Author Topic: Jury Duty Blows (Read 6718 times)

Nick DiMola · « **on:** February 02, 2008, 01:20:48 AM »

Yeah, so I've been in Jury Duty all week and god does it suck. You have to get there early and you get out late everyday and you have to sit in an uncomfortable chair for 10 hours a day more or less listening to lawyers babble a bunch of nonsense to try and prove that what they are saying is right. Oh well.

Anybody else ever been cursed with this responsibility?

vudu · « **Reply #1 on:** February 02, 2008, 01:39:03 AM »

I generally tell them I'm a bigot, and prejudice against blacks, homosexuals, women, and anyone else who doesn't look exactly like me.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #2 on:** February 02, 2008, 03:39:32 AM »

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Originally posted by: vudu
I generally tell them I'm a bigot, and prejudice against blacks, homosexuals, women, and anyone else who doesn't look exactly like me.

At least you have the courage to be honest. I'm suprised I've never been called.

Smoke39 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 02, 2008, 11:30:33 AM »

I was summoned for jury duty once a year or two ago. Luckily that was before I transfered out of DigiPen, so I was out of state at the time and didn't have to go.

DAaaMan64 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 02, 2008, 11:35:11 AM »

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Originally posted by: Smoke39
I was summoned for jury duty once a year or two ago. Luckily that was before I transfered out of DigiPen, so I was out of state at the time and didn't have to go.

Why did you tranfer out of DigiPen? I will apply soon, so I want to ask.

ThePerm · « **Reply #5 on:** February 02, 2008, 11:39:48 AM »

smoke what game were you working on?

Smoke39 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 02, 2008, 11:50:05 AM »

A lot of their professors seemed bad, and their curriculum didn't seem very well developed. Listening to some goon ramble on about how you should make sure your tiles align nicely doesn't help me learn how to effectively design a game engine.

Edit: Perm, I don't remember which year it was. My first year I made Planet Zarbock in Project FUN and helped make Bracer the second semester on a team in C. My second year I worked on Silhouette Apparatus.

Kairon · « **Reply #7 on:** February 02, 2008, 12:24:18 PM »

That's interesting to hear coming from an established place like digipen smoke. I expected a growing program and a develop curriculum at a place where games majors are newly implemented, like the DeVry I'm going to, but to hear that Digipen itself is still working out kinks makes me quite curious. Of course, industry professionals are preferable in Games teachers, and we have some good ones, but in addition to experience in the field they also need to be good teachers on top of that, which makes it doubly hard to find great mentors. I'm looking forward to next semester when one of my teachers I really enjoyed from first semester will be teaching us again.

But yeah... I'd love to read more about your project Smoke. The one thing I've decided upon in all this time is that no matter how good the education plan or teachers around you, it's your own efforts above and beyond what's asked of you that'll dictate your success. More than 50% of the new games students we get are gone before their first semester is over.

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ANYWAYS, back on topic...

Man... I wish I was a citizen so that I could do some jury duty... *sighs wistfully*

Caliban · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2008, 12:44:41 PM »

Guilty... Except for Kairon.

Smoke39 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2008, 12:46:45 PM »

I'll start a new thread for the topic, Kairon.

UltimatePartyBear · « **Reply #10 on:** February 04, 2008, 04:30:39 AM »

I've been summoned for jury duty five times for some <insert string of curses> reason, but I've always been dismissed before getting the chance to scare the lawyers. The only good thing about jury duty is the fact that getting out of it puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Svevan · « **Reply #11 on:** February 04, 2008, 08:13:55 AM »

Shouldn't we, as citizens of countries that allow jury trials, WANT to be involved in the judicial process?

vudu · « **Reply #12 on:** February 04, 2008, 08:15:35 AM »

As long as I'm not on the wrong end of it.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #13 on:** February 04, 2008, 08:16:28 AM »

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Originally posted by: Svevan
Shouldn't we, as citizens of countries that allow jury trials, WANT to be involved in the judicial process?

You do have a point there Evan, personally I consider it as a small sacrifice for my country, and I would happily go to jury duty if summoned.

Kairon · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2008, 08:59:42 AM »

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Originally posted by: Svevan
Shouldn't we, as citizens of countries that allow jury trials, WANT to be involved in the judicial process?

Personally, I think it's flattering to be asked to decide the fate of someone else. We're asked to be intelligent, rationale, and wield the power to find as much truth as we possibly can. It's.... I would be think that would be a RUSH to have that sort of responsibility.

You know, sort of like being able to vote for the oscar winners. That's what Jury duty sounds like to me. Exciting!

Ian Sane · « **Reply #15 on:** February 04, 2008, 10:34:11 AM »

"listening to lawyers babble a bunch of nonsense"

With that attitude I'm sure the jury will come to a fair and just decision.

"Shouldn't we, as citizens of countries that allow jury trials, WANT to be involved in the judicial process?"

I would have no problem with it if I was compensated for the time I'm forced to take off work. I don't know how it is in the States but in Canada jurors don't even make minimum wage for their time (or at least that's what I've heard; maybe it's changed or was never true). Jury duty is like getting temporarily laid off work. Thankfully I've never been summoned. The irony is that because of the financial situation one could argue that only losers and morons serve in juries as anyone else would make a serious effort to get out of it and would have the intelligence to pull that off.

