Submitted by [deleted] t3_11dh5hy in explainlikeimfive
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Comments
sc1003 t1_ja99zvb wrote
>If you only get jurors that have the means and desire to take days or weeks off from their lives, you're likely going to have a demographic that isn't very representative of the overall population
You would basically get the same people as those who sit on HOAs. You know, all those well-adjusted, empathetic, reasonable citizens...
artgriego t1_ja92lpy wrote
It's not "taking days or weeks off" from life. You said it yourself, it's a pain in the ass with laughable compensation (that is taxed!) No one has the "means or desire" to miss their regular life for that.
They need to make jury duty worth everyone's time. The way it is, clever but unscrupulous people will finagle out of jury duty because it pays shit and their jobs don't have to pay them for the lost time.
So if they want a demographic of the overall population, they need to entice everyone to actually want to do it. Make the process more efficient, require employers to pay regular wages, etc.
mdlewis11 t1_ja97r90 wrote
In some states, your employer must pay you full time for you time on jury duty.
I love playing Matlock and getting paid for it!
thedoodely t1_ja99nh6 wrote
Yup, in most places that's what they do (though it's usuappy minus the laughable amount the govt pays you to be a juror. Were I am it's like 5$/day)
DoItYourSelf2 t1_ja9g4oq wrote
I was just called up in CA and found out they changed the rules (or could be my county). Used to be it was an automatic pass if employer did not pay but now you have to go in front of a judge and plead your case or plead poverty I suppose. Its complete bullshit, no one should lose money for serving. They should just force all large employers to pay and subsidize the smaller ones.
jerwong t1_ja9en71 wrote
I'm in California, and we only get $15/day and that's starting on the second day.
MurkDiesel t1_ja9ddem wrote
lawyers get rich, jurors get shit
change that and we change the justice system
Dragon_Fisting t1_ja9v14u wrote
Fun fact, the government lawyers don't make that much money. The government doesn't pay that well for anybody.
MurkDiesel t1_ja9ds4d wrote
>If you only get jurors that have the means and desire to take days or weeks off from their lives, you're likely going to have a demographic that isn't very representative of the overall population,
and on the flip side, you have stressed out and annoyed people trying to judge a WWE episode they don't want to watch
it's a pretty fucked up system
sooooooofarty t1_ja9y1es wrote
At least you get paid to be a juror. You can buy a sodie on the way home
SuperTeamRyan t1_ja8kx0e wrote
If it were easy to get out of jury duty no one would ever serve, unless they wanted to serve. And someone trying to serve jury duty more than needed would not be a fair representation of the average citizen and may have some weird biases.
I you can probably get out of jury duty 9/10 times for criminal cases if you have had bad experience with cops. Civil is probably a bit more complicated. Grand jury seems impossible.
ninjabell t1_ja93evz wrote
TBH I would like to experience it once. I'm 36 and have never been summoned.
SuperTeamRyan t1_ja93tej wrote
I was summoned recently for a DV case and I got “lucky” for the first time because apparently everyone has been either abused or has a sister/mother/wife who has been abused.
It’s an experience and can be really interesting at times.
Equippedchart49 t1_ja9jbcn wrote
I'm 32 ad I've been summoned 4 times while I have multiple friends that live in the same district and are the same age or older that have never once been summoned. Frustrates the hell out of me! lol
Sufficient-Green-763 t1_ja9d932 wrote
Regular trial jury duty is super easy to get out of. Just answer the questions wrong and they'll strike you most of the time. You don't want to outright lie about facts, but when they ask something like "can you fairly apply the law as instructed, and set aside your own notions of the law" or something to that affect, just say no, you don't think you can. Tell them you don't trust big government. You're probably getting booted.
SuperTeamRyan t1_ja9dyfh wrote
During my selection some people did try this but the judge pushed back and essentially went down a line of reasoning that most weren’t able to follow through with. She kept 1 of them as an alternate, probably out of spite.
Sufficient-Green-763 t1_ja9ek90 wrote
I mean, in my case it's truthful. I've seen a lot of my state's problems in the public defense system (it's awful here), and for nonviolent crimes I'm pretty much 100% a not guilty protest vote from the outset.
But yeah, judges will respond differently. Some may keep you if they think you're trying to get out of it, but as long as you're respectful and not mocking about it, you've got a good chance and you won't be punished.
Now, I see one guy falsely claimed to have killed someone and would go into heroin withdrawals during the trial, and he got hit with contempt. Don't be an asshat 🤣
iBeFloe t1_ja8lduh wrote
>couldn’t they just pick someone else
They are. You over the other guy lmao
It is random selection though & there are ways to get out of it. That said, just because you attend the detection process, doesn’t mean they’ll choose you anyways.
blipsman t1_ja8ocry wrote
It's considered an obligation of service to our society/government.. just as we pay taxes, abide by laws, vote, etc. If we want to have access to a jury trial when we're the one being accused or a party in a lawsuit, we need to also be willing to serve on a jury.
Usually, it's not too hard to defer a jury duty summons if there's a legitimate reason, like being out of town, medical issue, lack of childcare, etc.
