Court News
San Bernardino County called me for jury duty last Monday, 8 May. We sat around a good while, and we finally got to jury selection on one count of burglary. But after the defense counsel spent about 20 minutes in voir dire, we broke for lunch. When we got back, the judge excused us all because some issue had come up which could not be quickly settled, and so everybody agreed to continue the case.
I don't really understand why people so resent jury service. It certainly is a drag to have to sit around like that, but that's life. We sit around in traffic, at the doctor's office, waiting for kids, whatever. The courts have trouble getting jurors, and so they do what they can to make it as tolerable as possible. No one is to blame here.
Maybe people feel like they're being ripped off. But it's really not true. Such service is the nominal dues we pay for being part of a society whose benefits we have no problem taking advantage of. The same people who grumble about jury duty feel entitled to call a cop when someone breaks into their house, and expect a judge and jury to take the time to try him if the cops catch him. Does Scotty beam that jury down from the Enterprise?
In other news that same day, Judy was granted de facto parent status, which in California simply means that she is recognized as furnishing parental care and being well-acquainted with the kids, and is therefore entitled to be heard in all court proceedings and to be represented by counsel. The County Social Worker, Delores Simpson-Taylor, was still up to her tricks, but she was again rebuffed by the court and busted for her inconsistencies. I'm reminded how Mark Twain pointed out that the advantage of telling the truth is you don't need a good memory. Will this woman ever figure out that if she just stops lying she won't have to worry about being caught out in court?
Yes, and that's also not a bad point for me to ponder. You too.
I don't really understand why people so resent jury service. It certainly is a drag to have to sit around like that, but that's life. We sit around in traffic, at the doctor's office, waiting for kids, whatever. The courts have trouble getting jurors, and so they do what they can to make it as tolerable as possible. No one is to blame here.
Maybe people feel like they're being ripped off. But it's really not true. Such service is the nominal dues we pay for being part of a society whose benefits we have no problem taking advantage of. The same people who grumble about jury duty feel entitled to call a cop when someone breaks into their house, and expect a judge and jury to take the time to try him if the cops catch him. Does Scotty beam that jury down from the Enterprise?
In other news that same day, Judy was granted de facto parent status, which in California simply means that she is recognized as furnishing parental care and being well-acquainted with the kids, and is therefore entitled to be heard in all court proceedings and to be represented by counsel. The County Social Worker, Delores Simpson-Taylor, was still up to her tricks, but she was again rebuffed by the court and busted for her inconsistencies. I'm reminded how Mark Twain pointed out that the advantage of telling the truth is you don't need a good memory. Will this woman ever figure out that if she just stops lying she won't have to worry about being caught out in court?
Yes, and that's also not a bad point for me to ponder. You too.
posted by Peter Attwood at 5/10/2006 08:15:00 PM
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