JURY DUTY and a New TVHi all! I've been on a posting hiatus while I stress out unnecessarily about school. Really, I just haven't felt like blogging, and I think that is okay. Right now I am watching a blu-ray dvd on my new flat-screen. Well I guess it is C's new flatscreen since he bought it, but it's in my apartment and damn, it looks nice!
So over the past few weeks I was called for jury duty. I knew they were going to pick me the moment I opened my big mouth upon jury questioning. I said something and both the lawyers nodded their heads. So if you are trying to avoid jury duty, please, don't speak up. But if you are able to serve on a jury, I would advise it. Our country expects little of us as citizens, and this is one way we can participate in the fairest system of justice that the world has seen to date. That is, until someone can come up with something better.
While I was on j.d., I couldn't speak about the case. Now, I can. It was a murder trial. It was a sad and tragic murder trial, too. We found the defendant not guilty. He obviously killed a man, but that wasn't the pivotal question. Unfortunately we had to take into account his intent, and the D.A. didn't do a great job of clarifying that intent. No one can see into another person's mind, but beyond that existed some "reasonable doubt." I still feel a little odd about my choice of not guilty - after the case I started to think about ways in which the evidence was solid - but what's done is done and I guess I can't think about it anymore.
While I was deliberating we were essentially imprisoned in our jury room. We couldn't leave without being escorted, we had our lunches ordered and brought to us. We were lucky to be able to go home for the evening instead of being sequestered, which allowed me to both work and do schoolwork. We fought and argued and laughed and joked, and overall got along pretty well despite our divided opinions. In the end we came together on our decision, but for different reasons. Deliberation only lasted 2 days.
