I spent today at the county court house because I was summoned for jury duty. It was 8 hours of hell, being herded like cattle and waiting around for them to get their judicial shit together. I was excused from service so I was spared of going back on Tuesday and Wednesday. All they told us was a felony drug case. A few observations:
I am an ex cop, even though it was 10 years ago and I was on the reserves, it still counts. Ex cops for felony cases are almost always excused.
I loathe defense attorneys, especially word weasels. This guy was a weasel in a sport coat with a circumference 4 inches too small. It rode up over his belly. He picked on me with questions, I suppose since he knew I was going to be eliminated. I pushed back. Being an asshole back to the defense counsel is a good tactic.
The last card I played was 2 deceased brothers, both drug abusers, and I didn't see it as a victimless crime as the defense attorney was trying to pitch. The devastation on the family alone is impossible to measure. He kept pushing and trying to pin me down with his questions. I finally relented his point with "you are doing a good job. OK your generalities are generally true."
I hate weasels.
Professional defense attorneys are an odd lot.
ReplyDeleteI got thrown onto a petite jury for a DWI case a few years back. The defense attorney was so sleazy, so... ew! and yet so outgunned the poor fresh-out-of-law-school prosecutor that it wasn't even a battle.
I had to find the guy not guilty - and I was so pissed about it, because this defense attorney was who he was.
I'm not sure the effect different defense tactics have on cases like that.
I always like the poor death penalty defendant who appealed his sentence because his attorney had fallen asleep during his trial.
The Supreme Court upheld his conviction, stating that falling asleep "might have been a defense tactic to cause sympathy in the jury."
Professional defense attorneys ARE an odd lot! Most of the ones I have come in contact with are sleezy to the max. This guy irritated me before he even started speaking. I am friends with lawyers, all are lovely people, but none are in private criminal defense practice.
ReplyDeleteEverybody is entitled to a defense. If you had to acquit the guy on a DWI because the state was out lawyered, that is the system and you did your job. It helps to shower afterwards, and drink.
I realized last night how pissed off I was with the waste of a day and the abuse of 45 people's time. They kept telling us how important we were to the system. If we were that important, then would be more respectful of us and our time. The only thing missing was a border collie to herd us from room to room like the sheep we were.
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