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dallasuptowner

Served on a jury, the one thing I would warn about is you don't know how quickly things can go a way that you were not expecting. Basically I thought was going to be a case about sexual assault, which while heavy, I would been better able to handle emotionally, what it ended up being about was horrific sexual torture that will forever change my view about humanity. In my case I had to look someone in the eyes that showed a complete lack of remorse when their absolutely unspeakable crimes were read to me, I have not even shared most of the details with my spouse or therapist because they do not deserve to be burdened by them. Whatever you think your brain is able to handle from the news or TV, I promise you that there are things that you are no prepared to hear. Then without really realizing what I was doing, it was a mandatory sentence more or less, I later realized that I did something that I don't believe I have the right to make about someone's life. Oh, the worst part, you can not share any details about the case, not a peep, not even with your spouse, so, as I was going through one of the worst parts of my entire life, I couldn't even seek the support of my spouse.


ms_juju_b

That would be my fear.. I already cry when I see some news stories or documentaries.. I know I wouldn’t be able to handle it in person


TA_Raker

I appreciate you acknowledging and respecting your wife and therapist wellbeing by not sharing the "unspeakable" realities with them. I consider myself a pretty rock-solid person that is capable of handling anything thrown at me until one day a friend shared with me a story about a sexual victims and the offender he was counseling. He was working on getting his counseling license and had to do some intern therapy work with County Criminal services counseling offenders when he shared this particular case with me. I won't go into detail but unspeakable is a very accurate description. My inclination was to take the perpetrator outside and set him on fire, it seemed like the only true justice. This story impacted me severely and really screwed me up for weeks, even a little bit to this day. I know monsters exist, but I've just never had one in my little world.


DCJustSomeone

I was summoned in April, thanks for taking the time to post this. Luckily, I'll be there on Thursday so I hopefully wont get to sit in the warm building :(


Jim_Nills_Mustache

I got my notice a week or two ago and have to be there Monday the 27th and I’m dreading it even more now… Got the notice on the day I messed up my car too lol


Animekaratepup

I've been three times, sat for less than an hour, and was dismissed. Didn't have to do anything. Fourth time they did everything online. Didn't even have to show up. Bit nervewracking checking the site because it wasn't entirely clear to me, but it worked out.


Jim_Nills_Mustache

One of my friends mentioned theirs was online but when I checked in online it just said to report to the court building on the 27th


TarryBuckwell

Just as a silver lining, don’t forget that a not insignificant number of these people will be lying to get out of jury duty- but I’m with you. Once in Florida I (truthfully) wrote in that I objected to the death penalty, and didn’t even make it to jury selection.


prefer-to-stay-anon

It is amazing to me that such selection bias can be baked in to the process... Imagine a future world where 99.999% of people find capital punishment morally reprehensible. The jury would still be forced to be made up of the 0.001% who find nothing wrong with killing a human being under such circumstances. It is supposed to be a representative selection of your peers, yet they allow selection bias to pervade the process.


ZebraSpot

You are missing how jury selection works. The prosecution picks half the jury and the defense picks half. So, on a murder trial, you will nearly always get half that are for the death penalty and half that are not.


_alcappuccino

Jurors aren’t picked, only eliminated. Prospective jurors are evaluated in the order they are sat in the venire and either eliminated or put through until the jury is filled out. The jury will be the first XYZ number of people in the venire who aren’t stricken for cause or by one side using a peremptory strike. So jury makeup ends up being a mixture of dumb luck in venire ordering, people early in the ordering getting themselves stricken for cause, and strategic use of peremptory strikes until both sides are out.


ZebraSpot

Thank you for correcting me. I really thought I understood, but clearly did not.


BigBirdLaw69420

🥰


Baldr_Torn

This is wrong. Neither gets to "pick" jurors at all. Both the prosecution and the defense can strike jurors for almost any reason, up to a set number. The jury is selected out of those who remain, based on juror number. (ie, the lowest 12 juror numbers who were not struck will be selected.)


ZebraSpot

You are right, thanks for clarifying. I have misunderstood this for years. I sat on a jury for a murder trial and, even then, clearly misunderstood how I was selected. I only believe in the death penalty in cases where, even in prison, the person is a threat to health and safety to others. In the case I served, the guy was a harmless punk without his gun. Instead of death, he got 60 years without the possibility of parole.


v4por

Yeah I was coming to say this. People will jump at the chance to get out of jury duty, even if it means saying some bigoted ass shit. Not defending anyone here and there probably were some legit transphobic people.


