Re: [OT] Judge reams out people avoiding jury duty

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

Apparently I'm lucky.  It is a significant number of years between
notices for possible jury duty for me and I live in a "1 day or 1 trial"
county so usually if I even have to show up the courts only have 1 day
to put me on a jury.

Last time it was a slip and fall civil case.  The defense attorney was
asking us if we would consider the size of the plaintiffs monetary
demand in finding his client liable.  I responded asking aren't we
supposed to not consider that until _after_ we had found there to be any
liability.  The judge said I was correct and shortly thereafter I was
the first potential juror excused.

It's outrageous that the defense could ask such a question during voir
dire. It's like the prosecution asking if the juror favors the death
penalty in a capital case, which suggests that the potential juror might
already be inclined to find the defendant guilty.