It is one thing to call the courthouse every day to see if you are required to report for the possibility of jury duty. It is something else entirely when you are seated and end up serving. That is what happened to me on the 1st of May.
A court case in real life is certainly not the same as one portrayed on TV, although there are some similarities. We were seated in the jury box, and during opening and closing statements the attorneys came over and spoke directly to us, similar to what is portrayed on TV. And during the trial the witnesses did wear gloves to handle evidence.
As jurors we were not allowed to discuss the case in any manner until it was given to us for deliberation. That was a challenge as we all had the urge at one time or another to vent what was on our minds. And it is true that a trail takes an emotional toll on an individual. We went home for the night and the next day many reported a mental exhaustion of sitting throughout the afternoon listening to evidence, even though we only heard testimony for little more than three hours.
Deliberations were interesting. All opinions were heard and voting in our case usually occurred by way of upraised hands. We heard a criminal case with two charges and we were pretty much in agreement on one of them. But there was much discussion on the second. Our foreman did a good job making sure each juror was able to speak what was on his or her mind.
The bailiff was extremely helpful, the judge gracious and professional. The attorneys treated us extremely well, even as they tried to present their particular side of the issues. The members of the jury were considerate of each other and I found the whole experience educational and enlightening.
As I listened to the testimony I found that as a writer I was able to listen actively to the presentation of the case. As witnesses presented their testimony I was able to picture it in my mind. And even though it was a case involving something I might have had a natural opinion about in general, I treated my role seriously and focused on the facts presented by the evidence.
Things are not always as cut and dry as they appear, and that went for us as well. What appeared to be obvious to begin with soon resulted in some major discussions as to the evidence and the question of guilt or innocence. Even today I have been deliberating the case in hindsight and I suspect that is what the other jurors have been doing as well.
To sum up, now that I have served on a jury I have a greater appreciation of some of the more notable cases we have heard about in the media throughout the years. Outside the courtroom we have the media reports to sway our opinions. But in the courtroom we are given testimony and must deliberate based on the facts at hand.
There may be some flaws in the system and some verdicts might not come out the way we desire. But in the end we are tried by a jury of our peers based upon the facts presented in court. We took our roles seriously and I believe we treated the defendant with the respect he deserved. If for some reason I find myself in court in front of a jury, I pray they too will give me the same respect…