After talking with a few friends and watching the movie Twelve Angry Men (1957), I have came to the conclusion that I’m not a fan of our modern jury system works. I get the same eerie feeling of how human error must be so prevalent. I get the same feeling when I see a baseball, basketball, or soccer game, where they have the full power to use instant relay, but yet they they don’t use it. There are just better systems. I wish there was a way to create an electric system that had as high of a success rate at instant reply, but that isn’t the world we live in. And if there was a way to use the system, would you really feel comfortable about having a justice system that only gets it correct 98% of the time.

There are some great things about being on Jury. You get paid! Does this create an incentive to stay on the case longer? I think the easy and right answer to that is absolutely not if you are unemployed. Currently, jurors are paid $40 for each day they serve either on a case or in the assembly room while available to be assigned to a case, plus round trip mileage. Not if your job pays you for those days like you were at work. They should unless it has under ten employees. You will also be compensated for those hours your employer doesn’t pay. But I mean if your unemployed, 40 dollars is pretty great. But with an 8.3% unemployment rate there is a chance that someone may want a trial to go on longer.

Another thing that makes me feel eerie is sothing in the U.S. Constitution or in any Supreme Court decision requires jurors to take an oath to follow the law as the judge explains it or, for that matter, authorizes the judge to ‘instruct’ the jury at all. Judges provide their interpretation of the law, but you may also do your own thinking. Keep in mind that no juror’s oath is enforceable, and that you may regard all ‘instructions’ as advice.” Jurors have the power to ignore a judge’s instructions and vote their conscience. That is why very few lawyers or law professors, only some judges, and practically no school teachers know about jury veto power.

Few history books give juries the credit they’re due. For example, stopping the Salem witch trials, for overturning slavery in state after state before the Civil War, and for ending Prohibition, all by refusing to convict because they thought the law itself was wrong. Theres goods and bads.

My view is that, although the system is imperfect, justice can still be achieved.

Flawed Ideas:True syrup.

Humorous facts:
The no-show juror rate in Baltimore City is approximately 60%.