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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jun 17, 2008 - 12:47pm PT
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Just tell 'em :
"Sir, I have no problem serving my jury duty.
Bring the guilty bastard in!"
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jun 17, 2008 - 01:02pm PT
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"Just a wild guess on my part, but I take it you have never tried a case, or needed a lawyer."
I've sued and been sued many times. I've been before a jury 2x in civil cases defending against someone wanting all my money. I won both times. You mention scum bags and liars in your post. I don't even want to be in the same building as them, much less wrapped up in some case where I have to deal with them. I would rather go climbing with my friends, frankly. If you do it for a living and making that fight makes you happy, then great. If there was truly justice in this world, a lot of these people would either be shot at a much earlier stage of the process, or sent to a workhouse to finance the defense against their claims when they are found to be false or fraudulent. However, because our system falls short of this justice, I only become angry and frustrated when called to witness and/or deal with it. I'm much more thorough about filtering certain types of people and organizations out of my life these days.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jun 17, 2008 - 01:06pm PT
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Just tell them you associate with Woody and Locker. They won't let you near the court house.
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tomtom
Social climber
Seattle, Wa
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Jun 17, 2008 - 01:11pm PT
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If you ever want the right to a trial by jury of your peers, then you should be willing to serve on such a jury.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Jun 17, 2008 - 03:02pm PT
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Point at the judge and say "Now that guy looks guilty!"
But seriously, I want to be picked for the jury. Please...
I served on a jury once. The guy was up for drunk driving. A truck driver by profession, he passed a cop car going about 5 MPH over the speed limit. The truth is, the cop was just pissed that he was passed. He blew a .07 twice before he blew a .08.
The fact is, that guy probably drives better at .08 than most folks drive on their OTC drugs. He'd already paid about $10k for lawyers and such, and a conviction would have cost him his job. I'm proud that I was the one who convinced the others to let him go. I said "come on, he's already paid $10k, gone to driving school, and taken a drinking/drugs program. I think that's enough."
"The laws are just, they punish both the rich and the poor for stealing a loaf of bread." marx
Lastly, cops can be such hypocrites. If you're a buddy, they'll let you ride. But look out if you're not. I lived down the street from where they had an annual Sheriff's bash. They'd get drunk and rowdy, then screech down the street as they weaved their way home.
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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Jun 17, 2008 - 03:35pm PT
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George Carlin - Tell the judge you think you'd be a great juror because you can spot a guilty person from a mile away!
Defence would not want a volitile person like this on the jury, you'd get the boot.
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Jun 17, 2008 - 04:10pm PT
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I served on a jury for the first time this last year. I actually found it a wonderful experience. I was treated with respect by the system, and it was inspirational to see how many folks really tried to contribute to justice being done. Mine was a civil case.
It involved an ER physician suing a hospital. I had worked for a company that had contracted with the hospital in the past. I am a physician. I have three post graduate degrees, and am a professor. I disclosed all that in questioning, and thought I'd be the first out the door.
When the judge asked about hardships, a lot of hands went up. A lot of BS stories were given. However, when people had to stand up and state, on the record, whether they would have a bias, it was amazing to see how many people could just not bring themselves, under oath, to lie.
When the attorneys got to ask me their questions, the first one said "we have a lot to talk about, Dr." They both had a lot of questions to ask me. I thought there would be no problem being dismissed.
I was juror number 12.
All in all, it was an experience that I enjoyed, and actually found inspiring. I felt like I really made a contribution, and that it renewed my concept of citizen-justice in an institutional way.
by the way, in the LA area, they really do take everyone on juries: police, attorneys, and the judge in my case had recently served.
I don't have a problem with postponing, and neither do the courts. But this is one of the actual jobs of being a US citizen, and we should all take it seriously.
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sevrdhed
Boulder climber
salt lake city
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Jun 17, 2008 - 05:25pm PT
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I've also served on a jury. I went, hoping to get out of it so I could have the rest of the day off to go climbing. It was a DUI case, and when asked about bias, I raised my hand and let them know that a friend of mine had recently been convicted of DUI, and that I felt his punishment in relation to others who had the same offense was stiff.
When they asked me if I thought he should have been convicted, I told them the truth. He was driving drunk. Absolutely.
I got selected, and actually thoroughly enjoyed the process. I've always been semi-interested in legal proceedings, and it was great to see a trial actually go down. Afterwards, the other jurors and I sat around and tried to surmise why the defendant had gone to trial - it was painfully obvious that he was guilty. The defense didn't even bother trying to defend against 3 of the 4 counts, and their defense for the 4th, the actual DUI count, was so pathetic as to be laughable. Eventually, we decided that he had to be a collegiate athlete that would be ineligible if he were to be convicted. Sure enough, when I got home, I looked him up and he played for the local university. One interesting fact was that he was under 21, and yet wasn't convicted under the "Not a drop" law that I was under the impression Utah had.
Long story short (too late), despite the fact that I initially wanted to get out of jury duty, doing it was actually an interesting and enlightening experience. Were I to get called again, I'd be excited about the prospect of getting to serve again.
Also, to corroborate prejudices about jury selection, I'm a college drop-out with long hair and a big nasty beard.
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apogee
climber
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A Jury Duty TR...
