This morning I report for the jury pool. As I mentioned before, I don’t mind jury duty at all. In fact, I feel like I’m doing something important.
What I do dislike is the assumption that my life story is open for review. The standard form I received asks for such standards as race, sex, age, and whether I’ve ever served on a jury or been a party to a lawsuit. Okay.
I refuse to fill out the rest of the form. And I always have. They have no need to know my wife’s name, occupation, or employer. Nor do they need to know my medical history or education level. Or my religion. They may want that information, but they don’t need it.
When people talk about lawsuits and the costs that come from large awards they always focus on lawyers. That’s the wrong argument. Lawyers are out to make a buck, just like the rest of us. They’ll make as much as they can. Good for them. Don’t tell me, however, that they’re being altruistic and trying to help others. They’re not.
We need to look at jurors. Those large awards aren’t decided by lawyers. They’re determined by juries. A lawyer’s job is to find jury members who will be sympathetic and willing to punish “Big Corporations” or “Big Insurance.” They do this via survey forms and voir dire. They hire jury consultants to help them in this quest. Personally, I’d like to put jury consultants out of business.
A jury needs to be made up of people who are impartial–as much as anyone can be–and willing to listen and make decisions based in fact. For a plaintiff in a negligence suit, that may not be the best hope for their suit. For a criminal on trial who is guilty, that isn’t the desired panel to face. Both want a jury that is pliable and emotional. In a criminal case, the lawyer wants to find at least one who will see things his way, and get no verdict. That puts a load on the court system, and perhaps gets a favorable plea bargain.
This is where lawyers get their reputation for sleaze. Truth isn’t important. Manipulation is.
I don’t like people trying to manipulate me.
You’re too smart to be chosen. They want dummies, which is why they have those questionnaires.
Comment by DagneyT — October 18, 2004 @ 7:48 am
I don’t think I’d ever make a jury pool. If I’m asked if I could fair and impartial, I’d say yes, but my face would give me way.
Comment by LB — October 18, 2004 @ 8:13 pm
I’d love to sit on a jury. I’m a junkie.
Comment by Paulie at The Commons — October 19, 2004 @ 11:52 am