Another reason to avoid jury duty.

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  • DoggyDaddy

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    73   0   1
    Aug 18, 2011
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    Southside Indy
    Am I weird that I really want to be on a jury trial? I got close a couple of years ago but they picked the 12 before even getting to me at like 31. I promise to even wake up in time :)

    I have no desire to serve on a jury unless it's a case where I would agree with jury nullification (which should be enough to disqualify me), or if it was a case where the guilt of the defendant was pretty much pre-determined (as in a confession). I've had to call in 3 times (I think). Only had to show up for the selection process once. It was a stupid case where the defendant had allegedly shot another person with a BB gun. I just kept giving the defendant dirty looks, and his attorney didn't choose me. For some people it's probably a pay raise (the daily stipend) but for me, I'm gonna be losing money. I know I'll probably get flamed for that. :dunno:
     

    hopper68

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    Nov 15, 2011
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    Pike County
    Would like to hear the rest of the story. The one time I got called in for the selection process we talked what happens to no shows and they were given several chances to appear. Couldn't make this jury, get out on the list for next selection.

    I am with PapaScout, if called I will gladly serve.
     

    DoggyDaddy

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    Aug 18, 2011
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    Would like to hear the rest of the story. The one time I got called in for the selection process we talked what happens to no shows and they were given several chances to appear. Couldn't make this jury, get out on the list for next selection.

    I am with PapaScout, if called I will gladly serve.
    Oh, if I would've been chosen, I would have served. I just really didn't want to.
     

    mmpsteve

    Real CZ's have a long barrel!!
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    Nov 14, 2016
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    ..... formerly near the Wild Turkey
    I served on a jury trial in Crown Point about 10 years ago. The prosecution was inept, in more ways than one. They over-charged the crime, and could not prove the crime charged, even though the facts were not in dispute. We ended up a hung jury, because one little old white granny type couldn't get over her racism. It had to do with a black man and a white women, and 11 of us (both black and white) knew the prosecution had over-charged the young man. He was innocent of the crime they charged him with, but the little granny type was having none of that. Wasted about 4 days of my life (and earnings), but I have to say it was worth it, in the sense we made sure a young man didn't lose 20 years of his life on a bogus charge. On the first vote, we were about evenly split, so it could have gone either way. I don't know if they ever re-tried the young man or not; I hope not, in this case.

    .
     

    HoughMade

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    Oct 24, 2012
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    Valparaiso
    About 7 years ago, I was trying a case in Lake County. We chose a jury on Monday with 1 alternate which is common for a 1 week trial. One of the jurors chosen didn’t show up after lunch. We seated the alternate. Tuesday morning, another juror didn’t show up. A mistrial was declared.

    Due to what goes into getting a trial ready to go, this selfishness cost my client over $20,000, the plaintiff likely the same. With that slot gone, the next available date was over a year away. In a criminal case, the result could be even worse.
     

    Sigblitz

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    9   0   0
    Aug 25, 2018
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    Indianapolis
    It was a stupid case where the defendant had allegedly shot another person with a BB gun.

    I've been shot a lot with a bb gun. (You know that's not a firearm.) And the more you pump them....

    That's illegal now? :dunno: Now what are the kids going to play with.
     

    KellyinAvon

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    6   0   0
    Dec 22, 2012
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    I was on a Court Martial panel (what a jury is called in the UCMJ world) many years ago. Drug case, the panel was stacked with Senior Non-Commissioned Officers. The defendant went "Judge-only" the morning the Court Martial was to begin. He must've listened to his lawyer.

    I was called in Hendricks County once several years ago, the day before I got a call that a guilty plea wa making my services unneeded.
     

    rob63

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    20   0   0
    May 9, 2013
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    Am I weird that I really want to be on a jury trial? I got close a couple of years ago but they picked the 12 before even getting to me at like 31. I promise to even wake up in time :)

    I have often thought it would be interesting to witness the process from the inside, although I'm not sure I actually want the responsibility of deciding someone's fate. I've been a registered voter for close to 40 years now without it ever happening. I got a notice once, but it was for a time when I was going to be out of the country. I asked for a deferral and never heard anything again.
     

    dudley0

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    99   0   0
    Mar 19, 2010
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    Grant County
    I have shown up four times. Asked questions once. Never seated.

    One time I was sitting waiting to go into the court room and heard a popping sound. Then another. Radio on the deputies waist said shots fired. I went to the window, looked down and saw the aftermath of a murder suicide.

    Made for a long day sitting in that room, but better than the two down there.

    It would not be convenient, but I would go and do the best I could if ever seated.
     

    Alamo

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    10   0   0
    Oct 4, 2010
    8,085
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    Texas
    If you read the judge’s reasoning for shortening the guy’s punishment, you see he alludes to It being more than just a case of oversleeping. But “oversleeping” is what gets the headlines.
     

    HoughMade

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    Oct 24, 2012
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    Valparaiso
    If you read the judge’s reasoning for shortening the guy’s punishment, you see he alludes to It being more than just a case of oversleeping. But “oversleeping” is what gets the headlines.

    Yeah...but even then....trying to remember the last time I overslept when I had to be somewhere.

    I'm thinking the '80s. Being an adult means waking up on time...or at least early enough to get where you need to be.
     

    edporch

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    25   0   0
    Oct 19, 2010
    4,660
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    Indianapolis
    Courts don't like it when you don't show up.

    Reminds me of a guy from my hometown (Rensselaer, IN) who many years ago blew off going to traffic court.
    Said he figured they'd just forget about it.

    They came to his place and arrested him.
    He had to serve 4 weekends in jail. ;)
     

    shootersix

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    Mar 10, 2009
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    in my 51 years of life on the planet we call earth, ive sat on 3 jury trials, 2 civil and 1 criminal, the criminal was dealing cocaine, and the 2 civil were auto accident,

    one of those was a person pulling onto a main road from a side road and causing "a life long back problem, requiring many, many years of treatment, that needed to be paid for by the defandant"...we awarded 20 grand for "lifetime treatments"

    the second civil trial is why I hate lawyers! some "dumba$$" didn't yield right of way to a firetruck, and it caused him "a lifetime of pain, suffering, and loss of income", before the accident he was "moving up the ladder at a bank" and after he "couldn't stand for long periods" or "sit for long periods" (in fact during the trial, he was granted permission by the judge to walk around the court room to stretch out his legs and back, and he did that limping a lot), the lawyer brought in "expert's" in emergency vehicle driving (a police officer who from another state whos never driven on highways like ours), it took the court reporter longer to make coffee, collect our cell phones, and bring in all the evidence than it did to make our decision!, I mean within 3 minuets we'd made our decision, it took 20 to get everybody back in the courtroom!
    the judge told us we had 3 choices we could make
    1 the fire department was at fault, and in that case we ruled in favor of the plaintiff
    2 they shared blame, and if that's the case we ruled in case of the fd
    3 the plaintiff was at fault in case we ruled in favor of the fd

    a firetruck, with its lights and siren going, traveling thru a red light has right of way! if you're not paying attention, and you run into a firetruck you're at fault! this is a prime example of "ambulance chaser!"

    the funny part is, when I mentioned this case to a good friend whose a lawyer his ears perked up, because he was representing a police department in the same kind of case!, I felt really bad for the fire department, it's a volunteer department, and im sure their insurance rates skyrocketed because of this, in fact the case took so long to go to trial, the chief wasent even on the department when it happened, and the person driving and the person in the passenger seat (of the fire truck) had already been hired by the municipal fire department and had made it out of their probation period!
     
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