# Jury Duty



## Road Guy (Feb 24, 2019)

So I have jury duty Tuesday -never been. Is it frowned upon to answer all the preliminary questions they ask you with “I know he is guilty!!!!!!!!”


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## Dleg (Feb 24, 2019)

This is in denver, right?  Just wear one of your MAGA hats.


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## Supe (Feb 25, 2019)

Just drop an "N bomb" here or there, mumble something about "those f'ing pigs", or slip in a few comments about "white trash" and you should be out of there by 10.

Even better if you can do all three, just for the confusion tactics.


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## P-E (Feb 25, 2019)

Somehow I’ve only had to go once.  It was a hot day and the AC broke.  The judge sent everyone home and we all got credit for serving. 

Bring a book and consider it a day off from work.


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## Supe (Feb 25, 2019)

I also just received my 6th summons from the state of CT - where I haven't lived in roughly 16 years.  I have told them _every single time_ that I am not a CT resident, but they keep sending them.  You'd think it would strike them as odd, considering they're sending it to a permanent address in North Carolina...


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## RBHeadge PE (Feb 25, 2019)

That seems par for the course. Philly sent a summons to my permanent Maryland address every three months. Calling was an exercise in futility. It went on for six years before they figured it out.


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## Bot-Man (Feb 25, 2019)

Received a jury summons a few years ago. I was dismissed though. I had been on a couple dates with the ADA and went to high school with the lead investigator. It was disappointing because I was actually looking forward to a week or two of paid time off being it was a murder trial.


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## ruggercsc (Feb 25, 2019)

I was in jury duty when a defense attorney asked "Are you Innocent until Proven Guilty or Guilty until proven Innnocent"?  Everyone who answered the latter were immediately dismissed.


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## MA_PE (Feb 25, 2019)

I got called twice.  Both times I reported in ~8:00AM and by 10:00AM the judge came in and aid that all the cases on the docket that day reached a settlement without going to a bench trial, so he sent us home.  I took the rest of the day off and didn't bother going in to work.


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## goodal (Feb 25, 2019)

I've been called twice. Served once.  It was a prostitution case complete with video.  It was not fun or entertaining.


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## Supe (Feb 25, 2019)

But was she hot?


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## Master slacker (Feb 25, 2019)

Supe said:


> But was she hot?


Asking the important questions, this guy is.


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## Road Guy (Feb 25, 2019)

Dleg said:


> This is in denver, right?  Just wear one of your MAGA hats.


In Denver just wearing a USA Flag is probably considered offensive!


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## ChebyshevII PE PMP (Feb 25, 2019)

I’ve only been summoned once, and was dismissed. I can’t imagine why...I mean, who wouldn’t want an engineer on their jury? We would do the best job of making sure there was 100% certainty of guilt/innocence.


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## Road Guy (Feb 25, 2019)

Id really like to be in the jury room and slam my fist down on the table and say that I know beyond a doubt that it was Col Mustard, in the Library, WITH the CANDLESTICK!!!!!!   BOOM....

Then just sit down and wait to be excused...


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## JayKay PE (Feb 25, 2019)

I was summoned.  Sat in the room.  Guy who was going to trial I guess was sitting there with his lawyer (idk), and saw how pissed off we were waiting, and settled out of court.  Judge actually scolded him in front of everyone for wasting our time for such a minor issue.


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## Road Guy (Feb 25, 2019)

so can you bring a lap top? or is it no electronics?


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## ChebyshevII PE PMP (Feb 25, 2019)

Road Guy said:


> so can you bring a lap top? or is it no electronics?


Pretty sure no electronics...you’ll also need to “turn off” (not silence) your cell phone.


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## Road Guy (Feb 25, 2019)

Is there a limit on the number of dad jokes I can tell?


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## Dexman PE PMP (Feb 25, 2019)

Road Guy said:


> Is there a limit on the number of dad jokes I can tell?


Never


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## JayKay PE (Feb 26, 2019)

Road Guy said:


> Is there a limit on the number of dad jokes I can tell?


Only as many as you can get through security.


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## RBHeadge PE (Feb 26, 2019)

I know from experience that it makes the judges and lawyers uncomfortable when you tell them you can read lips.



