Just finished 3 days of jury duty at the Frank Murphy Hall
of Justice in Detroit at the court of Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway of the Third
Judicial Circuit of Michigan.
I have been called up for jury service on a number of occasions
but never served until now.
Jury duty can be a pain in the ass as you have to interrupt your
schedule and get your but to downtown Detroit which can be a little daunting
especially when you don’t really know the streets there and finding parking can
be a real chore but the experience is instructive and very humbling.
We had a pretty diverse group of men and women, black and
white, young and middle aged (I am not old). The amazing thing in this group is
that we liked each other immediately and all got along famously right from the
start.
Even more amazing is that when the trial was over we all
formed the same opinion before discussing the case; we all voted not guilty on
all counts; the prosecution was that bad and the defense was that good.
I say the experience was humbling because you realized that
in your hands was the fate of (in this case) a young woman; every one of us was
a judge and had to listen to the evidence and decide who was telling the truth
and who was lying or manipulating the truth.
Upon leaving the courtroom we were greeted and thanked by
the defendant and her parents (all sobbing) and believe me that makes a huge
impression on you and you feel good about what you have done for that family
and our society in general.
When you get called up for jury duty, don’t bitch and just
go…you will appreciate the experience.
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