When Jury Duty Calls

Jury duty, like childbirth, rarely calls at a convenient time.  

Before I started law school, I worked for a legal aid clinic in a Chicago housing project. I was part of their administrative staff and some times served as their paralegal. One of my first legal experiences was to help keep exhibits organized for the attorney providing a defense in a murder case being tried to a jury.  My question then was, “how can 12 ordinary people listen, weigh and analyze a case and come up with the ‘truth’.”

Now I know.

I recently spent a few days serving as juror 7 in a criminal case.  I value the experience and the insight.  After the Judge charged us, we filed back to the jury room and started deliberations.  We had no difficulty choosing a foreperson.  While we all had ideas about how to proceed, we came to a consensus about how to organize the material.  We looked at the evidence, credibility, and timelines, always being ably guided by our foreperson.  Everyone spoke up.  We argued our views intensely but not personally.  People were respectful in the discussions and listened to each other.  At the end, we reached a consensus. 12 random people, pulled from voter lists, who I only know by first name, bonded over one critically important task.

I have seen the justice system from the counsel table, from the hearing room bench and now from the jury box, and these experiences have all made me better equipped to serve as Judge.