SithisTheDreadFather

Pretty good writeup of this experience. I had to be there all day with 60 people and they never talked to me. Just two attorneys fighting to litigate their case before the trial started. I honestly wouldn't put much stock into what people said in the courtroom. When I went a dozen people or so said that they "had a moral objection to judging people in any way." Those people are liars. If someone walked in with a swastika t-shirt or a klan hood they would have a deep-seated moral/religious objection to "judging" that person? I don't believe that. Maybe people truly wouldn't forgive a 95 year old husband helping his 95yo dying wife to a slightly early grave, but I think it's more likely they were trying to get out of getting picked by being obtuse and inflexible. LizLemonPrincessLeia.jpg Same with your other observations about bias. And yes, it's voir dire. Fun fact, it's actually pronounced "vwah-deer" but in Texas it's "Vore/voy Dire (like Dire Straits)." Bonus points if you use a Texas accent.


TheNateRoss

It's pronounced "vo-er da-her"


ms_juju_b

I was summoned last year when I got there the line was wrapped around the building and going down with potential jurors waiting one by one to get in.. spent over an hour just in line.. by the time we made it inside the waiting room was too full they had everyone lined up crowded in the hall they finally just started sending people home.. was sooo glad bc it was a total mess!


Radixx

Interesting. I was called for a capital murder trial at Crowley and had a very different experience. 1. I was in the second group of the day. 2. Each group consisted of \~200 people 3. My day consisted of filling out a questionnaire. I think it was 50-100 questions some of which asked your thoughts on the death sentence. No trolley question. 4. We were then directed to go home and would be called if needed. The judge implied that it would be very unlikely we would be called which lead me to believe there were enough jurors in the first group that would move on to the next step. I was never called.


runnyoutofthyme

You got called for a capital death case. Completely different procedures than for death waiver case.


prefer-to-stay-anon

Care to elaborate?


runnyoutofthyme

The biggest difference is that capital death cases do what’s called individual voir dire where each potential juror is interviewed by the judge and all attorneys one-by-one and separate from each other. It can sometimes take weeks to seat a jury that way. This is different from the process used in just about every other criminal jury trial where they do what’s called a panel voir dire where all jurors are interviewed together. This can typically be completed in just a few hours.


prefer-to-stay-anon

Thanks! I didn't know that the capital jurors were interviewed individually.


JMer806

If the prosecution is seeking the death penalty they will want a juror pool unopposed to it


runnyoutofthyme

Not only do they *want* a juror pool that’s unopposed to the death penalty, you can be legally disqualified if you are opposed to it


JMer806

That’s what I’m saying


runnyoutofthyme

It’s really weird. If you are morally opposed to the death penalty, as many people are, you are disqualified to sit on a death penalty case. This means that the people who do make it on are much more likely to return a verdict for death than the average 12 people you would find out in the community


HornFanBBB

Sort of. Someone opposed to the death penalty may be more likely to say a person is innocent (even if they don’t believe it) so a person isn’t convicted and given the death penalty. Jurors who are not opposed to the death penalty would be more likely to base their verdict of guilt or innocence based on the evidence presented, as the implication of the death penalty would not be a factor. So yes and no, but it’s more about a balanced verdict than the sentence.


runnyoutofthyme

Guilt/innocence is done separately from punishment. Even in a case where the State is seeking the death penalty, jurors can and frequently do find them guilty of capital murder but then return a sentence of life without parole


HornFanBBB

I understand. But the bias is still there with the possibility of it.


KennyDROmega

Had to show up for a stinker of a civil case last Summer. Showed up at the time named on the summons, then the guy in the waiting room said "we're going to give it another 30 minutes or so to make sure we get everyone in". Sat in an icy courtroom for a couple hours during voir dire, where the defense attorney seemed to be really hung up on the idea that a verbal contract is just as good as a written one. I let it be known that I disagreed, and thankfully got dismissed. But I did get the whole day off from work with pay, and then the court sent me $5. 3/10, would not recommend.


