Legal News

So, What do Jurors Really Think?

By Brian Harris

For the past few months, I have been perusing comments folks make about jury duty as @mmgjury on Twitter (www.twitter.com).  What I have learned has been quite insightful, and has elicited more than one belly laugh. So, if you want to know what the folks in your venire are really thinking, here are some of their comments.

   About Each Other

• "78-85 year old dude here at jury duty wearing a shirt that says ?I love hot moms.?"
• "Please, Baby Jesus, let there be no farters or actors at jury duty."
• "There are more depressed looking people here at the courthouse waiting for jury duty than at the DMV or an airport."
• "Lady next to me in the jury duty room is snoring like a chainsaw. Do I give her the old foot kick?"
• "Jury duty is like central booking. Everyone has a reason they shouldn't be here. Chairs are more comfy though."

  About How to Get Disqualified

• "I have jury duty. Tried so hard to get out of it but. ? Serves me right for being a voting noncriminal."
• ?How my (female) friend got out of jury duty -- Q: Do you believe in death penalty? A: Depends on what time of the month.?
• "The next time they call me for jury duty I?m going to tell them I have crabs."
• "Got up to try and convince people I was too unstable for jury duty."
• "Jury duty. When they interview me, I'll ask if it is fair that I can read minds."
• "Guy suggested I use prenatal symptoms as excuse to get out of jury duty. Uhm, dude, not pregnant. Hitting gym tonight."
• "You are perfect for jury duty: smart and well-spoken. You?ll just have to act illiterate and narrow-minded."
• "I'm almost ready to leave for jury duty; I just have to rub garbage all over my clothes and make my tinfoil hat."

  About the Litigants

• ?How the hell are corporations considered people? They don't vote, procreate, have jury duty, etc. Their sole interest is profits."
• "Whoever got me up at 6AM is guilty!"

  About the Process

• "Anyone that has served jury duty, have you ever been told to ?disregard? something ... did you do it? How did you do it?"
• "Today I do my civic duty and serve jury duty. I am going to sentence them to death if I get hot or bored."
• "Wondering why civic duty has to feel like a lottery you don't want to win."
• "Jury duty = snitchin."
• "H1N1 might be less impactful on productivity than Grand Jury Duty."
• "Jury duty should be the punishment for criminals, not prison. Four hours of cheap coffee and boredom=no repeat offenders."
• "Today?s feature film will be 'jury duty 2.0: trial by boredom.'"

  About You

• "Getting ready for week 3 of grand jury duty. Hopefully will get some juicy cases and well-prepared prosecutors."
• "Jury duty, how I detest everything about you except for the parade of lowlifes. I'm talking about the lawyers."
• "Last time I had jury duty I was relieved not to be picked because one attorney drove me nuts in voir dire!"

  Prefer Enthusiasm?

Some potential jurors lead you to wonder whether you would prefer folks who want to be there, or those who do not.

• "On the way to Jury Duty. Pick me pick me!"
• "What?s so bad about jury duty? Deciding whether or not someone gets to rot in prison seems pretty freakin sweet"
• "Jury Duty sucks!!! Unless it?s about murder."
   

Melissa M. Gomez, Ph.D. is a jury consultant and owner of MMG Jury Consulting, LLC. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her experience includes work on more than 100 jury trials in Philadelphia and across the country, with a focus on the psychology of juror learning, behavior and decision-making. She has more than a decade of expertise in research design and methodology, as well as in behavioral and communication skills training.

This posting is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as advice specific to any matter. Each case is different and no strategy applies uniformly to all.

If you have any questions regarding jury psychology that you would like to see addressed in this blog, please contact Gomez at melissa@mmgjury.com or call 215-292-7956.

Full post as published by The Legal Intelligencer Blog on February 04, 2010 (boomark / email).