Initiation Into The Jury System (February 2016)

Initiation Into the Jury System – My Civic Obligation

A juror’s process of initiation begins with surrendering to the legal system and exercising its standard of reasonable certainty. During my civic obligation of jury duty on Friday, I was equipped with a clear conscience and reading material covering Science & Spirit – exploring things that matter and Tikkun – to mend, repair, and transform the world. While going through the extensive selection process of voir dire, I questioned and examined more deeply the randomness of jurors picked as part of the justice system. I would call this “calculated randomness,” where there is a level of organization to the selection, similar perhaps to the laws of nature in the cosmos. We were shepherded from one assembly room to another, our identities defined by the numbers we were handed.

I was once again reminded of the ecclesiastical atmosphere of jury trials—the silence instilled by obedience, wooden benches facing the podium (or altar), and pure light shining through tall windows. “All rise!” The judge entered the room and summoned us to raise our hands to swear an oath to tell the truth, as we do in prayer to God. I realized that this entire process was not included in the black‑and‑white 1957 film 12 Angry Men, which I watched a week before. The movie stressed the importance of observation, analysis, clarity of thought free from prejudice, collaboration, responsibility, and self‑belief. Twelve strangers were fortuitously brought together as a single unit at that moment in time to judge the course of another’s life in a criminal trial, and then freed as separate entities. Several of the jurors seemed to have strong temperaments or to be coping with personal issues, especially in the case of the last opposing juror. One by one, and frame by frame, each juror revealed some level of insecurity, but once they were made aware of their problems, this gave them a new perspective on the court case.

Based on my experience so far in the jury selection system, it appeared that the process of voir dire was to eliminate potential jurors who may have any suspicion of bias toward any aspect of the trial—unlike the jurors featured in the movie. It also appeared that jurors in the film were chosen despite their uniqueness or experience, which was contrary to the jury duty video orientation that was played for us today.

Break Free Thinking – Art in the Courtroom

As prospective jurors (or actors, depending on what value the role held for each person), we were allowed a one‑hour lunch break, but otherwise we had to remain in the courthouse unless dismissed from duty. The calm and controlled court atmosphere rebounded me to a state of artistic inquiry and self‑awareness. In this state, I brought art into the courtroom by thinking more critically about a question a fellow scientist once asked me about creation (my art) and its destruction. You can read my response to this question in my essay, Do Justice On Art.

Voir Dire – Outlandish and Suspenseful

Alas, being in the second‑to‑last jury group to reach the next stage of voir dire, my jury number was called. I was ushered into another courtroom and was requested to sit in a black cushioned seat surrounded by the defense attorney, suspect, prosecutor, and judge—all sitting within a few feet of me behind rectangular tables. It was a new experience that seemed outlandish and suspenseful at once. It was like being on a random interview, one for which you could not quite prepare. My voice sounded foreign in this place as I responded to questions posed in a robotic manner, with no hint of human emotion. It took extra effort to comprehend what was being asked because of this. After spending the preceding hours ruminating over the vast universe and keeping an open mind, it seemed as if every question they asked me was narrow and undeveloped. I felt I needed clarity on each one.

Capping this with the fact that I was a biology major, it probably served as convincing evidence that I tend to have difficulty reaching conclusions beyond reasonable doubt. From that point, I was escorted out of the room and asked to stand in the pass‑through vestibule with the next juror in line. He looked up at me from his chair and inquired with anticipation, “Were you picked?” I replied, “I hope not,” even though I would probably have been fine with serving on the jury to further experience the whole process and learn more about the trial.

Is Jury Duty a Hardship or an Honor?

I was dismissed from jury duty along with all the others who came in that day and were not chosen. I was surprised by the vetting process. I wondered if perhaps there was a more efficient way of making the day more worthwhile for each potential juror called in. Two Asian students sat beside me at one point with their college textbooks and conversed briefly with one another. They were frustrated that they had been picked for jury duty and believed that students’ priorities should be school and their studies. There was even a student I recall who frantically worked on schoolwork or appeared to be prepping for an exam. She sat in practically the same spot as the suspect in the prior assembly room. It became clear that judging the course of another’s life was not at the forefront of her mind at this time.

I do see this as a valuable opportunity for any student to experience; however, I can also relate, having once been in their same shoes. My thoughts drifted to the sense of confinement students feel within a prescribed course curriculum once they declare a major, and then to another kind of confinement—sitting in classroom‑like cells that mirrored the courtrooms of the courthouse. The first question asked of me by the judge was whether serving as a juror for a two‑week span would be a hardship for me. My first thoughts were of the students, parents with young children, and people with jobs that were less forgiving. Relieved, my priorities and circumstances are different, so my answer was apparent and not difficult.

We Are Human

My gaze rested upon the suspect in the assembly room, which was filled with jurors summoned for the day. She looked familiar, but then again, we often subconsciously find similarities between strangers and people we know. As my eyes circled around the room to look at the potential jurors, I thought about how we all could have been that suspect and how our fate could be governed by strangers. My experience as a juror concludes with this—a contemplative chronicle of my experience of today’s American judicial system.