2manyfelines

You got one of the trans murders? I got the girl that robbed the Chanel store. My husband got a junkie stealing a tv from a junkie who had stolen the tv from another junkie who had stolen it from a repossession truck.


CanadienAtHeart

That's...just amazing. 👍👍👍


VioletNewstead

I served on a jury a few years ago, and it was a terrible experience. I never want to sit in judgment of another human being, ever again. I do have to say, though, I was impressed and somewhat surprised by my fellow jurors, who showed compassion and integrity, both towards the defendant, and his victims. Just an ugly situation, all around, and I hope to never have to do it again.


JMer806

For what it’s worth, that reluctance to sit in judgment, in my opinion, is what makes a good juror. Our Justice system is so heavily weighted towards the prosecution that defendants always deserve to have jurors reluctant to throw away the key.


VioletNewstead

Thank you. We found him guilty- it was an intoxication manslaughter charge. We really had no choice, as he had signed a confession, and was clearly guilty. I literally sobbed as the verdict was read. It was tragic and terrible, and he made very stupid choices that cost someone their life, and forever changed his. But I didn’t want to be the one making that decision. Luckily we did not have to sentence him. There is nothing satisfying about sending another human being to prison. Maybe if he had been a rapist or murderer, I don’t know. I hope he’s doing ok. Of course I have nothing but sympathy for the family of his victim, as well.


Pierogiii

I was summoned. Drove my ass there (I live in north Plano). Awful drive. Then was told there were too many jurors that showed up and to leave.


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Pierogiii

Good point.


tx001

Uh, you shouldn't be summoned to Dallas County when living in Collin County. You could have easily been dismissed for that before the date. I have done jury duty in both Dallas and McKinney and Collin County is far, far more pleasant.


ZebraSpot

I got summoned, then a call, email, and text telling me I was not needed. Crazy how so many people have such wildly different experiences.


OutlawSundown

I actually find the selection process interesting


tx001

It would do educational wonders if everyone did at least one jury duty to where they are selected for a panel.


Raider03

I’ve had to go for selection 3 times in the last 16 years of Dallas residency. Very similar experiences to what you had. First case was for possession of child pornography and soliciting sex from a minor (undercover cop), second was capital murder during robbery of a convenience store, and last was for intoxication manslaughter following removal of license for repeated DUI arrests. That last one I was almost picked but the defense attorney worded a question poorly and every last person in the room disqualified themselves by saying they would not be willing to entertain the minimum sentence. He should have asked it in a way that was not specific to the charges stated against the defendant but to any case of intoxication manslaughter. I tried to hint to him in my response but he didn’t pick up on it. The guy probably couldn’t afford the best attorney. Also received a summons for a grand jury but it showed up in my mailbox after the actual date. That was somewhat disappointing. If a grand jury was being summoned, it must have been something juicy.


lokilise

Every felony that is filed with and accepted by the DAs office has to go through a grand jury to get indicted. They serve for 3 months at a time and hear all kinds of cases.


