Jury duty and how to get past the screening?

J

John/az2

New member
I am so thrilled!

I have been called to jury duty and the "screening" takes place in August.

I want, with al my heart, to be on that jury because I know that this is the last word that the people have regarding a law.

I have never been as far as the screening, and I am asking those who have passed the screening if there are any tips that you could offer that would be helpful.

I've done some homework: www.fija.org

Now, I want to excercise my RIGHT and my RESPONSIBILITY.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

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John/az
"When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!
www.cphv.com
 
John, I've gotten past the screening ('voir dire', as I recall), but that was some time ago, and my philosophy has evolved since then ...

Using the folks at FIJA as a resource would be my best advice. And, that when you are being coerced, it is not a situation where absolute 'truth' can be maintained, nor is it necessary. You have an opportunity to strike a blow for justice and liberty, and the state's coercion cannot be a barrier. IMHO. (e.g. If Himmler asked you where the Jews and Gypsys were hidden, would you tell him? Or 'lie'? More radical situation, but same logic.)

Will be interesting to see if any attorney's can provide better guidance to you.

I would suggest this ... if you must be creative to get through voir dire, then I would never let that be known - here or anywhere else. That includes the deliberation room. You could be prosecuted by the state. If the case calls for acquital in your opinion, but all of your fellow jury members want to convict, then I suggest you become uncomfortable with the evidence, not satisfied the state has made the case, etc. Up to you, but I see little profit in putting yourself in a position where you can be prosecuted as well ... unless you're willing to spend time in Sheriff Joe's tents ... ;)

John, good luck. If I was a defendant, I'd sure feel better having you on the jury ... guilty or not, at least I would be judged fairly.

Regards from AZ
 
Good luck John.
I have been there a few times and never got past the screen of 20.

Mediocre seems to be the key up here in Yavapai county. If you have a trait that the defence really likes, the prosecuter will toss you.....and vice versa.

I have a fairly longish white beard and use a cane to get around, one time I tried it with a long staff and a rather orthodox looking hat, had trouble gettin in the door.



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Sam I am, grn egs n packin

Nikita Khrushchev predicted confidently in a speech in Bucharest, Rumania on June 19, 1962 that: " The United States will eventually fly the Communist Red Flag...the American people will hoist it themselves."
 
In CA there's a way to avoid serving . I will tell anyone that asks me in private E-mail .
Before I accidentally learned this I was considered for the trial of Charles Ng , a murderer from Calaveras County Ca. with numerous charges most of which were backed up by videos that he shot himself of these acts . I was given a sheet of paper on which I was to write down any knowledge of this case and any feelings I may have on it .
My thoughts were as follows . You decide . " I remember this case very well . I have seen excerpts of the tapes . His partner had the good sense to commit suicide when it all seemed about to end . I think Ng should be carved up with a rusty spoon and the pieces be fed to rabid dogs . Whatever they do not choose to absorb should be force fed to whomever raised this animal in the first place ."
Now I'll be the first to agree that my answers were somewhat cryptic . But for some reason I was not asked to come back again . I'm sure they have their reasons . As a matter of fact that was the last time I ever heard from them at all . Go figure .

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TOM
SASS AMERICAN LEGION NRA GOA
 
Paratrooper,

I hope you are not advocating jury duty avoidance!

If anything I would hope that you tell people to SERVE! and serve informed.

Rights come with responsibility and jury duty is one of those responsibilities.

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John/az
"When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!
www.cphv.com
 
Four years ago I spent a few days in the jury waiting room, waiting to be called for a trial. The closest I got was the selection process. Two guys who sold cocaine to an undercover cop. The defendents' attorney asked if I would be more inclined to believe the defendents or the police officer. My answer, along with my demographics, disqualified me from that trial, even though I would very much like to have sat on the jury.

The one I worried about was a civil suit involving an elderly woman who tripped on a cracked sidewalk and broke her hip. The judge advised the jury that the trial could last months. Being self-employed, I didn't consider that an attractive experience.

Dick
Want to send a message to Bush? Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/monk/petition.html and forward the link to every gun owner you know.
 
