Courts may see spike in people wanting to serve on juries

[Jilly_in_VA]

Fewer Americans are trying to get out of jury duty, and legal experts say this may reflect people's growing desire to combat systemic racism.

Driving the news: Jury consultant Jason Bloom tells Axios that, historically, as many as one in four U.S. adults who are called for jury duty seek to be excused, citing hardships. But now, that number has shrunk to around only 5%-10%, he says.

Why it matters: There's a clear upside to enhanced civic engagement, but former prosecutors warn that it's as essential as ever to make sure that potential jurors are fair and don't come into cases with agendas.

The big picture: The projected jump in participation follows the killing of George Floyd; the trial, conviction and 22.5-year sentence of former police officer Derek Chauvin; and record voter turnout in 2020.

https://www.axios.com/courts-spike-people-serve-juries-george-floyd-d9590b9e-23bb-4179-bb6f-a0c2bb3f38f0.html

[Jim__]

1. I was pleasantly surprised that the Chauvin jury convicted.

If that's any indication of the type of juries we'll see in the future, there's hope for some improvement in our justice system.

[Ocelot II]

2. I don't think I'd have wanted to be on that jury.

I live in that county and I hope I'm not called for the now-postponed trial of the other three cops (which is actually more factually and legally complicated than the Chauvin trial).

[Ligyron]

3. Or maybe it's racists who can't wait to teach somebody a lesson

They may be more inclined than usual to give up their Fux News time for a chance to convict people who don’t look or think like they do.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. My thought as well, or it's at least likely the two cohorts even each other out (nt)

[soryang]

6. this is odd

in my jurisdiction, it doesn't matter whether you want to serve on a jury or not when you've been called to jury duty you pretty much have to go. I know they have enumerated reasons why you can submit a request to avoid jury duty but in my case I had one, and they just arbitrarily rejected it. When I got to the courthouse, the clerk still wouldn't excuse me, and forced me to stay. This was an absurd situation because I knew most of the people in the courthouse, and they knew me. I knew that no prosecutor in the building would leave me on a jury in a criminal trial. When I was told to move to the courtroom, an asst DA saw me, and went inside and talked to the judge. She came out a minute or two later and said, "you're excused." I was never called to jury duty again, this was more than ten years ago.

My experience doing voire dire in this jurisdiction as defense counsel was that the people who wanted to serve tended to be authoritarians or racists who couldn't wait to send the defendant to jail or prison. I'd try every way I could to get them off the jury, but the judge would just accept formulaic promises to be fair and impartial from the venire person, and after I used up my peremptories, I'd get stuck with one or more of these people on the jury, one of them would end up as foreperson.

[JI7]

7. In my experience right wingers have always tried to get on juries while those likely

to lean liberal try to get out of serving.

[JHB]

22. Conservative media teaches them they have a duty to counterbalance "liberal judges"...

...to ensure criminals aren't "let off the hook" on a "technicality."

[Jilly_in_VA]

4. I got called

for jury duty here a couple of years ago. I was willing to serve, but it was a real PIA. You had to call in every morning Tuesday-Friday for 6 freaking weeks and wait for them to call you back if you were picked to even come in! I never was.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Similar System, Here But Less Painful

We're only on the hook for 1 week, not 6.
Still have to call in after 6pm to see if we need to report next morning, then after 11:30 to see if they need you that afternoon. That's a pain!
I served on a criminal jury in March of 2020, (the week when, on that Friday the state went into COVID shutdown).
So, I was off the hook until April of this year. If selected to a jury, we only have to serve once a year.

[BannonsLiver]

8. Just spent 7 days on a jury myself

From June 21-28. Tremendous experience but not for everyone. I was shocked by the number of people who could barely speak coherently in the selection process.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Agreed!

There were 30 something in the paneling process, and even I knew there were 10 who neither side, and probably the judge, wanted them on the jury.
Our trial was only a day & a half.
They selected me foreperson, and after a half hour, as we seemed to be circling, I called a vote.
12 Not Guilty votes on the first pass.
The state basically proved that something might have happened. Really I think we got caught in the middle of a familial blood feud.