ChebyshevII_PE said:


> Pretty sure no electronics...you’ll also need to “turn off” (not silence) your cell phone.


Depends on the jurisdiction. Philly (at least ~15 years ago) was no electronics - had to put in in a lockbox ala going into a SCIF. Maryland just wanted the phones turned off or on airplane mode.


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## ChebyshevII PE PMP (Feb 26, 2019)

Road Guy said:


> Is there a limit on the number of dad jokes I can tell?


Be careful, you might get dismissed.

oh, wait...


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## Road Guy (Feb 26, 2019)

Damn so I got excused //content.invisioncic.com/r86644/emoticons/default_sad.png

Mother fucker looked guilty too..... //content.invisioncic.com/r86644/emoticons/default_wink.png

Case was a violation of an order of protection-I think the prosecutor excused me because I said I liked most of the rules of my HOA but not “all” of the rules....(that was the question they asked people during jury selection)

Kind of interesting but glad not to be there all day - they had like 20 witnesses planned...


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## csb (Feb 26, 2019)

Road Guy said:


> Damn so I got excused //content.invisioncic.com/r86644/emoticons/default_sad.png
> 
> Mother fucker looked guilty too..... //content.invisioncic.com/r86644/emoticons/default_wink.png
> 
> ...


Did they ask if your HOA allows someone to enter your home?


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## RBHeadge PE (Feb 26, 2019)

Now I'm curious what the case could've possibly been about?


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## JayKay PE (Feb 26, 2019)

Since RG mentioned HOA...I like to imagine someone held an unauthorized taco party on the front lawn of their home, which is specifically against HOA clause 15, sub-paragraph 4.


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## Road Guy (Feb 26, 2019)

I think it was something to do with violating a court order related to a divorce or custody (no calling the kids, or no picking kids up from school, etc)

The prosecutor asked how many of us lived in HOA's, most of us (I live in suburban hell) and she was like, HOA rules are like laws and they are for the betterment of your community and I was asked if I ever knowingly violate HOA "rules" and I said yes. Basically i said I like that my neighbor cant paint his house pink, or leave an RV on the street all the time and that lawns are mowed, but I think some things are stupid, like you cant leave your garage door open, trashcans need to be put away by a certain time, etc,  and that one time I "re" planted a dead tree and got a notice that I needed to get permission to "plant" a tree and I told the prosecutor  that I never responded to the letter from the HOA because I didn't "plant" a tree,  I RE-planted a dead tree with the same kind and it shouldn't be their problem.. She asked if I thought that was the same as breaking the law and I told her no.

Then when the read of the names of the jurors and the alternates_ _I wasn't on it - Of the 12 they originally interviewed the released me, a teacher, and a guy who said he had been wrongfully arrested and prosecuted by the Phoenix Police... (he was at least 70).

Kind of dumb they bring in 45 people for a jury of 6 and 3 alternates? seems like a waste of a whole bunch of peoples time if you ask me


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## ruggercsc (Feb 26, 2019)

HOA regulations are not criminal laws, they are contract provisions. I have no idea why a prosecutor would ask that question.

I would probably get a contempt of court citation because I would go off on my true feelings of HOA and their regulations.


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## Road Guy (Feb 26, 2019)

These were just questions for the jury pool, the prosecutor was trying to use following the rules in a homeowner situation and the defense attorney asked questions related to would you buy a house with a lot of cracks in the foundation.



Having never gone through it it was pretty interesting and I assumed that was how each of them was going to lay out their case, that the defendant had probably broken very minor rules of law but they were actual laws, and the defense attorney was going to argue that their evidence was based on shaky witnesses

I’m going to have to remember to look up the verdict of the case


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## RBHeadge PE (Feb 26, 2019)

She was probably trying to get a sense if a juror feels that all laws are equal and enforceable, irrespective of their personal opinions. It could be standard question she asks, or it could be a reflection on the subtlety (triviality) of the crime committed.


