I recently watched a funny satire on TV called “Jury Duty”. It is on FreeVee, a free streaming channel from Amazon that has a subset of Prime shows with commercials. The premise of the show is that the producers got special permission to film a trial from the Jury’s perspective for a documentary. But the trick is everybody is an actor, except one poor guy who thinks this is a really jury trial being filmed for the documentary. Crazy situations ensue, and the one guy thinks this is all real. They even got James Marsden to play himself on the show. The show runners also did “The Office”, so it has that vibe, but knowing one guy thinks it is all real make it so much funnier.
The Mormon angle happens in episode 4. There is a guy on the jury that does not drink. He looks very Mormon. The Jury is sequestered (because of paparazzi following Marsden), and one night in the hotel room, one of the ladies comes on to Mormon-type guy. He asks for help, because he does “not believe in pre-marital sex”. The rest is very funny, but NSFMB (Not Suitable For Mormon Blog).
I have a few good stories about my own jury duty experiences. While I’ve never gotten on an actual jury, the selection process has proven entertaining. For jury duty in California, we get called for one day, about 200 people, to sit in a large room. Throughout the day as needed, they call 20-30 people at a time to go to a courtroom for a trial. They select 12 people to sit in the jury box, and then the judge and lawyers for both side asks questions of each juror, looking for bias or anything else that would disqualify them from serving. They then remove people with no explanation given and replace them from the other 20-30 people until they get their 12 people.
For my first story, I was selected to sit in the jury box for questioning. The judge explained that this was a wrongful death case (malpractice in layman’s terms). The plaintiff was suing the doctor for misdiagnosing his mother’s pancreatic cancer, and she subsequently died. They asked each person if they had any medical background, and if they did could they not rely on personal knowledge, and only deal with knowledge gained from testimony during the trial.
When they got to me, I told them I had no medical training, but did have a daughter that had cancer as a child, but she fully recovered. They moved to the lady sitting next to me. She was a nurse oncologist, which means she specializing in treating cancer patients. They asked her if she could not use all her years of training, and only rely on testimony in the trial. Her exact words were, “Oh, that will be easy, since pancreatic cancer is always fatal”. I could not believe what she just said! If that was true, then there is no case, as even a correct diagnosis would not have saved the patient. She had just poisoned the whole jury pool! I tried to keep from laughing, but could not keep from making noise as I looked at the judge as I tried to cover my mouth. I looked at the rest of the jurors, and they had no clue what had just been said. She was removed for obvious reasons, and I was removed at the same time. I believe I was removed for laughing at her comment, being the only juror that realized the implications of what she said.
Next story happened in 1995. I was again called to sit in the jury box, and the judge explained that there was a fight at a pool club, a person was killed, and the state was looking for either voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. The judge asked each person if they could rely solely on his instructions on the verdicts that can be rendered. When he got to me, he asked the question, and I stated that there is a principle called jury nullification, where the jury can reject the judges instruction or evidence in a trail and bring any verdict they believe is fair. He asked if I had gone to law school, and I said: “ No, I just watched the OJ Simpson trial on TV”. This had just been dominating the news, and everybody in the courtroom busted up laughing. It got so loud that the judge hammered his gavel and said “Order in the court”. It was like in a movie! I was excused for cause, and as I walked out of the courtroom down the middle aisle, several people raised their hand to give me a high five, to which I obliged.
What has been your experience with jury duty? Did you see the TV show “Jury Duty”, and what was your opinion of the show?
Image by Venita Oberholster from Pixabay
Wheat & Tares 
The TV show “Jury Duty” was pure genius. The NSFMB scene that can’t be discussed was beyond hilarious and cracks me up every time I think about it. Is that was happens in Provo? I was selected to serve on a jury once in a federal case and found the experience fascinating, and was pleasantly surprised to do my civic duty.
I loved “Jury Duty” and recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it. I’ve actually watched the short series twice. There are so many one-liners that are hilarious and it amazes me that everyone was able to keep in character and keep a straight face. The character that immediately made me think he was Mormon was so spot on. He’s wearing his white button up shirt and comes off like a recently returned missionary. The NSFMB scene is probably the highlight of the series for me – just thinking about it still makes me chuckle. I have heard this was been (still is?) a trend in Provo, so that added to my amusement.
On the flip side, our “real” guy is so admirable. He’s kind, tolerant, supportive, non-judgmental, and responsible. In an ideal world, he would have been the “Mormon” because I thought his behavior was the most Christlike. Sadly, I’ve rarely spotted his kind in the church – likely because all the added “rules” of our times affect our behavior and not always in a good way.
Was on a jury once, decades ago. I have mixed feelings about how it went. I’ve been dismissed the other times I’ve been called.
I haven’t watched jury duty yet but I probably will, although the concept of the show bothers me a bit on ethical grounds. From the ads, it looks hilarious.
The ethical dilemma depends on if it is real, if the dupe really didn’t know that it wasn’t a real jury trial. Because jury duty is legally mandatory. You can actually get charged with contempt for avoiding jury duty or trying to get out of it. So if this is reality tv, then the person unknowingly on the jury is not necessarily participating consensually. If it is a scripted pretense than there is no problem.
