why is serving on a jury an important civic duty?
365691
It is the citizens responsibility to act as the last buffer between the accused and an overly intrusive government.
810723
It's a politicians job to serve his country with the best interest of the people at heart.\nTo make laws which effect people's life in a positive way,protect the public and solve problems.\nThis is how it's supposed to be.
797668
in some states a jury can have less than twelve members\nmany people are simply happy enough to collaborate with the authorities to feel important that they will sit on juries and help convict people on very questionable evidence\nit happens all the time
549481
It means one person doesn't decide your fate.  You get a jury of people who represent a cross-section of society, and after hearing evidence from both sides, they jury decides if the person on trial is guilty or not.
143430
Having served on a murder jury already, I would choose to be on a case where there's a parking dispute or someone didn't pay their rent. Murder is hard. If you have the power to send someone to death, it is not as fun as it might seem.
520597
more people for jury duty?
125652
The purpose of the trial judge is to see that the law is fllowed by the parties to the case, and to move the proceedings forward to a verdict.\n\nThe jury, in a jury trial, is responsible for determining guilt or innocence, by judging the facts of the case.
239846
Duty is normally spelled out in the law.  In a lot of states a nurse or doctor has a duty to help an injuried person even if not working.  A lawyer has a duty to the court to ensure anything said is truthful.  We'd need to know what type of duty to give a more specfic answer.
452771
In the past years, it was no big deal for this to happen but if caught you could be fined. Currently, there are more and more people not responding to jury duty calls, which is making a shortage. Therefore most judges are agreeing that the punishment should be stricter and all addresses must be verified. Read the column below for more details.
148252
Ive never been on jury duty but from what i've heard it involves total concentration on the case presented before you. That means you are away from family, friends, tv, radio, even religion (your bible)...basically anything from the outside world that can influence your decision. Your role is to hear all the evidence brought by both sides of the law and give a totally unbiased opinion. Being a sequestered juror is a very important thing! It will probably be very hard at first, but hopefully by the end u will feel fulfilled as a citizen. Think about it this way, if your life/death hung on jurors, wouldn't you want them to care and thier decision to be fair? Good luck!
84762
Legally, very little.  You just need to obey all laws - tax laws, in particular.  Just make sure you pay Uncle Sam his fair share, you should be fine in the general sense.  \n\nSome other obligations: jury duty - DO NOT throw away your jury notice!  Some courts are very serious in enforcing and cracking down on those who dodges jury duty.  \n\nSelective service - if you're male under 28 years old, you need to register.  And if there's a war and you're drafted, you need to bear arms for this country (unless you know someone in the Bush family who can get you into Airforce National Guard).  \n\nFinally, do VOTE when there is an election.  It's a privilege that many lives perished to protect.  Democracy may not always be perfect, but there really is no better alternative.
678049
Civic participation basically means getting involved in your community, and local government etc. \n\nGo sit in on a city council meeting. Register to vote. Go try some volunteer work. Help to support measures that you think will benefit your community etc.
339456
It is the responsibility of the Court to interpret the Constitution as they feel it most appropriately applies to any case.  There are varied thoughts on whether they should act as they feel the framers meant the Constitution to work or whether modern day interpretations are best.
112374
It deals with the right of a citizen to have a trial decided by a jury of her peers.
599417
It can be interesting, but most importantly it's \nyour civic duty. I'm glad to see some people aren't \ndeathly afraid of it.
602567
There are only a few reasons a judge will accept. You can be exempt from jury duty if you have a really important job like a surgeon or an emergency room nurse. You can get out of it if you are the sole caretaker of small children. Finally, you can be exempt if you have a language barrier or an illness/infirmity that make it impossible for you to understand English or come to the courthouse. \nIf none of that applies to you then you still come down to the courthouse for selection. But cheer up!\nYou may not get picked for a jury after all if it is discovered during questioning that you have a racial, ethnic or gender bias against one of the parties involved or have been exposed to too much media surrounding the case and admit that you cannot be open-minded about the facts of the case.
754071
I have had a mix of experiences with the police and the justice system.  After all, the police and the justice system are (is?) made up of people like you and me.  I would say that the people that I have personally known who are police officers or lawyers/judges do have a greater commitment to make their community a better place than the average book store clerk, college student, or ski instructor.\n\nThe only time I served on a jury, the District Attorney and her staff were prepared and professional.  The police officers, prison officials, doctors, etc. who gave testimony at this trial were thoughtful in their responses and demeanor.  The convicted criminal (who was bringing suit to get out of jail early) remains behind bars.   Believe me, the country is a much better place with this criminal behind bars than out in the community!