Though instead of faking racism I believe there is another way out of it. I don't how I know this *wink* *wink* but apparently if your employer can prove that you are an essential part of the company that cannot be easily replaced and that your absense would effectively shut down the business you can use that as a way out. This certainly didn't happen with any co-worker of mine at a company that I've ever worked for.

Crimm · « **Reply #16 on:** February 04, 2008, 11:18:59 AM »

I've only been summoned once, but being a college student at the time (even tho I was still in the area) I could automatically get out of it.

I know my father has been called about a thousand times. Back when I was real young he got one for "attempted assault with a deadly weapon." Supposedly these two old men had been arguing and one "tried to run [me] over with his car." The trial went on for about 7 hours before it came out that the tire marks placed the car AT CLOSEST to the "victim" 7 feet away.

I wish I could have seen that one.

vudu · « **Reply #17 on:** February 04, 2008, 12:14:55 PM »

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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
I don't know how it is in the States but in Canada jurors don't even make minimum wage for their time (or at least that's what I've heard; maybe it's changed or was never true).

Most companies will continue to pay your regular wages for a minimum of a week if you're a full time employee (i.e. if you work at least 30 hours per week).

Nick DiMola · « **Reply #18 on:** February 04, 2008, 11:39:38 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Svevan
Shouldn't we, as citizens of countries that allow jury trials, WANT to be involved in the judicial process?

No. Maybe if the case you are in is very straight forward and a verdict can be reached with relative ease, it is something that you may want to be involved in, otherwise it is awful. In the case I am serving in, there is no solid evidence and nearly all inferences must be drawn from circumstantial evidence. Knowing that someone's life is in your hands, you NEED to make the right decision. Coming to that decision is anything but easy, and it is something that will weigh on me for many years to come.

Kairon · « **Reply #19 on:** February 04, 2008, 11:46:17 PM »

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Originally posted by: Mr. Jack
Quote
Originally posted by: Svevan
Shouldn't we, as citizens of countries that allow jury trials, WANT to be involved in the judicial process?

No. Maybe if the case you are in is very straight forward and a verdict can be reached with relative ease, it is something that you may want to be involved in, otherwise it is awful. In the case I am serving in, there is no solid evidence and nearly all inferences must be drawn from circumstantial evidence. Knowing that someone's life is in your hands, you NEED to make the right decision. Coming to that decision is anything but easy, and it is something that will weigh on me for many years to come.

It's because of people like you that our judicial system works! *swoon* ... you know, in a certain responsible-citizen-is-the-backbone-of-society viewpoint, it's almost heroic what you're doing.

BranDonk Kong · « **Reply #20 on:** February 04, 2008, 04:10:40 PM »

I'm pretty sure that if you claim to know anyone in the trial, then you can get out of it. Being a restaurant manager, I can be like "hey that guy comes in all the time, he's real nice", and I'm free...I think.

Svevan · « **Reply #21 on:** February 04, 2008, 04:42:19 PM »

Jack, I can understand that it's awful. But consider this: if the young college-age people find it boring, and the working-class or high level executive have a way out, the only people LEFT on jury duty are senior citizens. Just like in politics, our world is decided by those over the age of 65.

UltimatePartyBear · « **Reply #22 on:** February 05, 2008, 03:06:06 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Svevan
Shouldn't we, as citizens of countries that allow jury trials, WANT to be involved in the judicial process?

I'd share that attitude if I weren't far and away beating the statistical average for jury duty summons in one lifetime. The first time I was summoned was mere months after I became eligible. I hadn't started college quite yet, so I had to show up. I was kind of interested in the whole process, really. I remember that there was a little old lady there who had gone her entire life up until then without getting jury duty, and there I was barely old enough to serve (I'm just glad we weren't at war, because I'd probably have been the first one drafted -- twice).

The real kicker that has turned it into such an annoyance, though, is that I've never even come close to actually being on a jury. I'll perform my civic duty, but I reserve the right to be ticked off when they waste my time. The first time, I made it all the way to the courtroom, and while we were filling out our questionnaires, the judge came in and said there wasn't going to be a trial after all. Apparently knowing that the jury is being assembled tends to get confessions out of people. Every time since then, though, all they've done is make me sit in a too hot room for an hour or so before sending me home with the hundred other people that they called in even though they knew it wasn't necessary. This is after they've selected the people for the panels which they'll whittle down to the juries, in case that wasn't clear. They call in far more people than necessary because they assume people will want to get out of it, and then they're extremely strict with the exceptions anyway. There's something wrong with that system.

Anyway, good luck, Mr. Jack.

Kairon · « **Reply #23 on:** February 05, 2008, 12:58:37 PM »

Can we bring along our DS while waiting to be booted out of jury duty?

decoyman · « **Reply #24 on:** February 05, 2008, 01:21:57 PM »

I can see where you're coming from, PartyBear...

I was selected for jury duty once. BUT, the way it worked was that the selection was only a potential selection. They had you call a day or two before, and if they didn't need you they were like, "No worries, we're good," and you were out. That's what happened to me, and it seems like a decent way to do it.

News:

Author Topic: Jury Duty Blows (Read 6718 times)