OldPoleBurner Wrote:
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> Have you been summoned to a Jury Pool, the group
> of people from which a jury is selected? I have -
> numerous times. In almost every case, I was
> thrown out on "preemptory challenge" as soon as
> the prosecutor or the plaintiff discovered that I
> was an electrical engineer. In one case I was
> immediately thrown out after I responded to a
> prosecutor's question thusly, "in order to presume
> innocence, I would have to also presume error on
> the part of the police - until proven otherwise."
> You should have seen his beady little eyes narrow
> as he threw me out!
>
> In one case - only one - I was empaneled on the
> jury; but only after the judge specifically
> disallowed several such preemptory challenges;
> saying that the jury must come from all walks of
> life and not exclude certain professions. He then
> explained that the side with the burden of proof
> typically wants to exclude doctors, engineers,
> scientists and other professionals trained in
> logic, because they are hard to persuade,
> typically having very high standards of proof;
> but that he would not tolerate such a skewing of
> the jury.
>
> However, in most preemptory challenges I have
> witnessed (at least a hundred), such prejudicial
> exclusions were allowed and no specific reasons
> for them were ever given. Though often you had to
> be dense to not notice the real reason.
>
> Not that I ever wanted to be on a jury, but those
> experiences have left me a bit jaded. I strongly
> suspect that since only one judge in a dozen seems
> concerned that each jury represent the broadest
> possible segment of society; juries are typically
> skewed - badly - not representative of the public
> at all. Indeed, juries are deliberately skewed to
> the lowest common denominator; dumbed down; easily
> manipulated; given to emotional persuasion; and
> unable or unwilling to see past the sophistry of
> cagey lawyers and rogue prosecutors (which are
> legion thanks to political patronage).
>
> In other words, as is obvious in case after case
> after case, of inexplicable rulings by judges and
> juries, the justice system in America is
> thoroughly corrupt; and will remain so as long as
> a corrupt political structure holds power; which
> in turn will continue until partisan political
> structures have finally been put aside by the
> people.

My sentiments exactly, and I too have encountered the results of being excused from EVERY SINGLE jury panel I was ever called for, simply because I was dressed in either a suit or sport jacket & tie, and was a degreed Mechanical Technician for the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors Corp. There was no way ANY defense attorney want the likes of ME on THEIR jury!

It's a shame the U.S. sort system does not select jurors as is done in England. A panel of judges interviews each and all prospective juror, and they, the panel of judges put together the jury panels, without "interference" from either side's attorneys. Then when a case requires a jury trial, one of the preselected jury panels is brought in to hear the case, and there are no objections from either side. Sure seems much fairer to me, anyway.