UNITED STATES—Have you ever served jury duty? Well, if you haven’t, I can officially note I have done it more than most Americans. Four times to be exact. Twice on the federal level, once on the state level and once on the local level. I swear and I know it in my bones after the very first time I voted I was immediately contacted shortly after for jury duty and it has been a pain in my existence since. The first time was in 2009, and it was at the federal courthouse, where I had to come to court every day for almost two weeks.
I am counting my blessings there, because it could have been a case where I got almost six months and that would have torpedoed my life. With that said, I am still trying to grapple with why the same people are repeatedly called for jury duty, but others are not. Look, I get it is your civic duty and I hear these celebrities talk about it being a humbling experience and all this other BS, but the jury duty system is broken beyond what people realize it truly is.
I would NOT, God forbid want my fate in the hands of 12 jurors I just wouldn’t because I have been a part of so many juries where the people who are serving couldn’t give a rat’s butt about the outcome and that is sad. You have a person’s fate in the hands of someone who doesn’t even want to be there. Tell me, please tell me what is fair about that?
Yes, you go through that grilling session in the courtroom in front of the lawyers, other jurors and the entire courtroom. People lie all the time to get out of serving. I’ve heard individuals saying they had vacations planned that they didn’t, they cared for medically ill individuals, had a surgery planned, the list goes on and on. I just find it fascinating that the government never seems to go after the people who are not actually employed and doing anything. I have family members who have NEVER been called for jury duty. Why me? Why me?
Why am I called for jury duty so often it feels like a yearly occurrence? I am knocking on wood and hoping I don’t get a piece of mail saying I have been summoned for jury duty in 2025 because I’m addressing such an issue. If so I will have the credence to hopefully get out of it considering I just served recently. That informational video they show all the jurors while you’re waiting in that room with what feels like hundreds of people is just stupid. It really doesn’t get into the nitty gritty of the process and doesn’t make you want to serve on a jury either.
What they should be showing is the 1957 film “12 Angry Men.” That is a movie that really gets into the nitty gritty of what it is like to be on a jury. How many don’t want to be there? People having prejudices, preconceived notions, not considering all the evidence, not understanding the importance of reasonable doubt and actually debating the merits of an actual case and the intricacies of being on a jury and having to come to a decision; it is great filmmaking and storytelling. Not to mention the closest portrait for me of what an actual jury is like, could be like or what should be considered.
I think the biggest concept that bugs me about jury duty is that Americans are NOT paid a decent wage. You’re paid like $5 or less a day. Excuse me, if anything you should be compensated at the federal minimum wage per hour, so at least $60 a day. Yes, you can be comped by your employer for work that you would have been paid for if not for jury duty, but what happens if you’re self-employed? You are simply out of luck and there is nothing you can do to change that.
The government can afford to pay jurors a decent wage, and if anything your parking should be fully covered, not the mileage it takes you to come and go to the courthouse, not everyone drives a car, which it seems the government forgets that. Let’s not even go into the notion of fending for yourself when it comes to lunch. At the federal courthouse, it seemed those people have 90 minutes for lunch. On the state level it was at least an hour, maybe longer at times.
I recall my first visit to the federal courthouse because it felt like you couldn’t bring anything into the courtroom. I know for certain I couldn’t bring my cellphone which angered the hell out of me. Leave it in your car, sorry people at the time I was serving jury duty then I had no damn car. The American jury duty system needs a bit revamp because I know in my gut there are people in jail and in prison because people just agreed to agree with other people because they wanted to get out of their civic duty as soon a possibly. I wonder if they would be so quick to make a decision if the tables were turned and their fate was held in the hands of their peers who didn’t care?
Written By Jason Jones
