VPs of HR and Jury Duty: The World Thinks I'm An Outlier...

Had jury duty this week, first time in my life.  With that in mind, I joined 200 or so of my peers in a courthouse in Shelby County, Alabama to be divided into jury panels and be considered for inclusion on a jury that would decide whether someone was guilty or not guilty.

The only problem: The world doesn't think I have peers when it comes to Jury Duty.  I don't mean that in a high and mighty way, either.

The world thinks I'm part of the unwashed masses when it comes to serving on a jury, an untouchable that can't be trusted to be impartial.  You see, I'm a VP of HR.  I've also got other things in my life that probably make me more toxic to a Defense Attorney than a FOX News reporter at an Obama White House Christmas party.

So Monday was the first day of Jury Duty.  I reported to the courthouse and, through the luck of the draw, was segmented into a panel of 47 citizens from which a jury panel would be struck for this murder trial involving a former Pastor and his wife.  First thing up?  Tell us who you are and what you do:

Me: I'm Kris Dunn, I'm a VP of HR, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Defense and Prosection: (Silent.  No follow up questions.  I suspect one really liked that and one really didn't).

Next up, the prosecution asked their set of questions designed to help them figure out who to strike from the jury so they had their best shot at winning the trial.  The Amercian system at its best. I didn't have to respond to any of their questions, because I didn't have any issues related to their questions that would cause me to be unable to be "fair and impartial".

After lunch, the Defense took the podium for the same purpose - to figure out who to strike to give them the best chance of winning the trial.  It all started going to hell when this question came up:

Defense Attorney: Do any of you have members of your family who work in law enforcement?

Me: (raising hand and called upon) Yes.  My wife's a former prosecutor for the DA's office in this building that's trying this case for the state, and she was in that role for 10 years.

Defense Attorney: I thought I recognized your name and her name when you said who you were married to! (writing notes and smiling..)

Defense Attorney: Thank you, Mr. Dunn. (noticeably absent: the follow-up question that everyone else got - whether, with that background, I could be fair and impartial and serve on the jury.  He didn't care, because I was out...)

Later that afternoon, we were brought back in to watch the strike proceeding, in which the prosecution and defense take turns calling out the ID number of jurors to remove from consideration for the jury.  They go back and forth until only 14 are left, which becomes your jury (12 + 2 alternates).  I happened to figure out my overall number from a general count I made during role call when we were with the overall pool of 200 citizens, and I'm 99% certain that I was the first "strike" for the Defense. 

Kind of like a fantasy football draft.  But the stakes are much higher and you don't get to name a team "Belicheck Hoodies".

Good luck to the jurors who have to decide whether a shooting was an accident or murder.  Makes an employment call as a VP of HR seem like small potatos, doesn't it?

Comments

[femelmed]

after serving on my 2nd murder trial, i can confidently say that you're damn right about your last line. nothing like jury duty to give you a little perspective. sounds like i need to rethink my choice of spouses...f

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=632019852]

I'm always bounced out of jury duty when I say, "My Mom is a retired Chicago police officer."

It's instantaneous, and it's a shame because I would make an excellent juror. I'm not advocating for jury duty, and I hate the whole court system for reasons that are too lengthy to write about on this blog, but the talent selection process that happens during jury duty makes my skin crawl.

[Alexandra Levit]

I had an experience with jury duty in Chicago this year. I ended up at a trial for a murder as well, and after they questioned me extensively, I was selected!

At first I thought I wouldn't be. After all, I was the victim of a crime last year, my husband is a psychologist, and I write for a well-known print publication. But apparently I was exactly who they were looking for, because they allowed about 100 people to go and I was invited to stay.

When they told the jury that the trial would be three weeks, though, I was forced to mention again my childcare issues, and I was excused and replaced.

It wasn't fun. It was actually a little bit traumatic. The way I was questioned, I felt like I was the one on trial!

Best,

Alexandra Levit
Author, New Job, New You
http://www.alexandralevit.com

[twitter.com/HumanRacehorses]

What an attractive (or unattractive) juror looks like to a lawyer trying a criminal case is very different than what one looks like in a civil case, and even in various types of civil cases. If I were trying an employment discrimination case in front of you, I'd probably want you off the panel, but there might be other things in your background which would want me to keep you on. For instance, if it were a case where the HR director screwed up so badly anyone could see it.

On the other hand, if it were a medical malpractice claim, or other type of personal injury claim, your HR background could be meaningless.

I'm not sure whether the HR background had anything to do in this particular instance --- the spouse's occupation is more likely to have.

Incidentally, my wife and I are both attorneys and try as we might never seem to get picked. Cannot imagine why. Not.

[Debbie Brown]

I was the foreman of a federal case- FBI sting operation. It was interesting. I think I was foreman because I understood the judges directions when we went to deliberate.
It was just like TV. ;)

[Amey K]

I served on a jury last year in federal court in Chicago. The trial was a workers comp case involving a worldwide company based here in Chi-Town. I work in HR so I figure I've got this early exit in the bag especially since it involves unions and I have family members who work in one. No such luck. BAM - I get picked in the 1st round. It was a terrible case, and the corporate security at this company that testified made Barnie Fife look like 007. Anyway, after 5 days we awarded the plaintiff a little over $1M big ones. I guess you never know know what the lawyers are thinking when they make their picks and I never did figure out how I got chosen...do remain grateful that I got excused from an earlier trial that involved one of Chicago's finest political fundraisers.

[Tag44]

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