Juror Jailed For Texting During Trial

Wow, while I agree a phone does not have a place in a courtroom as a juror, am I the only one who thinks jailing the guy was a bit harsh? After all, the judge who's Blackberry went off only fined himself $25. I know the guy was purposefully using the phone, but wow.
 
ravx25 said:
Wow, while I agree a phone does not have a place in a courtroom as a juror, am I the only one who thinks jailing the guy was a bit harsh? After all, the judge who's Blackberry went off only fined himself $25. I know the guy was purposefully using the phone, but wow.
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The juror could not have been paying attention to the evidence brought to him while he was texting. If you were on the defense end of this, would you feel conferrable knowing the jury has been texting while your fate is being decided? I know I wouldn't.
 
I'll third the calls for his ass to be thrown in the can.

striker444 said:
The juror could not have been paying attention to the evidence brought to him while he was texting. If you were on the defense end of this, would you feel conferrable knowing the jury has been texting while your fate is being decided? I know I wouldn't.
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If I was the defense, I'd call for a mistrial. Who knows how much before the guy had been texting what to whom, and if it leaked info about the trial.
 
ravx25 said:
Wow, while I agree a phone does not have a place in a courtroom as a juror, am I the only one who thinks jailing the guy was a bit harsh? After all, the judge who's Blackberry went off only fined himself $25. I know the guy was purposefully using the phone, but wow.
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It is the judges discretion ... and it sounds from the article as if the juror provided no excuse ... if you can't pay attention to the trial you should say that during the jury selection ... it would be irresponsible for a juror to cause a mistrial because they couldn't turn off their cell phone for a few hours and check it during breaks ;)
 
Bone_Enterprise said:
Those people obviously need to not be in the court room anyhow if an issue like this is going to make them try and get out of jury duty.
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Put it this way....almost everyone called for jury duty doesn't want to be there cellphones or not. And when called, everyone takes a substantial pay cut, which makes them even more pissy.

Texting/cellphones are just a convenient outlet for frustration.
 
ravx25 said:
Wow, while I agree a phone does not have a place in a courtroom as a juror, am I the only one who thinks jailing the guy was a bit harsh? After all, the judge who's Blackberry went off only fined himself $25. I know the guy was purposefully using the phone, but wow.
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"purposely using... " lol

NO. Not harsh at all. Because you don't accidentally use a phone.

"Jurors in Oregon are given explicit instructions at the outset of each trial not to use cellphones in court."

1) Contempt of a direct instruction from the court
2) Not paying attention to your job , a very serious important job that affects other's lives.

Maybe he will have to go to trial and someone will give him the respect of not using their damn phone. I swear to god I am so fed up with people walking around with their phones up their asses. I wish they had never been invented. People dont pay attention to what they are doing... driving, getting in the way when they are walking, etc

People act like the phone is their life support system, especially people who grew up not knowing a time before cell phones existed.
 
concur. jail...

I agree with choppedliver.. freaking cell phones and people's poor understanding of just what constitutes need.

they were warned. let the consequences hit hard...
 
Jury duty is slavery.

The judge should be jailed for kidnapping.

slavery [ˈsleɪvərɪ]
n
1. (Law) the state or condition of being a slave; a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune
2. the subjection of a person to another person, esp in being forced into work
3. the condition of being subject to some influence or habit
4. (Business / Industrial Relations & HR Terms) work done in harsh conditions for low pay
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choppedliver said:
"purposely using... " lol

NO. Not harsh at all. Because you don't accidentally use a phone.

"Jurors in Oregon are given explicit instructions at the outset of each trial not to use cellphones in court."

1) Contempt of a direct instruction from the court
2) Not paying attention to your job , a very serious important job that affects other's lives.

Maybe he will have to go to trial and someone will give him the respect of not using their damn phone. I swear to god I am so fed up with people walking around with their phones up their asses. I wish they had never been invented. People dont pay attention to what they are doing... driving, getting in the way when they are walking, etc

People act like the phone is their life support system, especially people who grew up not knowing a time before cell phones existed.
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Jury slavery isn't a serious "job". A juror's "job" is to be a yes man rubber stamper for the government. Independent thought or deviation from the judge's instructions (even when the judge is clearly in the wrong) are not tolerated. Try using the word "nullification" in front of the judge and see how fast they toss you out.
 
