Jury Duty

I was called up for federal jury duty through the month of March. The way jury duty works in the US is a mess. Essentially, I am instructed to call or check online to see whether I have actually been selected from the juror pool for a specific trial. So far, each weekly call to the automated system has informed me that I have not been selected, but I needed to call back in a week to see what happened later on. It looks like federal courts are closed due to the coronavirus panic, since I recently received a robocall saying my duty was done for the month as a result. I'll be calling again this Friday afternoon to confirm anyway.

Had I been called to serve, I had every intent to weigh the case based on justice, legality be damned. My feelings about the jury system are mixed. On the one hand, the jury is supposed to act as a check against bad laws and unjust prosecution in theory. In practice, it's all to often a rubber stamp for the prosecution and judge. Jurors are conscripted, meaning their incentive to work hard and honestly is diminished considerably. The legal code is so byzantine that effective legal analysis is nigh impossible for the average citizen. So many cases are plea bargained that the jury is sidestepped for the most part.

Much as I hate the conscription means of jury duty, it is a way those of us with a spark of independence can potentially subvert the Injustice System. I feel bad that someone who wanted a fight in open court is stuck languishing away in prison, waiting for the pandemic panic to subside. The Constitutional assurance of a speedy and fair trial is already laughable, and this adds insult to injury. I only hope they have the good fortune to find a jury with at least one honest member willing to consider something more than the orders from the person in a black dress with a little mallet.

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