My parting shot. One of the big concrete balls in the courtyard of Lancaster Superior Courthouse.
I didn’t even get to the voire dire process. It was an interesting looking case and I actually would have liked to have served, even though I would have had to use my comp and vacation time to do it. It was very emotional at times to listen to the things the jurors had to say about their brushes with crime.
One man actually brought me to tears. He was very unhappy, uncomfortable and ashamed, but said that ultimately he thought that it would take more convincing for him to believe that the defendant was not guilty because of his ethnicity. The prospective juror had been jumped and beaten by a group of African American students in high school. It wasn’t easy for him to admit.
One of the judges came to the jury assembly room and talked to us. He told us that only six countries in the world guarentee their citizens a trail by jury. U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
With all it’s troubles, I’d say that this is a big count in the U.S.’s favor. I’ve been called for jury duty 4 times and have served on one jury. People really do take the responsibility seriously once they are there and try to do their best to do the right thing.
