Jury Duty Experiences

jyber209
Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:51:17 +0000

I was never called to serve when I lived in New York State, but have been called a few times since I moved to PA (here now over two decades). For some reason, my H, with the same driving and voting history, has **never **been summoned. Weird. I tell him he must be on some list of those to avoid. (His name is also on a “check him out before allowing him on a plane” list but he simply shares a name with whatever real character they are concerned about. They always clear him, but he always has to go through a process and can’t do the online boarding pass.)

Anyhow, I found my first experience fascinating. I was seated on a jury for a trial my first try! It was a DWI trial of a young woman (in her twenties) who had a history of alcohol use and driving, and this one would severely impact her life, with a jail sentence likely because of her history of previous such offenses. Her parents were in the courtroom each day, and she came from a large family, and I could only imagine what financial compromises the parents might have made to pay for her defense, as she had a private defense attorney. I wondered how I would handle such a challenge if I were ever faced with it.

Much of the testimony had to do with the scientific validity of the blood alcohol testing, and of course we also heard from the arresting officer, saw the defendant’s signature from the scene compared to her regular signature, etc.

The other jurors on the panel were a fascinating group IMO. One guy did serious competitive ballroom dancing (with costumes) with his wife as a hobby. Another owned a hot air balloon business. One was a physician. I enjoyed getting to know each one of them.

The whole thing took a week. The court assistants brought us lunch platters when we were deliberating. We did convict her, and both the judge and the district attorney came to the jury room afterwards to answer any questions we had about the process. I was curious about why we had been instructed that we could not take notes. (I like to make notes as I do not totally trust my memory.) The judge said that is his policy, but it differs by courtroom. The idea is they want you focusing on the testimony rather than writing anything down.

I felt REALLY good about serving and the process. The case was also a huge lesson in serious consequences, which I was sure to share with my kids and anyone else who would listen to me. That young, college-educated, professionally employed woman’s life would now be forever impacted by this.

My next time around I was called but not chosen to serve (possibly in part because I now have a history of having convicted someone).