[BannonsLiver]

14. I think yours sounds more interesting

I was on a civil case involving Walgreens. Sort of technical in spots but it held my interest. We ended up deliberating for about 3 hours before awarding the plaintiff $90,000 solely because the pharmacist didn’t give her the vaccination information sheet prior to the injection. The plaintiff had asked for $3 million claiming that the injection, which was give high on the shoulder, caused arthritis in her shoulder, even though she is well into her 60’s and likely suffered from arthritis anyway. We heard from about 11-12 witnesses including the preeminent expert on immunology in the US who was paid about $50k for 60 hours of work on the case by Walgreens. I’m glad I didn’t get on a criminal case. This was just enough to hold my interest without seeming too heavy. My wife got on a jury in juvenile court where they ended up taking some kids away from abusive parents. She was happy with the outcome but it was a sad depressing case.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. And, I'll Same The Same

I've never been on a civil jury, although I've been an expert witness in 6 federal civil trials. (3 for the plaintiff, 3 for the defense). Cases with $25-90 million dollars at risk.
But, I've never been on the receiving side of the presentation of views. Only the delivery side.
I have to say I must have worked with some very good litigators because the side that brought me on board won all 6.

[Mr.Bill]

9. I was an alternate juror on a murder trial

last october. It's something I have always wanted to do and would recomend to anyone. I learned a lot. The twist was that it was not a matter of if the defendant did it, it was a matter of whether it was self defense or some lesser count. The other twist was that both the defendant and victim were deaf, as were many of the witnesses. There were sign language translators, and I learned a great deal about the deaf community.

As an alternate, I didn't get to participitate in the deliberations, but I talked to some who did after the trial was over. He was found guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter, the lesser of possible verdicts. With time already served he should be out this month. I agree with this verdict according to the evidence I saw presented.

[jimfields33]

10. I was on a jury

We sat through all the days…..lots of them. We went to the jury room and spent a week coming up with something. The defendant at the last minute accepted a plea. It was MORE then we were going to give!!! I was floored! And then mad because of the huge waste of time. But I learned a ton.

[Xavier Breath]

13. I once was summoned for Grand Jury service.

It was December, maybe a few weeks before Christmas, and they were seating for the jury to start in January. After the county prosecutor and judge took turns explaining the process, the judge then told us that service was to be for four months. I damn near fell over, and a murmur swept through the room. January is our busiest time at work and I envisioned having to leave my counterparts in the lurch.

The judge then explained that volunteers would be solicited, and if we couldn't serve, there would be no hard feelings (I'm paraphrasing, I can't recall his exact words). He then began asking for volunteers that could serve all four months, and no hands went up. Same non-response when he asked about three months. One man volunteered at two months, a few at a month, then a few more for three and two weeks, until a sufficient number had volunteered. The rest of us were dismissed and each given a crisp $10 bill for our time.

I was chatting with a clerk and mentioned that I would be happy to serve when I was retired. It sounded like a fascinating process.

[Demovictory9]

15. excellent

[Hortensis]

17. Wow. Hope increased desire for involvement continues. It's up to the

court and the attorneys, of course, to eliminate jurors with agendas, but I'd think a larger pool of involved citizens would raise the quality of candidates overall.

I remember seeing 3 women when I was called for jury service in Los Angeles who knew each other and apparently had served a few times, including seeing each other before. How they were managing to get called that many times I don't know. Anyway, they were chatting and agreeing that a better system would choose people like them to be "permanent" jurors because they were experienced and so good at deciding the guilt of defendants. I shuddered that they enjoyed it, were so sure it was true, and wanted more.

[smirkymonkey]

18. That's kind of scary. Sounds like they were just the vindictive type who wanted to find people

guilty and had no interest in real justice. "Experienced and so good at deciding the guilt of defendants?"

[Hortensis]

23. Exactly. Their seeming lack of worry that they might not

do right, or of caring, were why I remember them so well.

Have a nice Tuesday.

[Raine]

19. I believe they're tired of crime and people getting off. They want

to get on juries to make sure people get convicted, IMO.

[Greybnk48]

20. Both my husband and i have been called for jury duty this month.

It's his second time and my first (I'm really excited)! I start on the 13th and 14, then he's the same days as me next week, but we're in two different court rooms/different judges.

I'm hoping we get to participate in some way.

[Jilly_in_VA]

21. My mom was on a federal grand jury once

She could talk about it afterwards but not during. It involved an interstate burglary ring and was pretty interesting, occasionally funny, according to her. A number of the parties involved were of Middle Eastern descent and she recounted one saying of another, "Well, he's a camel driver like me." Imagine if one of us said that!

My late ex got called twice and served once. The one he served on was a sexual abuse trial and he was mad as hell when he came home because the guy was found not guilty. He had voted guilty all along but a majority had felt that the prosecution had not proved its case...as so often happens in those cases. The second time he didn't get picked.