I'm such a fool. The notice came in the mail. It was the first time I've ever been summoned before, so I replied like it said. The court says you can write them an excuse to get out of it, but I had gotten it 2-3 weeks ago.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind serving had they summoned me a month ago and I had nothing to do, but now? NOW? No way.
I called in in Monday and the recording told me to report to the courthouse Tuesday morning. :hsugh: I rushed out there and arrived by 8PM like the little notice said. I fell asleep through the orientation. They played some video explaining why its such a priviledge to serve as a Juror. Most people who get called in will sit in that room for 5-8 hours then go home.
Me, on the other hand, I got called into the court room for Jury selection. 18 people were called to sit down and be asked a bunch of questions. What I don't understand is.. everyone swore to tell the truth, but from the sounds of their answers, it sounded like everyone wanted to be a Juror. The judge would ask them a question like have you ever done so and so. They would answer yes, and she would question "Would doing so and so affect your ability to judge fairly?" Their answer? No.
So let me get this right. You don't want to be a Juror. You don't want to be the triar of fact. You don't want to waste your time.. and you answer NO? The only way to get dismissed, it seems, is if you have some kind of bias or experience that will prevent you from juding the case in an objective manner. Great ways to get out are being a lawyer, working in law enforcement or the medical field. Me? None of the above.
Being part of the jury would be an academic burden for me. No dice. Imports@UCI? Nope. So I was hoping 18 people would get chosen before me. We lethargically and methodically got through 13 jurors before one single one was dismissed.
"Phi Dong. Last name D-O-N-G"
Me. I got called. I stepped up and sat down. The judge asked me some questions in which I answered honestly. Would this affect your ability to judge the case? "I don't think so." She asked me if I thought the case should even be in the courts and I answered no. I don't understand why you need 18 juries to make a decision that a judge could make better and more efficiently. Most jury trials last 2-3 days longer than a trial where the judge is the sole triar of fact.
Why? Because jurors are STUPID.
They don't understand the la and they're too easily influenced by personality and character. That wouldn't cut it though. At this point I was just tired. Very.. very tired. If you've ever been summoned, you'll know how slow everything operates... She asks me if I have ever had any bad experiences with cops. Answer? No. I tell her though, that I am probably biased towards them. Good judges will always try to convince you that you can still judge the case. She asks me that if a police officer testified, could I objectively consider his statements.
I guess. No guarantees.
No dice. I sit back down, but its lunch so everyone leaves except for people who believe they have hardships. One guy's dad is dying and the judge convinces him that he can still serve. NOT EXCUSED!
Another guy just had surgery the other day. He is free to go. A girl has 3 finals that week, she can go. The guy before me has one final that he can reschedule and one he can't. She makes him stay?
Then its my turn. She says my name and looks at the papers. Before I can tell her some lame excuse of how serving will cause harship upon me, she tells me I'm dismissed.
Goodbye jury duty. I don't have to worry about this shit for another year.
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The PCMCIA ports got seriously warped and I could no longer slide my wireless card in. No wireless? No care.
I just spent 230 dollars (after tax/shipping). 