I did make it through the selection process for a murder trial a few years back. The case involved a couple of shotguns. The defedant, an ex-con, put the barrel of the shotgun to his former girlfriend's side and pulled the trigger. He then tried to commit suicide using another shotgun (and missed). Then he ran and hid in the woods during the investigation. Suspect returns later and takes ex-girlfriend's car to a friend's house where he was found hiding under a bed.

We were asked if we heard of the case--no.
We were asked if we were racially prejudiced--no.
We were asked if we knew anything about firearms--yes.
What is your firearms experience, Mr Juror--shooting since age 13, shot NRA expert in Junior program, asked join the Ohio State University rifle team as a walk-on...
Thank you Mr Juror.

I was selected anyway, sat in on the two day trial, reached our verdicts in less than three hours on three different specifications.

Aggrivated Murder- Guilty
Ex-felon with a gun- Guilty
and the toughest decision we had was the recieving stolen property (girlfriend's car)- Guilty

The judge had a post-trial meeting with the jury to answer any questions we might have had. She congradulated us on our 'correct' verdict. She laughed when we told her about our quandry over the RSP charge. Good Judge.




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Remember, just because you are not paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you!
 
John:

Be stupid. By that I mean, don't volunteer any information. When asked questions, answer *only* the question asked in as few words as possible. Keep your face from expressing any opinions, too.

My two cents.

pax
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by John/az2:
Paratrooper,
I hope you are not advocating jury duty avoidance!
If anything I would hope that you tell people to SERVE! and serve informed.
Rights come with responsibility and jury duty is one of those responsibilities.
[/quote]

Not at all . There is a giant loophole in the system that glares out to anyone that ever sees it . There are a large number of people that can easier afford to serve than others . The State does not consider financial hardship but my landlady is not so magnanamous . People are not separated into long term and short term trial groups . Usually State , county and city employees are paid for as long as the trial lasts . Other people are not paid at all save the $6 a day from the court .
It is very easy to be generous with other peoples time and money . A short trial is O.K. but some protracted exercise in mumbling , paper shuffling and "side bar side bar " is a waste of my time . Let a retired person or civil employee take those . I'll do the 3 or 4 day trials .



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TOM
SASS AMERICAN LEGION NRA GOA
 
A trial by jury is not a search for the truth as far as the attorneys are concerned. They desire jurors who they can persuade and who they perceive will follow their line hook, line and sinker. The type of juror they desire will depend of course on the facts. You may very well be asked if you have bumper stickers on your vehicles, what magazines, newspapers and type of books you read, your hobbies, movies use like, etc. Generally most desire a juror who is open minded and who will not change his or her mind merely because they are outvoted. If you are asked if you would believe a law enforcement officer's testimony over a non-law enforcement witness's testimony the answer is: I would not automatically believe a law enforcement officer over others. THey all take the same oath and no where is a juror instructed they are to believe one witness over another because of his/her occupation. You judge him or her by the same standards and then determine from all the evidence where the truth lies. You must consider the demeanor of the witnesss, how they answered the questions, their ability to see and know the things about which they testified and whether their testimony was consistent with the other testimony and prior inconsistent statements, etc.

Hard to say whether you will be selected or not. The juror next to you may be more desirable.

Good luck.
 
Another point not brought up is a "Jury Selection Expert ." There are people that make a good living helping attorneys pick jurors that might see it their way even if in the slightest way . A 47 year old woman would vote one way where a 23 year old man may go the other way . Do they work ? White ? Black ? Hispanic ? Grew up in the city , country blah blah .
Remember the O.J. trial ? Yeah , like you could forget . There was a perfect example of jury selection using "Experts" to "read" the people and how they might think .
A good lawyer knows the law . A great lawyer knows the judge . The judge says a lot about evidence that the jury gets to hear . You will be asked to decide on the evidence given . Not necessarily all the evidence available . Even after all that the verdict can be set aside and the judge rules their way after all . So instead of a decision you render a suggestion based on most of the facts spoon fed to you .

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TOM
SASS AMERICAN LEGION NRA GOA
 
If you want to be on a jury be very plain and honest. Look to be a very middle of the road person, smart but not brilliant. If you want to get out of jury duty be very excited about being on a jury. Tell them that you always wanted to be in law enforcement or that you have some close relatives in law enforcement. The comment, 'I think I would make a great juror. I can tell someone is guilty just by looking at them.' is sure to get you kicked off.
 
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