I've been summoned again- the third time in as many years. As much as I support the idea of civic responsibility and everything, this is a PITA. The closest courthouse is a 45 minute drive, in a gas sucking truck.
Having been through this before, I came prepared, and brought some work to do, and my laptop- to my surprise, they have wireless- to heck with the work, let's check out ST...
There is an overflow of respondents today- so much so that a bunch of us are sitting in the foyer of the courtroom, sitting at some of the administrative desks. I suppose if I was really subversive, I would figure out a way to infiltrate the justice system...nah.
So this Sheriff's deputy comes in and announces the rules to everyone, then saunters over to the receptionist in the waiting room, making small talk. There's about 12 of us within 10' of him, and he is talking indignantly about how he was recently reprimanded for making an inappropriate comment to a juror. He just can't understand how such a thing would happen. This 52 y/o balding male has 29 years on the job (he said as much to the receptionist)- how he managed to get this far without any social filters is both amazing and frightening, since it is this kinda guy that would tool you at the Carl's Jr in Banning on your way to JT.
Please excuse me...!
Edit: I just got excused...yay!
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Mtnmun
Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
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File the notice in the circular file and forget about it.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
somewhere without avatars.........
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Amen.
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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How about: Serve and be thankful that we have a system that actually sorta works. It aint perfect, but there are more screwed up systems out there.
I just got called again to Jury Duty and I will go in gladly.
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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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excused with a letter from my doctor stating my back was so bad that I could not sit in a chair for more than a half hour.
Still true, on 20mg of percoset every day and a cane to get around.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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I got a summons for jury duty from the sheriff in the autumn, for the first time ever. Under Canadian law I'm not eligible, and they're supposed to cross-check their list against the law society's. So it was an easy out, as I'm both a lawyer and self-employed. I wouldn't have minded being on a jury for a short trial, though.
Once they didn't summon enough people for juries, or not enough showed up. So they sent sheriffs and cops out on the street, to collect people. This at Vancouver's big downtown courthouse. It got some news media attention.
We use juries much less often here, in part because we use courts less often, but also because you generally don't have a right to a jury except for fairly serious matters.
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Gorgeous George
Trad climber
Los Angeles, California
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I am an attorney and would encourage you to serve, we get too many dimwitted people as it is, and many reasonable folks are kicked off the panels for inappropriate reasons.
However, if when you get your jury summons you are unemployed, check the box regarding it would be a financial hardship and, if brought into court, tell the Judge you are actively looking for employment and survive basically on day to day employment. Being on the jury for a week would force you to forgoe any possibility of employment.
If this works for you, let me know where to send the bill for my services.
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kimgraves
Trad climber
2 exits North of the Gunks
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Since I'm self employed, if I don't work, I don't get paid. So while I actually believe in serving, it's a financial hardship.
Here's a trick someone at the court told me. In NY you can get one postponement. But you can also volenteer to serve anytime you want. So get the postponement and volenteer for the day before the next federal holiday. You won't be picked because the next day is a holiday and you will most likely be let go by 10-11am.
I used this strategy successfully twice.
Best, Kim
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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I've been on several juries and have reported for several others in which I haven't be chosen. The people I served with were often highly educated (as am I), but almost all of them, regardless of education, took their responsibility to render a fair verdict based on the law with great seriousness and integrity.
Our jury system is one of the fundamental ingredients in a free society, and it flaws still do not make it inferior to any of the alternatives. When intelligent, articulate people like most of you, who are obviously in far better health than the general population, find ways to weasel out of this civic duty, you strike a blow to the system that has repercussions for everyone.
Some of us, through no fault of our own, may one day end up in front of a jury. If that happens to me, I sure hope there will be a pool with more than the losers who are too stupid to figure out any of the millions of ways to get excused.
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apogee
climber
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rgold, that's an interesting view on Jury Duty. God forbid that I ever wind up in front of a jury, but if I do, you are right- I hope they have a brain in their heads.
I do believe in my (our) role in jury duty as it relates to civic responsibility- it would be nice if it were a bit more equitable, though. The county where I live is huge, and it strikes me as odd that I receive a summons once a year, almost like clockwork, while many others I know in the area rarely if ever receive them. There is something about the selection process that doesn't seem to work real well.
Further, I live in a rural/mountainous area, and the closest courthouse is 45 minutes away- I usually get assigned to one that is further, more like 1 hr 15 min. I'm also self-employed- when I'm not in the office, my bills don't get paid. I have tried requesting excusal based on financial hardship, but have been denied repeatedly.
Having whined like this, I will continue to report when summoned, and hope that the system improves. Like several have said, I am thankful for a legal system that works at all (most around the world envy it), and bailing on it altogether is pretty lame.
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Nohea
Trad climber
Aiea,Hi
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After going through 2008, I will seek to be on every jury asked. Last year I witnessed a lying district attorney have a lying police officer change what he accurately recorded during the night of the arrest. I watched this lying DA say terrible, untruthful, deceitful words to the jury about someone close to me. When the time is right I plan to write a TR of sorts about it but more time is needed. For those of you that keep an open mind, and know that every one is innocent until proven guilty, you have a life long Thanks from me. I do understand not everyone can make it but the jury system is best thing going.
Aloha,
wil
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
North of the Owyhees
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Set the court house on fire. Never fails
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