wildfire0310

iTrader: (1)

I think it varies from state to state. I know a few states pull from the voting and others pull from the drivers license registration. I think he states varies to get the best pull. Like you said in places like Manhattan were not everyone has a license it won't work as well. Compared to somewhere like Kansas were you pretty much fucked if you don't have a car.

rmcelwee

iTrader: (1)

I've been called to "regular" jury duty twice (42 years old). First case was against a kid who was drunk as hell and driving around. We let him go because the majority in the jury thought it was somehow mean to make him pay for it. I hope he runs over their kids sometime and they get to scrape up the brains.

The second I got out of because I stood up and said there was no way I would believe the defendant over the cops. I think the defense att threw me out.

Right now I am in the county grand jury (possibly for the next two years). We meet every month for a day and decide on the merits of around 150-200 cases. Most of the time it is a cop coming in and reading a very short synopsis of 10 cases of "look how damn stupid people are". I could tell you some pretty wild stories and I know where most of the crack houses are in my local area now. From time to time we get some pretty vicious and screwed up cases but most are simple drug possession (crack) or large amounts of pot. After I serve my 12 to 24 months of grand jury I get exempted from jury duty for the next 5 years so I at least have that going for me.

Stephanie Turner

I've been called three times. Once, the defendant was a no show. And the other two, I knew the defendant. They were customers where I worked at the time. So needless to say, I got to go home.
Stephanie

Machismo

iTrader: (1)

Just did my service yesterday.....first time actually being picked and serving on a jury. I've had several notifications, but never got further than the exemption phase. Didn't want anything to do with this at first, and had always felt it was a waste of my time.
After this experience, and being in the position of putting something to rest that effects people's lives, I would do it again.
God forbid I should ever need a jury trial, and have to rely on someone else with the mindset I used have about jury selection.

naarleven

iTrader: (2)

I was summoned.

I didn't get the letter until 2 months later when I came back to the states. I never replied and neglected to follow up. If I was in town, I'm sure I would have gone.

They never said anything. Queue US marshalls at my door.

94mx5red

iTrader: (14)

If I were on trial, I would want jurors that are smart, unbiased, and understand that sometimes leo's, victims, and witness sometimes lie and embellish.

That is definitely major criteria that I consider when I am deciding who I want to kick. I practice criminal defense exclusively, and have picked probably 50 juries.

It is so ******* exciting it is ridiculous! Depending on the judge it is a fantastic and fair system that keeps government and police in check.

Overpaid? Obviously you have not heard of the enormous salaries of Assistant State Attorneys (District Attorneys) and Assistant Public Defenders (Public Pretenders). Odds are they are the attorneys trying the case.

In Florida you could certainly still get picked. I have even picked a felony circuit criminal clerk that just happened to be in the pool.



Seriously, it really is a shitty thing to not show or to intentionally get kicked just because you have more important things to do. You may be the person that can explain the true guilt or innocence of another human to the other jurors. Juries get it wrong sometimes. Innocent people get convicted and guilty people get off. Probably over 99% of cases are resolved before trial, so the ones that actually go are usually pretty ******* important to someone.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but I was actually serious. It's not "Law & Order" every day, but even though I'm not a big idealist (con law can suck my *****) I really do find the criminal court system interesting.


Ok, so I'm jumping the gun on that one. But give it time. How many folks working for the DA or the public defenders office do you know who actually intend to make a career out of it? They're there because they didn't go to a top 14 school, and probably weren't in the upper 10% of their class, so they're doing time until they can make it into a private firm doing research 70 hours a week, pay off the loan, and start making money. I know, $100k doesn't sound like much if all your friends and co-workers came from Columbia or Duke, but to most folks it falls into the "overpaid" category for someone in their early 30s.

Savington

iTrader: (31)

I'm registered to vote in SLO county, SSS in Santa Clara county, DL in Santa Clara county. Been called once in each county.

johndoe

iTrader: (5)

Never been called. Would love to go though and help someone avoid a harsh sentence.

94mx5red

iTrader: (14)

I was being serious, but maybe a little too over dramatic. It is very exiting. The only boring time is spent in my office (maybe 2 full days a month), and even that is not that bad.

Did you ever start law school? I remember you talking about it a while ago. Since you are referring to it as 'conlaw' I am going to guess that is a 'yes.'


You are probably right about how most start off as asa's and pd's. Maybe 10% become lifers and stay. 80% of the rest (including state attorneys) go private criminal defense. Working 70hrs a week grinding is not practicing law. I would be embarrassed to switch to that. How sad for them.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

In that case I have to ask what field you're in, and where do I sign up?


Depends on how you define "start" I suppose. The conventional answer would be no. After a rather lengthy series of misadventures involving the cross-country trip, the would-be roommates from hell, some serious soul searching, and a semi-disabling orthopedic injury, I decided not to matriculate. So after several months of down time I'm back to building radio stations at this point, though as an independent tool-for-hire and not with Harris directly. In NYC at the moment getting ready to move WCBS-FM into their new place downtown.


Well, for some folks it seems that biglaw is where it's at, and that's pretty much how things are at that level. Example: A friend of mine works for Sidley Austin here in the city. He graduated a couple of years ago from Fordham (having taken several years off between undergrad and law school) and is still doing nothing but research and contracts 25 hours a day. I think he said that he actually got to see the inside of a courtroom a few months ago. But from his perspective, this is the path to a richer future, so he does the time. He's at the point where the occasional >$200k offer is starting to come through, and is trying to convince his fiancee that leaving NYC for someplace like Dallas or LA would actually be a good thing.

johndoe

iTrader: (5)

Off topic: You took the NYC job? Did you find a good place to rent/own?

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

No, I didn't. They just didn't seem sufficiently serious about the money, so I'm still freelancing. I just happen to be spending enormous amounts of time here lately.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

what's her name?

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

WCBS. And she is a moody bitch, I tell you.

turbomclovin

you can be a good citezen and go or there are ways out of it like saying your have to go out of town etc. just stuff like tht

Centripetal2

Several years ago I was chosen for a murder jury. We were selected in mid-October. We went through the longest trial in local history, into the longest deliberation in local history. We tendered our verdict on New Year's Eve.

Good things about doing the duty (for me):
Learned a ton about how the system works.
Free food and mileage every day.
My employer pays full pay while on judu.
My job was not critical at the time, and I was able to return with little/no disruption.
90 minute lunches!!!
Later hours than my normal job.
Haven't been called back for judu since then, >10 years.