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Originally Posted by Taltarzac725
I have often tried to get on the jury. In Sonoma County, CA the prosecutor bumped me off while the judge said he had seen me in the law library. I had been checking their resources for victims/survivors of crimes. In Pinellas County, FL I got tossed when I said I had a law degree. Up in Ocala in Federal Count the Judge removed me for being short with my answers. Had wanted to stay as the case was interesting and I was seated between two beautiful ladies. In Sumter County #1 the defendant plead guilty and the judge let us go before we got to questions from the judge and lawyers. Sumter County #2 I wrote the Clerk of Court that it would be hard for me to explain my interactions with the legal system in a few sentences to a judge and/or lawyers among potential jury members. In Sumter County #3 I requested to be taken off because I was needed to take care of family members.
But I really did want to serve on a jury. You get to see the legal system in action from up close.
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In New Mexico by statute lawyers and even judges can serve on juries. I suppose this is the case (pardon my pun) because the relatively large state historically has been and remains sparsely populated. Thus over the years I was called to jury duty occasionally - but not to the Liebeck vs McDonald's Restaurants trial. My oddest experience occurred in the atomic town and county of Los Alamos which had a population of fewer than 18,000 souls at the time. A resident had been killed or injured, I do not recall which, in a VW Beetle and VW was being sued for not incorporating a protective bar in its door frame. Anyway, I had filled out and turned in early in the morning one of the forms handed to all prospective jurors on which I reported that I was an attorney licensed to practice in New Mexico. I was amazed that I was not soon dismissed under voir dire and enjoyed sitting through the procedure most of the day. What astonished me was how surly the lead VW attorney was. Around 4;00 p.m. he finally called out my name and I responded "here". He lit into me about not telling anyone I was an attorney. I responded that no one had asked me until now, that I had written it on the form I turned in that he had obviously failed to read until just prior to calling my name. I was of course dismissed but I enjoyed the process.