Just call me Juror Number 67! I was recently "invited" to serve as a juror at our local judicial district circuit court. The minimum age to serve as a juror is 18 years, so surprisingly this was only the third time in my 40 years or so of eligibility that I've had the opportunity to be a juror. I was excused the first time because I was serving overseas on active duty in the United States Navy. I actually had to show up at the courthouse the second time, but there was only one jury case that was scheduled for that week and the defendant ended up changing to a guilty plea (to a lesser charge) right before they started jury selection. I guess the third time is a charm, because on this most recent opportunity I actually ended up serving on a jury for a criminal case.
Overall, my experience serving on a jury was very interesting. I would like to share some of my observations and perspectives here today. First, serving on a jury is one of the duties and responsibilities we have as citizens of the United States. Citizenship is something that many of us unfortunately take for granted. Being a citizen is not a right per se, but rather it is a responsibility and something that we have to work towards and earn. Serving on a jury is one of the core duties and responsibilities of being a citizen. Our judicial system is dependent upon having citizens that are willing to serve on a jury when requested to do so. Unfortunately, I learned from my experience that some of my fellow citizens view serving on a jury as optional (similar to voting, I guess). There were more than a few prospective jurors who were willing to say almost anything to avoid having to serve on a jury. The judge at our trial made every attempt to convince them otherwise, but in the end, they persisted and were excused. In my opinion, if you are not willing to vote, serve on a jury, or fulfill any of the other duties and responsibilities of citizenship, then you forfeit the right to complain about our government!
Second, it's clear that some of my fellow U.S. citizens lack a fundamental understanding of how the judicial system is supposed to work. I wonder if this stems from an even greater misunderstanding of how our government is supposed to function. When I was in high school, all seniors had to take a full semester class on the U.S. government in order to graduate. I don't think that is the case anymore, at least in certain states. It's interesting to me that individuals who want to become a U.S. citizen through naturalization have to pass a proficiency test on U.S. history and government. Unfortunately, a recent survey found that just 1 in 3 Americans (who have been granted citizenship at birth) would be able to pass this test! Again, just my opinion here, but if we are mandating that naturalized citizens demonstrate a minimum proficiency on matters that are deemed important to citizenship, shouldn't we do so for natural-born citizens as well?
Third, contrary to popular belief, there are some really, really good public defenders out there! I don't think that it ultimately impacted the results of our case, but the defendant had an excellent attorney (who happened to be a public defender) that was clearly better than the prosecuting attorney. After the trial was over, the judge met with all of us in the jury deliberation room to personally thank us (a nice gesture), answer questions, and listen to feedback. He also stated that he wanted to dispel the notion that public defenders aren't good attorneys, but on the contrary, there are some really great ones out there! I couldn't agree more.
Overall, my experience serving on a jury was very interesting, highly educational, and surprisingly enjoyable. Serving on a jury is an important duty and responsibility that we all have as U.S. citizens. If you are ever called to serve, please answer the call!
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