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## ruggercsc (Feb 26, 2019)

Civil cases (HOA) and criminal cases (violating a protection order) are different and a better example would be asking about traffic laws like coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, not putting on your blinker XXX feet before a turn, and not crossing at a crosswalk.  These would be  would have been more equitable examples but I'm an engineer and like to overanalyze things.

I do wonder if engineers make good jurors or if the defense or prosecutors want them on juries or want us tossed.


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## Dexman PE PMP (Feb 26, 2019)

Honestly, I hate that the lawyers can screen and "cherry pick" the jurors they want.  The first ones in the door are on the jury.  Only screening question is whether they are familiar with the case or related to anyone involved.


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## Dexman PE PMP (Feb 26, 2019)

ruggercsc said:


> I do wonder if engineers make good jurors or if the defense or prosecutors want them on juries or want us tossed.


Depends on how evidence-based their case is.  Typically, engineers are excused because we're too analytical and not emotional enough. Lawyers love to shock and tug at heartstrings to sway the jury into the gray areas ("it's not *that* bad", "don't you feel sorry for them", "look how brutal they were").

When I did some expert witness testimony (for the prosecution), they encouraged me to be a little more dramatic and paint a more "human" picture of what happened.  Instead of saying "the defendant invoiced for 200 feet of 72" storm pipe that wasn't in the contract", I said something more like "one does not simply mis-count that much storm pipe, at that size it could fill an olympic pool in seconds".  The jury saw that as "whoa, that's a big deal. Defendant is definitely a fraud"


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## Road Guy (Feb 26, 2019)

The judge also asked a shit ton of questions - I was surprised how many people there had prior arrests (DUI’s mostly)

She also went through everyone who had ever been a witness or had been involved in a civil or criminal trial.

Me and the teacher got way more questions than anyone else it seemed - I think both attorneys wanted the teacher out - he was a diary young guy too..

I wanted to sneak in that I had seen every episode of both Matlock and Perry Mason but decided against it...

—
When I was sued at my county job we also got a good deal of coaching as a defendant - basically he told us what types of facial reactions to give and how to look the bastard in the eye on the other side of the table- it was cool because our lawyer was this guy:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Barnes

True story...


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## RBHeadge PE (Feb 27, 2019)

ruggercsc said:


> I do wonder if engineers make good jurors or if the defense or prosecutors want them on juries or want us tossed.






Dexman PE PMP said:


> Depends on how evidence-based their case is.  Typically, engineers are excused because we're too analytical and not emotional enough. Lawyers love to shock and tug at heartstrings to sway the jury into the gray areas ("it's not *that* bad", "don't you feel sorry for them", "look how brutal they were").


I'd agree with this. A case heavily dependent of forensic evidence would benefit from a STEM juror. Of course it could also backfire too. My father was on a jury once. The trial should have lasted half a day, but the jury deliberations dragged on for over a week. Even the judge was like: WTF?! The hold-up was a younger scientist who was expecting more a thorough analysis on the bullet (trajectory, ballistic fingerprints, etc). Apparently, the eye witnesses, video, and the fact that the defendant actually shot himself in the foot during the crime - bullet extracted during surgery, wasn't enough. She was expecting some CSI magic analysis with NQA documentation. Eventually the defendant was convicted.



Road Guy said:


> I was surprised how many people there had prior arrests (DUI’s mostly)


How long have you been living in the mountain west?!



Road Guy said:


> The judge also asked a shit ton of questions
> She also went through everyone who had ever been a witness or had been involved in a civil or criminal trial.


That's pretty normal. I've been called in for jury duty in a couple states, and there were like a dozen common questions. General background/education/vision or hearing issues/language; convicted/witness/victim of crime; previous juror experience; any legal training; hardships; ability to follow instructions; and treating law enforcement testimony differently than other witnesses


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## goodal (Feb 27, 2019)

Supe said:


> But was she hot?


Most definitely not.


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## csb (Feb 27, 2019)

JayKay0914 said:


> Since RG mentioned HOA...I like to imagine someone held an unauthorized taco party on the front lawn of their home, which is specifically against HOA clause 15, sub-paragraph 4.


Heh. Taco party.


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## MA_PE (Feb 27, 2019)

csb said:


> Heh. Taco party.


I'll take a taco party over a lemon party any day!


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