us fine citizens plus a few alternates were crammed in a tiny room with a small window (barred!) and a too-small conference table. They didn't even pay for lunch.

I feel so deprived.

Carl (aka Sofarsogoo) said...

Sorry. But that's what you get for living in a place with lots of people. Ninety is too much competition. When I lived in D.C. the same thing would always happen, but after I moved here into the sticks, my chances jumped considerably, and I served twice, and very likely only missed a third time by getting there late because of car trouble.

I'm disappointed, too, because I very much wanted to see what your outlook on things would make of it.

LeftLeaningLady said...

While watching the news last night, I realized that the trial which started yesterday was a murder trial. Murder one, but not capital. There is no doubt the child (17) on trial pulled the trigger, but he is claiming self defense. It would have been interesting.