I bet there was probably a big "NO CELL PHONES ALLOWED IN COURTROOM" sign on the door too, and they were most likely told the same before entering. If not, then common sense should come into play anyway. If not his own common sense, then that of those around him (yes, I know that common sense is increasingly rare these days), .
Jurors are there to pay attention to all that's presented, and someone's fate depends on it. I highly doubt that this idiot could recall much of anything about the trial if questioned. This fool got what he deserved.
 
striker444 said:
The juror could not have been paying attention to the evidence brought to him while he was texting. If you were on the defense end of this, would you feel conferrable knowing the jury has been texting while your fate is being decided? I know I wouldn't.
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I would feel fine. Cause 1. I had low expectations of the jurors to begin with and 2. They all meet in a room and argue collectively for awhile before handing out a verdict So no, that one person shouldn't have that much of an impact..

choppedliver said:
*snip* People act like the phone is their life support system, especially people who grew up not knowing a time before cell phones existed.
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I bet NO ONE dares to go near your lawn, eh?
 
damicatz said:
Jury duty is slavery.

The judge should be jailed for kidnapping.
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There is an easy way to avoid jury duty in most states, if one feels this way, don't get a driver's license (which is just a method of the evil state to control and track your ability for free movement anyway :p ) ...

although the jury system in this country is not perfect it works more often than it fails ... society has chosen (not just the "state") to establish rules that all must live by to be part of the community ... one of those rules is that we allow a person to be judged by a jury of their peers (which requires the peers to serve on juries) ... if you do not wish to abide by the communities laws then you shouldn't live in the community ;)

there is only one solution to the jury system (other than the law of the jungle) and people tend to like it even less ... we can allow judges or tribunals to decide the person's fate without the interaction of the jury (one can do that voluntarily by requesting a summary judgement at the start of a trial) ... few people are willing to drink from that particular well though :cool:
 
although the jury system in this country is not perfect it works more often than it fails ... society has chosen (not just the "state") to establish rules that all must live by to be part of the community ... one of those rules is that we allow a person to be judged by a jury of their peers (which requires the peers to serve on juries) ... if you do not wish to abide by the communities laws then you shouldn't live in the community ;)
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Society is a mythological construct used as an excuse to justify the oppression of the individual. There is no society, only people. The fact that the majority of people think something doesn't make it true, moral, or just.

I have not chosen to live in any community. I am content to live on my own and mind my own business. Just because I am physically present somewhere, on land that I have a right to be on, does not mean that I have agreed to become part of a larger community. In addition, you cannot force membership of community on someone simply because they happened to be born somewhere.

there is only one solution to the jury system (other than the law of the jungle) and people tend to like it even less ... we can allow judges or tribunals to decide the person's fate without the interaction of the jury (one can do that voluntarily by requesting a summary judgement at the start of a trial) ... few people are willing to drink from that particular well though :cool:
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They already do. Judges can and do toss out jury verdicts all the time. Look up "arbitrary and capricious". Look up JNOV.
 
A few years ago I received a "Jury Questionnaire" to which I responded by asking two questions,

1. Is my voluntary signature a necessary element to a properly completed jury questionnaire?

2. Is my signature considered voluntary if offered under coercion and threat of incarceration?

I never heard from them again.
 
Skripka said:
Put it this way....almost everyone called for jury duty doesn't want to be there cellphones or not. And when called, everyone takes a substantial pay cut, which makes them even more pissy.
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Ummm what? Your employer is required by law to pay you while you serve on jury duty.
 
ravx25 said:
Wow, while I agree a phone does not have a place in a courtroom as a juror, am I the only one who thinks jailing the guy was a bit harsh? After all, the judge who's Blackberry went off only fined himself $25. I know the guy was purposefully using the phone, but wow.
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I imagine the judge's phone just rang because he forgot to put it on silent. This clown was purposefully using his phone to text. There is a stark difference in the motivations and circumstances between the two. He was thrown in jail as a deterrent to future jurors. Because this story made it around the news circuits, I'd say it was worthwhile.

damicatz said:
Jury duty is slavery.

The judge should be jailed for kidnapping.
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This guy... :rolleyes:
 
schnell said:
scroll down and read.

http://www.jud.ct.gov/jury/faq.htm
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That is state law...that only applies within the boundaries of CT. Out here in my humble red freedom loving state has few such considerations. Apart from:

-You can't be fired for duty
-Can't loose sick days or vacation times
-Your employer must pay for time served...BUT****
****Your employer can deduct $35/day you serve from your salary for your lack of presence. Which in practice constitutes a huge pay cut for most people out here.

http://lancaster.ne.gov/election/jury/faq.htm
 
ravx25 said:
Wow, while I agree a phone does not have a place in a courtroom as a juror, am I the only one who thinks jailing the guy was a bit harsh? After all, the judge who's Blackberry went off only fined himself $25. I know the guy was purposefully using the phone, but wow.
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You can't see any difference between a Blackberry going off and someone actively texting or looking at news online?

