End of jury duty

Closing arguments in the case I served on were given today, after which we adjourned to the deliberation room to discuss the case. After two and a half hours, we came to the decision to find the defendant guilty of both felony murder and first degree murder. It has been quite an educational experience, one which I am likely to never forget nor wish to repeat anytime soon. Perhaps most unnerving was the viewing of the crime scene photos and the autopsy photos while the victim's family were in the court room. The picture here shows the defense attorney (on the left), the judge, and the DA from our particular case. While another, more high profile case was being started across the street in the US District court, our little case proceeded with little or no mention in the papers or other media. However, the gravity of our charge as jurors was still quite a heavy burden and one that I hope future jurors will perform with the understanding that it is not anything like what the television shows lead us to believe.

Jury Duty update

Despite my earlier rejection, I was picked today to be on another jury for a case involving murder and kidnapping. It has been interesting, as I have already heard testimony for the prosecution's case, as well as the defense rebuttals to this information. I'm not at liberty to talk about the particulars, but the actual experience with the jury has been enlightening. I am taking copious notes (thanks to history training), but as we all know, the presentation of reality and its construction through divergent sources can be a challenging enterprise. Both sides seem to believe it will be over by Wednesday, Thursday at the latest. By the way, they feed us at Calhoun's on the river - that seemed very surreal to me...