I have been summoned for Jury Duty 3 times for Civil Court and once for Federal Court, in the City, and County of Los Angeles, state of California.
The first Civil duty consisted of me reading Dean Koontz for the week I was sitting in the lounge, waiting to be called. False alarm.
The second Civil summons found me on a case where a defendant was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, but the arresting officers made conflicting reports about the location the substance was found (near the defendant.) The trial lasted 3 days, with the jurors deciding the case in favor of the defendant.
The third Civil Case I went into the courtroom with presiding Judge Lance Ito, who was presiding over a racially motivated murder case. I was the next in line to be an alternate when the lady ahead of me attempted to excuse herself from the case (unsuccessfully), and I was released from duty.
The Federal duty was slated to last for 6 months if I was called for a case, with On-Call lasting 30 days. I remained On-Call (calling in every morning to see if I go to work, or got to the courthouse) for 2 weeks, then was released from duty.
Our system of government relies on the citizenry to provide "peers" to hear and decide cases presented to the court system. We each have a duty to perform this task when called upon.
| "This forum shall come to order, or you will all be removed from my court!!!" |
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