Jury Duty

[JayKay PE]

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

Only as many as you can get through security.

 

[RBHeadge PE]

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

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.

 

[ChebyshevII PE PMP]

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

Be careful, you might get dismissed.

oh, wait...

 

[Road Guy]

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...

 

[csb]

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...
 

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

 

[RBHeadge PE]

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

 

[JayKay PE]

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.

 

[Road Guy]

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

 

[ruggercsc]

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.

 

[Road Guy]

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

 

[RBHeadge PE]

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.

 

[ruggercsc]

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.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

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.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

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"

 

[Road Guy]

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...

 

[RBHeadge PE]

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").

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.

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

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

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

 

[goodal]

But was she hot?

Most definitely not.

 

[csb]

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. 

 

[MA_PE]

Heh. Taco party. 

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