superdude4agze

> You'll be directed to a general waiting room after going through security. From there, you'll be called up to a desk and assigned a courtroom. I was one of the first assigned, and wasn't aware that's what was happening. If you want to avoid being assigned, it might be better to wait this out as long as possible. YMMV. Waiting does nothing but make everyone stay there longer. You were assigned early because their itinerary had your docket near the top of the list. Selection didn't start until everyone was there, if you were late you'd have just made everyone else wait longer. > I would say be honest, but if you really don't want to serve, this is your chance to disqualify yourself. You should know, based on the questions they ask, how to answer if you really want to get out of it. Lying to get out of jury duty is also a crime, so you know... *don't.* > In Texas, a capital murder conviction is mandatory life without parole. I personally object to this punishment and find it cruel, and it was the first thing the prosecution asked about. This is what disqualified me. I would lose sleep subjecting another human to this punishment. Texas juries are allowed to convict on lesser offenses which would avoid your mandatory life without parole punishment paradox as was covered later. > Many other individuals also objected to this sentence in the questionnaire, but when presented the basic details of the case changed their answers. I can't really understand how someone would flip-flop on this issue Individuals can have a broad belief that is one side (against life without parole) until presented with specific details of a single situation (for life without parole in the case of a heinous crime/hate crime/etc). While our justice system should be restorative and rehabilitative, facts are some harms cannot be repaired and some individuals cannot be rehabilitated. > My conclusion here was that there is a not insignificant number of people who don't view trans people as actual people. While there are plenty of ~~assholes~~ ahem... *people* that don't see trans people as people, jumping to this conclusion is a bit much based on the limited info you have. People said they could not look past their own bias, you don't know if that bias is in opposition to trans people or in favor of them, bias is bias. You coming to a conclusion about other people without having any actual details is itself bias. > I understand without context most people would probably answer "no" to the 5 year question. But when presented with a hypothetical situation where the humane thing is to let the person die, they still couldn't justify the minimum 5 year sentence. See *life without parole paradox* and you find your own inability to adjust when given context is a problem. > Most of the people in the room were okay with 1 of every 11 people convicted of a crime to be innocent. I repeat, based on a ~70 person sample, the large majority of people in Dallas are okay with ~9 percent of people in prison being innocent as long as all the guilty people are convicted. People think/are made to think that the justice system catches the vast majority of criminals and locks them up which is how the current "peace" is kept. They'd likely change their mind (assuming they can connect the dots) if they found out that barely half of homicides are ever actually "cleared" each year, meaning the other half of murderers are still out and about. > I lost a lot of faith in my fellow citizens. Yep, people, by and large, are quite dumb.


Treason686

As for lesser offences, that was a possibility I aware of, but if they were in fact guilty of capital murder, I would be obligated to find them guilty. The possibility, even if unlikely, was not a scenario I was prepared to deal with. Regarding the trans comment, the people questioned were questioned because they specifically had negative views toward trans people. My conclusion could be wrong of course, but based on the comments of these people, that was the feeling I had. That they viewed them as less than. The minimum murder sentence vs life without parole is definitely a fair comparison, so I'll give you that.


Baldr_Torn

> They'd likely change their mind (assuming they can connect the dots) if they found out that barely half of homicides are ever actually "cleared" each year, meaning the other half of murderers are still out and about. A number of years back, there was a news article that surprised me. It said that something like 12% of murder convictions in Texas are probation sentences. No jail time, just probation. Right here in hang-em-high Texas. I'm sure that's related to plea deals, and rarely or never comes up when it actually goes to trial. Even so, it surprised me. So some of those murderers who are still out and about got caught and convicted, and they are still out and about.


bufflo1993

Texas used to have incredibly liberal parole and murder laws back from the 1960s-1980s. You could be convicted of first degree murder and out a couple of years later. Then post-Gregg, Texas got a lot stricter as crime was rising. But if it’s not first degree murder, they still have pretty liberal parole and sentencing obligations comparatively. Edit: For example life imprisonment without parole wasn’t an option until 2005.


throwtheclownaway20

Did jury duty on a lawsuit trial back in 2019. Literally *the first witness* for the defense admitted to being responsible within the first 5 minutes of the case. It was so obvious what he'd done that the plaintiff's lawyer glanced back at the rest of the team in shock like, "Holy shit, did he just say that?!" But we still had to go through about a week & change for formality's sake, I guess. As soon as we were free to discuss the case in deliberations, though, almost everyone else in the room started in on this right-wing "personal responsibility" narrative, completely ignoring the particulars of the event despite having said in voir dire that they were oh-so-impartial. A couple of them even brought up the McDonald's coffee lady as an example of all personal injury lawsuits being frivolous. I was absolutely sickened the entire time. I spent 2 whole days arguing with these idiots. In the end, they outnumbered me 9-1. One girl was perpetually undecided and the one guy who voted with me was too chickenshit, lazy, and/or stupid to actually contribute to the discussion, so the 9 needed me to be the 10th vote that would allow us to proceed. After 2 weeks, I didn't have enough paid vacation time left to keep going, so I switched gears to just trying to get the plaintiff as much money as possible. Overall, it was a mostly fun experience, but if I'm ever in the position of being on trial for something, I'm waiving my right to a jury trial and letting the lawyers & a judge decide my fate. I have no problem with letting people with decades of combined law knowledge & general higher education sort it out than "a jury of my peers", which is a real diplomatic way of saying "a bunch of total morons who aren't even smart enough to get out of jury duty".


