Jury Duty: The Selection Process Is Like Grade School, Only With Possible Prison Time and/or Death Instead Of Report Cards

I can't talk about the case until it's over, but I can describe the jury selection process I witnessed yesterday.

Each morning (except Fridays, I think), about 150 citizens report for jury duty at 8:00 a.m. at this particular office (other groups report at other times throughout the day at this and other offices, I think), after which prospective jurors watch a video called, "You, The Juror." As soon as all are checked in and given badges, about 50 are randomly selected to line up and march to a hallway outside a certain courtroom. There, they line up again (this time in groups of 6) according to another seemingly random list of their jury numbers. It's akin to school graduation order, where each group constitutes a row of seats in an auditorium.

After filing in and taking seats, all prospective jurors are sworn in with an oath/affirmation (pertaining to the voir dire process). Numbers are called for 14 people (12 jurors and 2 alternates) to take seats in the jury box. After that, the judge asks for a show of hands for YES answers to a series of questions pertaining to the case, including, "Do you know any of the parties involved, and do you feel so strongly about _____ (I can't reveal the sides in the case) that it would be difficult to be impartial?

Some people are then (possibly) asked to leave the jury box, and others are (possibly) asked to replace them. This can happen several times, and (after individual voir dire for each prospective juror) the final jury and 2 alternates are officially seated and sworn in.

More About The Process: The Clerk of the Court takes jurors and alternates into a jury room adjacent to the courtroom and explains the rules about entering and exiting without coming into contact with witnesses and/or persons associated with the trial.

The judge begins the trial (at some point) and (usually) offers words of wisdom, possibly including:

An indictment is not evidence.

An attorney's question is not evidence.

Under the law, only the answers given by witnesses and the exhibits admitted can be defined as "evidence."

It's up to the jury to determine the credibility of the evidence.

I'll post more about the process when this particular trial is over.

Jury duty is an awesome responsibility, due to the fact that it's the only civic duty required by the US Constitution (Look it up). The jury determines the facts in a case and decides the fate of individuals based solely on the evidence presented and the judge's instructions.

It's not --I repeat-- not "Law & Order." The role of the jury is much more important than the grade school process leads you to believe before the panel is chosen.

Democracy is not black & white. It's oh, so terribly grey.


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.