Jury Duty

[Madeinhb]

I served on a jury in Adam's Cty a few years ago. I ended up being the foreman and it really was a fascinating experience.

The frustrating part- we knew the SOB was guilty as sin but there was no conclusive evidence that tied him to the allegations.
He walked.

Happens a lot. It's not what you know, it's what you can prove.

[theGinsue]

My biggest concern with serving on a jury is related to my sleep apnea. I do not get restful sleep and because of this any time I have to sit still for more than 5 minutes I begin to nod off. I've tried everything to overcome this and only 2 things help - slightly. One is comsuming a 5 Hour Energy drink 15 minutes prior to known periods where I'll be required to sit still. The other is to avoid periods where I have to sit still. That's it.

I've only had to show for jury duty once and was excused before getting selected (actually, EVERY potential juror was excused that day as all of the trials got cancelled). I'm not sure how my condition would go over with the commissioner or, if I got selected, with the judge. Sorta scares me as to what would happen.

[Gman]

My biggest concern with serving on a jury is related to my sleep apnea. I do not get restful sleep and because of this any time I have to sit still for more than 5 minutes I begin to nod off. I've tried everything to overcome this and only 2 things help - slightly. One is comsuming a 5 Hour Energy drink 15 minutes prior to known periods where I'll be required to sit still. The other is to avoid periods where I have to sit still. That's it.

Dude. CPAP. It has changed my life.

[Eric P]

I have been summoned 5 times. The 1st 4 times was just after I moved to a new county. Excused each of those. The last time in Douglas County, I was sicker than a dog but still went in. Was eliminated after after the public defender confirmed I worked at the DOT. Guess that is an auto expell for drunk driving.

The last summons to come to my house was for my late mom 9 weeks after she passed. This was for douglas, but she lived in El Paso Co. I guess her address was updated when I had all her mail forwarded to me.

[newracer]

I have only been summoned once. They made a deal right before the selection process started.

My wife was on a murder case, 3 weeks, she said it was a great experience.


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[pickenup]

Last time I received a summons, I had other errands to run first and just plain forgot.
When I got to the court house I stepped through the door, took a couple of steps, saw the metal detector and thought...oh shit.
Back to my car I went to "remove" my carry piece. Yes I know better, but my mind was on other things.
I was hoping to get selected, but was sent home as the defendant ended up pleading guilty.

Nice write up, hope this takes the fear/anger/reluctance of going out of some.

[Irving]

My biggest concern with serving on a jury is related to my sleep apnea. I do not get restful sleep and because of this any time I have to sit still for more than 5 minutes I begin to nod off. I've tried everything to overcome this and only 2 things help - slightly. One is comsuming a 5 Hour Energy drink 15 minutes prior to known periods where I'll be required to sit still. The other is to avoid periods where I have to sit still. That's it.

I'm the same way, and I don't have sleep apnea (that I know of). If I'm not fully engaged, I drift off.

[GilpinGuy]

I've only received 2 summons in 17 years living up here and I didn't have to appear either time. My wife gets about 2 summons a year and has actually served on a jury. Weird. I assume it's a randon draw kind of thing.

I'd reallly like to do it and see how the sausage is made.

[TheGrey]

The Voir Dire process was nothing like I expected- most of it was conducted by the judge. One of the questions he asked the potential jurors was if they had any medical conditions that may preclude them from sitting on a jury. We had an older woman that had some serious issues with her knees- as in, they visibly were crooked when she walked- that made it very difficult for her to sit in those chairs. I believe she said they were the result of a car accident 20+ years ago, in addition to lower back problems. I bet the judge would have taken sleep apnea into account as well. There were plenty of non-thrilling moments, but that's why I took so many many notes. It kept me engaged and stumbling across nuggets of information to write questions. When I submitted my questions, all the attorneys had to come up to the bench to read them, discuss their viability and see if there were any objections (the judge had a switch that would turn on white noise, making it nearly impossible to hear any of the chat going on.) The jury would take the opportunity to stand and stretch- especially the pregnant girl.

I'm glad to hear that the rest of the counties seem to be on par with my experience. They really sincerely appreciate the jury. The judge told us afterward that he was thrilled to have a jury making decisions, because he has to make so many already.

[Hummer]

Outstanding write up, Grey. It reflects my own experience with jury duty and the professionalism in the courtroom. The care in communication by the judge and attorneys during and after trial were most impressive-- the same in Mesa County as you describe in Douglas.

I've been called for duty maybe 8 times and stayed to observe the proceedings a couple times even though I wasn't selected. I finally served once about 10 years ago on a criminal trial of a meth dealer and enforcer who severely beat and brain damaged one of his customers. I was asked but declined to serve as foreman, choosing instead to concentrate on taking copious notes on the details presented at trial. Those notes paid off in the deliberations when some jury members were inclined to convict on 4 felony counts instead of 7. My arguments based on the testimony convinced them to convict on all 7 counts. The thug is in for 36 years to life.

It was an excellent jury, good thoughtful people, mostly conservative folks who were concerned about the fairness of the charges. I was more impressed with the performance of the defense attorney than the prosecutor (who is now the MC DA). The outreach to the jury by the judge and attorneys after trial impressed everyone of the court system. It was an eye opening experience for me.