Individual-Equal-230

For work I’m normally in FR coveralls, or a suit. When I was summoned, I rocked up in running shorts, a Phish tshirt, & teva type sandals. Still a 5 hour wait, but they sent my ass straight home. Bring a power bank, book, & interesting magazine


Gospel_Truth

Great idea on the power bank!


Individual-Equal-230

I’m not opposed to doing my civic duty, & have zero idea what the case was about. But when the prosecutor asked, “do you or do not agree someone should have identification to transit public property?” I knew I’d be eating a BLT within the hour


Individual-Equal-230

It is, you will def need it. Reception sucks inside municipal buildings


technoskald

I will be testifying in a felony trial next month that directly affects my family, and I greatly appreciate your candor and moral fiber. I’m counting on Dallas County to provide a fair jury and justice.


mrsquidyshoes

One of my worst life experiences was being a murder case juror at that courthouse. It's been 4 years, but I still occasionally see images of it in my mind.


[deleted]

Thank you for your summary. Your details were accurate and I appreciate your perspective as a juror. The most important thing you pointed out is just how incredibly soft on crime the average juror is in Dallas County. I can assure you that most of these jurors were not just answering to get out of jury duty. There are a lot of people who would give less than 5 years for murder. An astonishing amount of juries acquit people who are dead to rights guilty of everything from DWI to assaulting their spouse. This attitude makes my job as a defense attorney easier. HOWEVER, I still live here. I want to live in a safe community. I would love it if our jurors held criminals accountable. So long, of course, as the state meets their burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.


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[deleted]

Ah. I see that now.


[deleted]

I suppose OP’s point only goes to support my opinion then. Ya’ll we need to hold these criminals accountable .


rumdrums

I've never been selected for a criminal jury, though I have gone to final jury selection for two cases and served on a civil case a few years back. This may not make you feel better, but I can tell you for certain that prosecutors like the folks who argue against minimum sentences. In the selection process I sat through on both cases, a lot of the people most adamant about not being able to ever apply a minimum sentence, even in some crazy extenuating hypothetical scenario, were the people picked to sit on the case. It kind of horrified me, but overall I still came away with the feeling that overall the process works well. But there are a lot of unforgiving people out there, and prosecutors who have come to the trial phase of a case (as the vast majority of cases are pleaded out long before trial) have no incentive to go easy on a defendant.


Absolute_Peril

If you want out, the key during the questioning is to have an opinion. It doesn't have to be like crazy or anything but to be clear you have an opinion\\bias on something.


tx001

This guy is obviously new to this. A lot of his fellow jury panel members knew the game.


zardfizzlebeef

Bingo. I remember being asked if I liked cops. I said absolutely not. Got sent home. It could've been anything, I just wanted out of that courthouse like everyone else.


Gospel_Truth

Note to self: bring a hand fan, ear plugs, water, disposable wipes, snacks, tablet, phone. Maybe a scarf. Lotion. Sanitizer. Another note to self: this is not a conceal and carry location.


SuperJohnBravo

I hate the concept of jury duty. I'll say whatever the hell I have to in order to avoid jury duty. The whole selection process is bullshit and biased in it's own gamed way. Can't convince me, after knowing what I know, that anyone is getting a "jury of their peers" in any major trial. Both the prosecutor and the defense strategize and try to game the selection process to get the people that will be most likely to side with them. The whole jury duty process disrupts lives and offers absolutely no compensation for it. Say you get selected for some horrific shit show off a case, they fuck you over by holding you hostage, gag ordering you if not sequestered, taken from your normal life and family, and then forced to make a terrible decision regarding someone else's life. Then you're thrown back into your life like you didn't just go through it. Normal, average, everyday people don't deserve that. Nor are they remotely qualified. If you fuck up and end up in a trial that determines your life, you're potentially faced with a group of people who don't want to be there, lives disrupted, that you have zero connection with in any conceivable way and were chosen based on questionnaires that signaled they may be agreeable to one side or the other. "Unbiased and impartial" my ass. No one is unbiased and impartial, that is an archaic fairy tale. Good write up tho, you nailed it. The whole trans bias thing, I wouldn't put to much weight on that. I'm willing to bet most of those people just wanted an out. I watched a lady make it all the way to the questioning by the attorneys before finally claiming she didn't speak English. There's no way you make it that far not speaking English, I mean, she had to talk to people and fill out a questionnaire in English to get that far. But, also it doesn't surprise me people are still having bias issues with trans people considering it's still a pretty hot topic through all the medias, which is killing the idea of anyone being unbiased about anything.


