It should be obvious that I don’t suffer from that affliction.

As a general rule, the reason that educated jurors get excused is because defense attorneys are trained to exclude them. Statistically, these jurors are more likely to focus on the evidence and not be distracted by clever and not so clever defense tactics/arguments. In the vast majority of criminal prosecutions the evidence will favor the prosecution.

Fortunately, each side only gets 10 premptory challenges per case (20 in life cases). Thus, if larger numbers of educated jurors appear for jury service and do not seek to be excused, the more likely it is that the defense will exhaust their challenges before all of the educated jurors have been removed from the panel.

I encourage everyone to fullfill their jury service. In my career I have spoken to hundreds of jurors, almost all whom have expressed that on balance it had been a very worthwhile experience.

I have my most recent Jury summons sitting here next to me. I haven’t sent back the stupid little paper yet because I’m pissed off that this the the third time I’ve been called for one type or jury duty or another in the past 5 years or so.

Having read your comments, however, I decided to quit bellyachin’ and send the thing in. I don’t recall any of it being that moving, but there’s always hope. Maybe they won’t kick me off this time (it’ll help if I remember not to wink at cute babes in the gallery or yell, “You did WHAT!” at the defendent).

What most impressed me were my fellow jurors. We were a pretty accurate cross-section of the people in our county, in race, education, and social status – we had everyone from a young Hispanic housewife to a biochemist who did research for Abbott Laboratories – and the fact that everyone did his or her very best to render justice in what was a complex and heart-rending case. I was proud to be one of their number.

What also impressed me was the simple fact that two parties to this difficult and irreconcilable conflict should be willing to submit themselves to a verdict of their fellow citizens – to people literally pulled in off the street – in the confidence that we could arrive at a verdict approximating justice. At first, I thought it odd that the court should rise when the jury entered; after all, we’re just people. But then it dawned on me that that was to remind us of the importance of the task that had been entrusted to us. A system that places such trust in its citizen – that, in fact, gives us an opportunity to elevate ourselves in this way – is worth preserving; indeed, is worth fighting for.

However, Roger may appreciate the fact that one my hardest tasks as a juror was convincing myself that what was going on before me was real life: it wasn’t a movie or a play being staged for my entertainment, but a chunk of reality in which I was involved. A courtroom is a lot like a theater (or a church, for that matter), so the feeling of being a viewer rather than a participant was hard to shake; though I did, of course.

I work for myself, have for years, so if I have to serve for a week or two, I’d have nothing financially to show for it, other than that little check for 32 cents a mile. If I were on salary it might be different, so I definitely go into voir dire looking for a (reasonably legit) way to disqualify myself if the judge says it’s going to last more than a couple days. I got out of a drug trial once by saying that I would never vote to convict anybody on a drug offense.

BTW, I always show up when I get the jury summons. My mom convinced us that even if everybody else gets away with something, we won’t.

The other was a civil lawsuit in federal court involving an idiot drunk and a stupid cop. Saddest thing I ever saw. I do not mind serving in state court, but the two year commitment for federal court in a constant pain. Still I will serve if called, it’s important.

We casually polled the members based on the DA’s case, we would have unanimously voted to acquit.

It is an education and one in which I hope to participate in, on a more regular basis.

I was brilliant…BRILLIANT!