Whew!
So I spent a very boring and frustrating day in the jury pool yesterday. I was called for a panel just before lunch but put back into the pool because the case settled. There were about 4 or 5 cases that settled after jurors were selected for the panels. My best friend is a lawyer who represents the insurance companies in personal injury cases - I bet most of the cases that settle at the 11th hour are PI cases. The plaintiffs hold out until the very last moment in hopes of being offered more money. I guess that either the defense offers a bit more money or the plaintiffs take the money on the table and run.
At around 3:00 I was selected for another panel. I immediately had a bad feeling that we were dealing with a criminal case because 50 jurors were selected for the panel. I was right - murder in the 1st degree! The defendant was charged with murdering a woman during a robbery. People close to me know that I am very opinionated about murder and the death penalty, with good reason. You see, in 1989 a very close family member was murdered during a robbery. This is a happy blog so I won't go into it any more than that - I'll just say that not a day goes by that I don't think about her and how much I miss her. Naturally, I was dismissed two hours later. I was very relieved as I think it would have been too much for me to handle emotionally. Today I am back to thinking happy thoughts! :-)
At around 3:00 I was selected for another panel. I immediately had a bad feeling that we were dealing with a criminal case because 50 jurors were selected for the panel. I was right - murder in the 1st degree! The defendant was charged with murdering a woman during a robbery. People close to me know that I am very opinionated about murder and the death penalty, with good reason. You see, in 1989 a very close family member was murdered during a robbery. This is a happy blog so I won't go into it any more than that - I'll just say that not a day goes by that I don't think about her and how much I miss her. Naturally, I was dismissed two hours later. I was very relieved as I think it would have been too much for me to handle emotionally. Today I am back to thinking happy thoughts! :-)
posted by Gigi | 9:28 AM
2 Comments:
Gigi, congratulations for fulfilling your civic duty. I am so sorry, though, for your loss and for the troubling memories that your jury duty brought up. But as you say, it's back to happy thoughts now. Hugs!
Gigi, just sharing my recent jury duty experience. The pool was 600 strong and 350 were chosen for the trial! It was a trial involving police and drugs and expected to for 5 months.
I, like most people, had a reson to be excused but they must have got the required 15 (12 plus spares) as the trial is now running.
Anyway I felt good about being part of the wider society and being ready to do my bit - I hope you felt that too.
Jeanette
Melbourne, Australia
Post a Comment
<< Home