Jury duty begins for me today. I would like to say I’m excited about exercising my civic duty, about playing a small but vital part in our justice system.
I would really like to say it.
But…
Yeah, I ‘m ashamed to say I am less than thrilled at the prospect. I always flash back to my first time serving many years ago. Even though I was really too young and inexperienced to sit in judgement of anyone, it was still painfully obvious how a verdict was often the result of people’s personal preferences and biases as much as it was a result of the evidence. When seen up close, it seemed too open to manipulation from those with strong personalities and prejudices which made it a less than balanced set of scales for those on trial. Especially, say for a person of color or someone with a foreign accent.
I would like to say I believe every person chosen will keep an open mind free from personal prejudice and thinking based on stereotypical imagery, that they will base their decisions solely on the merit of the evidence placed before them. I would like to believe that rational thought would far outweigh the pettiness of the biased mind.
I really would.
But I’ll see today. Maybe I will be surprised and filled with pride at the efficiency and true justice of our jury system.
Maybe. The jury’s out on that one.
Redtree Times 
I couldn’t help but think of “12 Angry Men” and remembered that you had written about Henry Fonda (in a different, but not dissimilar, role) just about a year ago. Keep him in mind as you endure the trials of jury duty. (Writing “WWHD” on your knuckles is optional.)
I have written about Henry Fonda twice in the past: about him as Tom Joad in The *Grapes of Wrath* and about his role in *The Oxbow Incident*. Thanks for the *12 Angry Men* reference. What great examples of the sense of fairness! It’s a quality that is often in short supply…
I’ve only served once, but it was memorable. It was a murder trial and, in the end, we sent a 17-year-old boy to prison for life without chance of parole.
It was devastating for all concerned. I don’t ever want to do that again.
I hope you get a nice, quiet civil suit.
Well, it wasn’t too painful. I wasn’t called up before they set their jury for a grand larceny case and was sent home, not to have to serve for another six years. The real pain came from listening to some of those who were called as they answered questions from the lawyers from both sides. It didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in the collective intelligence of the American public.
I’m glad I didn’t have to determine the fate of anyone as you did with your murder case. That would be tough…