The Crestwood Independent completes jury service !!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just completed my service on a jury (5 day trial,) and I can tell you that it was a very rewarding experience indeed !
While I won't bore you with the details of the trial, other than to tell you that it was a civil action against a local hospital, and I was the jury foreman. I would, however like to mention the attitude of some (not all) of the 40 people called for duty on this trial.
In my time on the planet I have seen some whining and complaining, and flat out prevaricating, but people attempting to get out of a jury slot take the cake ! Is it me, or have we become a Nation of "me first" people ? We heard everything under the sun from the folks who wanted out, from I don't understand English well enough, to I am so important that my job can't be without me for 5-6 days!
Out of the forty, fourteen were chosen by the lawyers to serve, and serve we did, with the exception of one who "just couldn't make it because of weather" (that after a person who lived very close to this person showed up !)on the last day (Friday) of the trial. I am positive the judge issued a bench warrant to pick up this person for contempt of court, and if he didn't, well any one of the rest us would have on the spot !
The jury make-up was a true cross section of St. Louis County with Two African American's, (one male, one female,) five women, and seven men (two juror's from Crestwood !) One of the two alternates made it when the "person" failed to show up on Friday, so their time there was not in vain.
The point of all this ranting is to tell you that if your called for jury duty, go willingly, and please don't try to get out of it (probably won't work anyway with the new guidelines,) as this is part of our duty as American citizens ! Think about it, would you want a griping bunch sitting on your jury (if you ever needed one,) or would you want your "piers" to be there and attentive to your cause ?
Tom Ford
NO. 255
While I won't bore you with the details of the trial, other than to tell you that it was a civil action against a local hospital, and I was the jury foreman. I would, however like to mention the attitude of some (not all) of the 40 people called for duty on this trial.
In my time on the planet I have seen some whining and complaining, and flat out prevaricating, but people attempting to get out of a jury slot take the cake ! Is it me, or have we become a Nation of "me first" people ? We heard everything under the sun from the folks who wanted out, from I don't understand English well enough, to I am so important that my job can't be without me for 5-6 days!
Out of the forty, fourteen were chosen by the lawyers to serve, and serve we did, with the exception of one who "just couldn't make it because of weather" (that after a person who lived very close to this person showed up !)on the last day (Friday) of the trial. I am positive the judge issued a bench warrant to pick up this person for contempt of court, and if he didn't, well any one of the rest us would have on the spot !
The jury make-up was a true cross section of St. Louis County with Two African American's, (one male, one female,) five women, and seven men (two juror's from Crestwood !) One of the two alternates made it when the "person" failed to show up on Friday, so their time there was not in vain.
The point of all this ranting is to tell you that if your called for jury duty, go willingly, and please don't try to get out of it (probably won't work anyway with the new guidelines,) as this is part of our duty as American citizens ! Think about it, would you want a griping bunch sitting on your jury (if you ever needed one,) or would you want your "piers" to be there and attentive to your cause ?
Tom Ford
NO. 255
posted by Crestwood Independent at 14:43
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