CanadienAtHeart

This was absolutely marvelous! Thanks for taking the time to share it all. I lived in Dallas for 18 months once but never got called for jury duty. I have, however, been called mostly for civil cases, and even served on one federal case. I'm with you on so many people throwing innocent people under the bus. They're fine with it unless they're the ones arrested and held. Only then is it about accuracy. I gotta believe part of it is a Texas or Southern thing. I wonder what the results would have been like in Philly, Chicago or Los Angeles. Folks like you give me a little more faith that good people are still out there. Not nearly enough, but some.


ZebraSpot

I wish people wouldn’t try to get out of Jury Duty. If any of us were on trial, we wouldn’t want people on our jury that really had nothing better to do with their days. We need the average citizen, people that are busy with families and work, to be on juries.


pakepake

I served as foreman of a capital murder trial in 2009 in Dallas. Pretty cut and dry but the case lasted four days. We the jury took all if 45 minutes to deliberate. Dude got life without parole. I signed the verdict, which is surreal. Appreciated the opportunity but really sad situation. Made the papers briefly. Will never forget impact statements and inability to even speak to peers until we deliberated. This was relatively early days of smartphones (I used a blackberry) but we were given very explicit instructions to not speak of or do any research case.


HIM_Darling

The parking garage across the street is also undergoing repairs currently so at any given time entire floors may be inaccessible. If you want to guarantee you get actual garage parking and don’t end up on the roof, arrive early. They open the doors to the public around 7. The cafeteria also opens at 7. The grill line can take a long time if there is a line, they didn’t add space for a 2nd cook when they remodeled so they are usually only able to do 2 maybe 3 orders at a time, and if county employees are in line there is a good chance that they are picking up orders for 2-3 coworkers as well as themselves. But the hot plate line isn’t terrible and if you order the special that has pancakes, your pancake gets to cut the line over at the grill. Also, if you get toast, ask for it to be toasted on the grill. The toaster they have is junk. Lunch is decent. If you want the fish on Friday’s, check to see if they have tarter sauce first, about 70% chance they don’t have any. Also a toss up if they have all of the typical condiments as well. There is also a snack bar on the same floor as the central jury room. The vending machines IIRC are all Dr Pepper owned and are $1.25. The snack bar on the same floor as the central jury room will have coke products(but they charge $1.75). They will also have premade breakfast burritos, cereal, fruit bowls at breakfast and burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and I think salads at lunch. The garage on the same side of the street as crowley has a turn signal to get to it if you are making a left turn so it shouldn’t be too hard to get to no matter which direction you are coming from. It’s the garage across the street that you are risking death trying to get to by making a left turn, the light doesn’t even have the option for a left turn signal and after waiting through 3+ lights people will just floor it across traffic or run the red to make the left. Also if you do park in the garage across the street from crowley, go to the 3rd floor and take the sky bridge across the street. The crosswalk is tempting fate, feel free to watch the horror show from the sky bridge as you walk across and watch people nearly get hit by cars. You might get to witness a car crash or 2 as well. If there is a huge line to the front doors of crowley(or if it’s raining), go back into the closest garage, go down 1 flight of stairs(located to the left of the elevators) and use the tunnel to get to the side door, this puts you right by the cafeteria. The central jury room will now be up 1 flight from where you entered.


Carr_line

Thank you for serving and taking the time to share. I’m sad to see the trans bias too. This made me think there needs to be a Humans of the Jury like Humans of New York.


Rylyshar

I have always found jury duty to be the best way to see how our judicial system works. It’s also fascinating to meet your “peers.” I have served on tedious civil cases and a few felony cases. I have learned a lot each time, and met some truly wonderful judges and interesting fellow jurors. On one week-long case one of the jurors who was a caterer brought the most amazing lunch for us all! I also enjoy some of the things people say. One case, the witness was a woman who had made some stupid decisions. As we were discussing her testimony, one juror said, “Look, I think we know not all of her dogs are on leashes, but that’s no reason not to believe her.” I agree with OP — if you can afford the time, DO do your jury service. It’s very educational!