BareMetalSkirt t1_ja8svjn wrote
Because most people who had something better to do would skip and you'd end up being judged by a jury of people who had nothing better to do.
Small edit: as a non-American I sometimes envy your jury system. Here the outcome of a court case strongly depends on whether you get a happy judge or an 80-year old communist aparatchik who hates your tattoos or your choice to be gay.
DressCritical t1_ja8srcu wrote
You can think of jury duty as a tax to pay for the legal system having "a jury of your peers", much as a monetary tax exists to fund the financial side of the government.
ColonelBoogie t1_ja90ub5 wrote
From a more philosophical standpoint, rights are accompanied by responsibilities. Sometimes, we codify those responsibilities in law. For example, you have the right to freedom of speech. You have the responsibility not cause harn to the person, property, or reputation of another through speech that is not true, hence libel and slander laws. You have the right to be armed. You have the responsibility to only use weapons for legitimate purposes. You have the right to a trial by a jury of your peers. You have the responsibility to serve as a juror when called upon to do so.
Sometimes I think we forget how absolutely incredible it I'd that most of us live under a system where human rights are codified I'm law. Most of our ancestors would be floored at the rights we enjoy. Serving on a jury is a very small price to pay for a legal system with fairness and objectivity as its goal.
Any-Growth8158 t1_ja9723y wrote
It's actually not hard to get out of jury duty--especially if you are an engineer or other sciency type (or a lawyer). Lawyers don't like people who will use their own experiences and knowledge in interpreting evidence. They also fear that they may influence others with their external knowledge of things.
Lawyers want people to buy their half truths, and if they think you're not as susceptible they won't want you anywhere near the jury.
metaphorm t1_ja8otuv wrote
civic duty. you're a citizen. that comes with obligations like paying taxes and serving jury duty when summoned.
Devil_May_Kare t1_ja96rbj wrote
People accused of crimes have a right to have their fate decided by a team of normal people. And normal people have better things to do than decide the fate of someone accused of a crime, so we wouldn't be able to fulfill that right if we didn't make it hard to get out of.
h8evan t1_ja91l3x wrote
Just do what I did when they asked me if there was any reason I couldn’t serve on the jury, I just said I was racist and sexist and they didn’t pick me to serve on the jury. Worked like a charm
Clairquilt t1_ja99n15 wrote
If you're on salary jury duty is great. I've always thought of it as a week's paid vacation, with an added bonus at the end. And if you get sat on a jury you get to feel like Henry Fonda, walking out of the courthouse when it's all over.
Naive_Composer2808 t1_ja9j644 wrote
I’m 48 only got called once and was declined because I asked for an accommodation because I have difficulty taking note due to nerve damage in my hands. Not hard to get out of, really.
[deleted] OP t1_ja9ow1g wrote
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MrSlime13 t1_ja9rz4c wrote
It sucks. It's a drag. It doesn't pay well. But it's a right we all have. Anyone can have their life turned upside down in court, and the right to be judged by a jury of your peers is a right granted to everyone, provided that everyone takes turns being in that jury pool as well. It has to be random. It has to be well-mixed. And it has to be a civic duty. If I were to depend on 12 strangers to cast judgement on me, affecting the rest of my life I would want them to be willing and interested. I provide the same level of engagement sitting on a jury as I would hope to expect if the roles were reversed. It's similar to the Shopping Cart theory. Just be a decent person.
blondechinesehair t1_jaa4471 wrote
So your question is why is jury duty required for you specifically?
midwaysilver t1_ja8v0q5 wrote
Just tell them that you have always been a huge Batman fan and you can't wait to serve some good hard justice. They will usually excuse you from serving after that
airstreamchick t1_ja98yf7 wrote
The 6th and 7th Amendments give us the right to a jury trial. So, this means in order to assure this right, citizens are required to serve as jurors.
Lunar_Gato t1_ja8tuuf wrote
What if I just walk in and say “because I’m being inconvenienced I already decided they are guilty and will not give a fair trial”
That was my little plan when my number gets called
someone76543 t1_ja8vvxk wrote
You get a few days in jail. Don't piss off the judge.
theclash06013 t1_ja8vyd6 wrote
The judge will probably get really upset and put you in the civil jury pool, civil trials last much longer
imnotsoho t1_ja8w083 wrote
The judge may not like your attitude. Do you have time to spend a night or 2 in jail?
cmlobue t1_ja8zksm wrote
Assume that a country that has had jury trials for centuries has gotten pretty good at dealing with people who try to get out of jury duty and have the ability to fine and/or imprison you and act accordingly.
EarthBoundMisfitEye t1_ja8zdac wrote
I gave 4 examples by name and crime committed. I said the charge and followed by the punishment which was - truth be told - they all got off.
Judge asked if I believe in the judicial system of this county. I said emphatically NO. Obviously. I was dismissed. F jury duty. Bunch of corruption I want no parts of.
dkf295 t1_ja8k3qw wrote
Because everyone else would skip out on it too - it's a hassle, and you might be tied up for only a day or two or maybe weeks if it's a more complicated trial.
If you only get jurors that have the means and desire to take days or weeks off from their lives, you're likely going to have a demographic that isn't very representative of the overall population, defeating the point of the whole "jury of your peers" thing.