Jury Duty

I know, "grooooaaaannnnn". That's what everyone says when you tell them you're on Jury Duty. And it is a bit of a groan, but this time, I actually got on a trial. And while I am at liberty now that it's over to talk about the case, what I'm really more interested in is talking about the jury. I've heard all these horror stories from the attorneys I know saying "it's so hard to get good jurors, they're all so stupid!" or from people I know who've been on juries "oh, my god, the other jurors were so not interested!" or from people I know who've had to be tried by a jury "oh, the jurors were so lame!" Well, I'm here to tell you that that was NOT my experience. I was sitting down with eleven of the most thoughtful, kind, interested and interesting, delightful people. They were funny. They were courteous. They were just down right nice. And they were very human. And, most importantly, everyone really, really, really wanted to do the right thing. And, what I found particularly lovely, is people spoke up about their sadness that they had to find the defendant guilty. That someone, who by all accounts was not a "bad" person, made a really, really, really bad decision. It was really quite remarkable. And because of these fellows, it really made me rise to the occasion. I found myself taking a little more time to think about something I thought I had already made a judgement on. I found myself trying to help clarify a point rather than be an advocate for a point. In short, these eleven strangers, by their simple, straightforward authenticity and goodness, made me want to be my own authentic and good self. And I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have sat on a jury like this one. To see our country's legal system, with all it's flaws and failings, at work. A trial by a jury of one's peers. Remarkable. Truly. It was an honor and a privilege.