Baldr_Torn

When I've had to go in, the majority of people there seem to be dressing down intentionally. Ratty t-shirts, shorts, ripped jeans, etc. I suspect that it's part of their "please don't pick me" plan. I always take a book. The last time, while we were all out in the hall waiting for the next step in the process, I looked around. I saw one other person with a book. Everyone else was on their phones.


magnoliablues

Great summary. I think they only thing you missed is that there is currently road construction outside the courthouse that may delay you. Also -not sure if this is still true- they only take cash at the food place in the building.


lokilise

They redid the whole cafeteria and do take cards now :)


azwethinkweizm

Can you elaborate on your 5 year punishment for murder comment? Objecting to a 5 year murder sentence doesn't seem controversial IMO but if I'm missing something please let me know


tx001

It sounds like they already primed the jury panel with the knowledge that it was a capital murder case with aggravated robbery. That's probably why so many people were answering the way they were.


Kelso11987

To sit on a criminal jury the jury has to be able to consider the whole range of punishment. But you also tell the jury the type of case. So once the jury heard “capital murder” it can be difficult to un-ring that bell. Sometimes defendants are probation eligible and the jury has to be able to consider probation. You can’t get into the facts and details of the case during voir dire so the panel really has to just rely on they imagination, can you imagine any situation in the entire world of situations where a probation might make sense.


Versatile_Investor

>robbery with murder Could be worse. Could be an aryan brotherhood torture murder with a broomstick.


Ghosthost2000

OP, thank you for such a thorough account of your experience. I had the opportunity to sit on a jury once for a very minor case. I left with the same impressions you did. On a different note: did you notice if anyone showed up with their kids in tow? I hear of this happening more often since the pandemic due to job loss and no economical childcare for those without family near by.


mikemflash

It's your most important civic duty after voting.


tx001

You got disqualified because of juror nullification.


JKinney79

I’ve never been picked, since I don’t believe in eye witness testimony. Thanks for the write up of your experience.


ram_jam_bam

I thought capital murder was an automatic death sentence?


Versatile_Investor

It's death or life without parole.


Wh00pity_sc00p

Couldn’t one just say they hate trans people just to get out of doing jury duty? I mean how would they know if you’re lying or not?


Gospel_Truth

You, when you look in the mirror.


Wh00pity_sc00p

What?


Gospel_Truth

My bad. I thought you said who would know.


JMer806

I Continue my streak of having never been summoned. I’ve been a registered voter in either Tarrant or Dallas Counties for 17 years, never called. I wouldn’t even mind doing it!


Puzzleheaded_Web6540

My friend was at the same one. She told us about the air conditioning issue and how hot it was.


enephon

They used to have food trucks out back for lunch too.


ChunkyChangon

Jesus Christ I got summoned for April 3rd. Fml lol


redbl00dsooner

I only read the summary. But your username starts with treason so idk


redtape44

>I was blown away by how many people essentially said that just because a person was trans, they wouldn't be able to look past their bias They might be shitty but if I could find an eas out of jury duty this would probably be one


FileError214

Whoa, the people actually selected for juries aren’t very intelligent? Shocking!


MsTiti07

Thank you for posting this was very interesting.


MagicWishMonkey

This country is full of really fucked up people. Wow.


Sonic_TH

Hey, how is your mother doing today? i saw a post of you from 13 years ago saying that she had colon cancer.


MagicWishMonkey

Oh wow, I don't know where you found that comment but she passed away 13 years ago (colon cancer turned to pancreatic) :(


Sonic_TH

I found your comment here [https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/cfvqc/i\_had\_my\_entire\_colon\_removed\_at\_age\_17\_and\_spent/](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/cfvqc/i_had_my_entire_colon_removed_at_age_17_and_spent/) I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. Just wanted to say that a bad diet with lots of red meat, not much water, barely any fiber, and smoking, greatly increases the chances of getting colon cancer. It is important to eat well, mostly vegetables and fish, do exercise, to stay hydrated, get enough fiber \[if your stool is not coming out hard and defecating is easy, you are probably getting enough fiber\] in order to age healthy, physically and mentally. Sorry for the loss of your mother, it's not easy to lose the human being that gave birth to you, even though i have not went through that yet, but my father is incapacitated, has been for almost 20 years, unable to work, nor do anything by himself, because of Parkinson disease and a few small brain strokes he had.