Jury members are supposed to not be influenced by the outside, which he have been, jury members are not supposed to release parts of the case before the case is over which he could have, jury members are supposed to pay attention to the fucking trial because they're the ones who get to rule on it.

That said, the whole "civic duty" to be on jury duty is laughable at best.
 
juror having someone do an internet search on the defendant to dig up any kind of dirt....

A person is supposed to be innocent until PROVEN guilty. Things may not always work that way but this is a clear violation of the defendants rights. If these sorts of things are to be tolerated (wether by judge or jury), then that renders the entire judicial process essentially meaningless. Jail time and possibly a mis-trial is appropriate here. It does NOT matter who you are or what your accused of.
 
The jurors and defendants are the only ones in the room who aren't getting paid big bucks.

Jury duty pays less than minimum wage, not even enough to cover fuel or lunch.

Time to pretend that people who aren't on the government payroll have equal rights to gov't employees.

But no, using a cellphone during jury duty is a criminal act, and should be.
 
I haven't been to the courthouse since needing a marriage license, but even then, you couldn't bring in your cell phone. I doubt my city is the only one with a ban in place.

"LOL guys! What do you think? Guilty or whatever? OMG! This is soooo boring!"
 
damicatz said:
No they aren't.
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Depends where you live, it's not a Federal Law, but it is a State Law in some States.

http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/jury-duty-pay.html

Is My Employer Required to Pay Me While I Am Serving Jury Duty?

Very few states require employers to pay employees for the time they spend on jury duty. Among those that do have such a requirement, the amount of pay will vary from state to state. For example:

Alabama: Employer must pay full-time employees their usual compensation less the fee or compensation received for serving as a juror.
Connecticut: Employers must pay full-time employees their regular wages for the first five days of jury duty, or any part thereof, unless they are considered temporary or casual employees.
Colorado: Employers must pay regular employees their regular wages for the first three days of jury duty.
Massachusetts: Employers must pay all employees - part-time, temporary and casual - for the first three days or jury duty, or part thereof.
New York: An employer of ten or fewer employees may withhold the full wages of an employee absent from work on account of jury service. An employer of ten or more employees must pay to an employee serving on jury duty the first $40.00 of that employee's daily wage for the first three days of jury service.
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I agree that the Juror should have been paying attention, but also feel that jail is too serious. If he had just tossed the jury summons in the trash like 75% of everyone else does, he would have avoided the issue. Instead, he did his duty and went. That counts for something IMO, and even if he sent a text, that doesn't make him any worse than someone who wasn't there in the first place.
 
Society is a mythological construct used as an excuse to justify the oppression of the individual. There is no society, only people. The fact that the majority of people think something doesn't make it true, moral, or just.

I have not chosen to live in any community. I am content to live on my own and mind my own business. Just because I am physically present somewhere, on land that I have a right to be on, does not mean that I have agreed to become part of a larger community. In addition, you cannot force membership of community on someone simply because they happened to be born somewhere.
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The holes in this thinking are so profoundly huge.

Damicatz, the only reason you even possess the luxury of such thinking is because you live in a society and country where such freedoms are allowed. If you believe you have this right that you claim you exercise, it's a right that has been provided to you as a privilege of membership in that group.

The very thoughts you voice are proof that you are more then happy to take advantage of your own membership even though you appear not to be willing to provide any support of your own beyond spewing drivel about your rights without also acknowledging the responsibilities that come with the rights.

You are entitled to the good, but unwilling to shoulder any responsibility in maintaining it.


Amy I wrong?
 
As for the Juror, he got exactly what he should have gotten.

By showing up, by taking part, he accepted a responsibility to perform a service. But showing up isn't enough, you have to do it right, doing it wrong only means you have agreed to screw someone over.

Don't worry, he earned his jail time.
 
Jury trials should be abolished (along with electing judges). Your 'peers' are not in the least bit qualified to determine guilt or innocence.
 
"LOL guys! What do you think? Guilty or whatever? OMG! This is soooo boring!"
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I would not be surprised if 99% of folks have this attitude during a trial. Also, it's so easy to let prejudices cloud your judgements, it seems. When you think about it, it's just like a mini American Idol show, and don't you text your vote during those?

Anyways, Jail seems harsh to me, but I also believe 90% of folks in jail shouldn't be there. Community service always seems like a more constructive punishment, like picking up trash or other dirty jobs.
 
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