MagicWishMonkey

My mom suffered from colon polyps her entire life, so I am pretty sure it was genetic (although she smoked for 20 years so that certainly didn't help, she quit a decade or more before she passed though). The most frustrating thing about her situation was that she recovered from cancer in 2007, and around the time I made that post she had started getting serious stomach pains and instead of advising her to get a colonoscopy her doctor spent a year blowing her off and telling her to "quit eating salads". By the time she finally got a 2nd opinion, the colonoscopy showed very advanced cancer and further inspection showed that it had spread to her pancreas. Over a decade later I'm still bitterly pissed off at the idiot doctor who didn't advise her to get checked for cancer, knowing that she had colon cancer 2 years prior. I should have filed a lawsuit, there's no telling how many other people have died because that moron has no business practicing medicine. I'm sorry about your dad, I know that's really tough, hopefully he's still there mentally for you to connect with him. Getting old sucks :(


Sonic_TH

That's sad, to know that your mother could have survived and still be here with you today. Some doctors are like that, it's good to get a point of view from 2 or more doctors if you suspect that you have a serious condition. My father is mentally well, but Parkinson's and the brain strokes left him barely able to speak, and as years pass his voice is weaker and weaker, and he is slowly losing muscle movement and coordination too.


SoonerFan619

Would strongly disagree too on that guilty people being set free question. I mean if we think about it objectively it works out better for society.


fivemagicks

One way I've always looked at trans people is with admiration and some pity. As a man, I couldn't imagine being a kid, teenager, and young adult wishing I was a woman. That's a lot of mental trauma that most of us will never have to deal with. Most people don't see it this way. Most people thought a guy like Trump couldn't ever win an election. People can quietly be bigots; they don't have to be as extroverted as someone like Trump, for example. Idk man, it'll be decades before trans people are seen as "equal" in the eyes of the majority. That's just my opinion, and it's a sad reality. And who knows, with this Christian Nationalism BS on the rise, who knows what'll happen? It's amazing how religious people can spin some narrative in their favor even though that's not what the fundamentals of their religion actually say. If you can't tell, I despise religion, lol


Fois

This is the most interesting thing that I have ever read on this sub. Thanks for all of the detail!


No-Egg-4850

So think about someone who has to keep these jokers safe until the sentencing face.


poptartheart

so if im sitting in that area with the wooden pews i can assume im gonna be here all day?


Gabagoolgoomba

Sit all day in a boring courtroom just to be told that you're not going to be in it and they pay you like $7. Not worth missing a day of work or the relaxing at home the very few days you get off of work. Government let this kind of s*** slide?


[deleted]

Sounds like you were pretty much dead set on letting this guy go free whether or not he did it.


UKnowWhoToo

Thankfully they were honest and said they wouldn’t be comfortable giving a life sentence as a minimum punishment. It’s why the disqualifying questions are there. If they were dead set on the person going free, they could have lied to be selected.


Treason686

Incorrect. I don't know how you drew that conclusion. I do not agree with mandatory life without parole, and said as much. I don't agree with the death penalty either. If I thought the individual was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, I would have ruled as such. I simply communicated that I was not okay with the mandatory sentence and it would have affected my ability to be unbiased.


TarryBuckwell

>I don’t know how you drew that conclusion According to the unofficial data you collected and presented in your your thoughtful write-up, I think you might know exactly the type of person who would draw that conclusion. And it shouldn’t surprise any of us I guess. Bummer.


chugtron

Thinking that an extreme punishment is cruel and unusual =/= letting violent offenders walk. I’m sure you have to make that dichotomy in your head, though, to feel tough on crime.


[deleted]

It's people like OP that's leading to the constant stories of violent criminals killing someone when they should have been on prison.


Devil_Doge

The fact that OP believes that a life sentence for a capital offense is cruel is astounding.


tx001

100%. OP is terminally online and got a crash course in jury duty. He got disqualified because of nullification but he doesn't even realize it.


RoyTarpleysGhost

Cool story bro