There was another similar reality tv show called Joe Schmo or something like that. It was set up to look like Big Brother but everyone was an actor except one guy. A hilarious and entertaining show, and at least in this case the dupe consented to being on a reality tv show, even if he was deceived about details of the other participants. But several of the actors built real friendship with “Joe” and struggled with continually lying to him.
I was once in the potential jury pool for a murder trial in California that received national news coverage. The trial was expected to take 6-9 weeks and my boss actually suggested I buy refundable airplane tickets somewhere to try to get out of it. I spent two or three days filling out questionnaires and waiting for jury selection, listening to lawyers question other potential jurors, but I was never called up to answer verbal questions for sitting on the jury. One interesting thing is that the jury questionnaire asked a number of questions that would have indirectly identified Mormons at the time (What magazines do you subscribe to? The Ensign is a give away)
Following up on my previous comment, a quick search says that Ron Gladden got on the show responding to a Craig’s list add to be on a documentary, so I guess it is reasonable to say that he chose to be on the show. I think my initial response above reflects the fact that I don’t like practical jokes.
I was on a jury! That’s apparently a rare experience for a lawyer. It was a one-day trial about whether or not an XH violated a restraining order. It didn’t involve violence. We found him guilty. There was no jail time involved.
What I noticed about the jury selection process was that everyone who asked a question got excused. Every. Single. One. It didn’t matter what the question was, if anyone spoke up, they got excused.
I haven’t seen Jury Duty, but I signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime yesterday so I could watch Good Omens 2, so I’ll add Jury Duty to my “things I have to binge in the next 30 days before I cancel my Amazon Prime.” I don’t like practical jokes (I’m with you there, Rockwell), so maybe I’ll just watch episode 4.
I also dislike practical jokes, and was concerned about the ethics of such a show…
We have jury duty in the UK also. I haven’t yet been called. I don’t think we have the same pantomime of selecting a jury.
Just yesterday finished listening to a radio dramatisation of Good Omens!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b04vjrjm?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
At the end of the fake trial, the trick is revealed to the man who was duped. It’s immediately clear that the producers of the show are extremely anxious to make the dupe feel okay about it. They offer him a $100,000 “prize.” They praise him to the skies as a “hero” and a man of extraordinary character. And so on. The entire final episode is a behind-the-scenes recap that shows the audience not only how the cast and crew did the show, but also that the dupe is now their friend. They do not show the part where he signs the contract giving up his claim to sue them.
So it’s “The Truman Show” for real. This man is getting $100,000 in exchange for spending three weeks sequestered in a fake trial and then being Truman in streaming episodes of “Jury Duty” for the rest of his life and maybe after he’s dead. Is it worth it? I don’t know. It might be interesting to ask this guy that question in thirty years.
I’m cynical about it, but the show is done extremely well. It made me laugh. I’m not sure whether I should be embarrassed about that.
I have taken off the mailing list of jury duty via my profession in healthcare. It would be interesting to participate for a few days, but not weeks.
I just told a few people this week about the time I went to jail. They looked at me in great surprise ..you??
I told them this happened after I rolled a 7 with the dice. It took them a minute to understand .
More than 20 yrs ago I ended up on jury duty when we were living in PA.
I don’t remember much about the jury selection process.
But it cured me from ever wanting to repeat the experience.
The case before us was a man charged with robbing a drug dealer. Not kidding.
So, yes, some of those who testified were drug users. It was ridiculous.
When we went back to the room to deliberate, on the first vote for guilty or innocent— three of us voted not proven/not guilty. Then one by one, the other two caved and changed their vote to guilty. It came down to me. Yikes!!! Do I stand my ground, hold up the jury so the other jurists can’t return to their lives? Is there something they saw/ heard that I didn’t? I had little self- confidence and eventually caved— changed my vote to guilty.
I’ve always wondered what what happened after we were excused— did the judge set aside the verdict? Or did the accused get sentenced?
I don’t know. The case has always haunted me and I’ve avoided ever serving again.
Why on earth would they waste time and money prosecuting someone for stealing drug money from a dealer?
This show was so good! It reminded me a lot of the old Alan Fundt Candid Camera shows, but it was really not mean-spirited at all. The show said they considered over 200 “applicants” (who just thought it was a documentary about juries), and that’s how they picked this guy. He is truly pure, surrounded by just absolute mayhem, bumbling legal process, insane restrictions, bizarre fellow jurors, and one very entitled James Marsden, skewering his own privilege. It was extremely well done. When the “soaking” episode happened, every exMo and progMo knew exactly where they got that idea. I am still not sure I believe it was ever a real BYU phenomenon (nor do I want the receipts), but I do know that back in the 80s some rich BYU kids would get quickie married in Vegas so they could have sex, so who knows what people can talk themselves into when they are horny as all get out? I don’t think the show would have been nearly as good with a different juror. Ronald was the best. He made me want to be a better person.
As for my own jury duty experience, I was dismissed once in a vehicle accident case because I had been in a car accident once, and the last time I got called to jury duty, all of the cases got settled, so we just got to go home after sitting on our phones in a boring room for hours on hours. So, maybe one day I will get to be on a jury (not that I actually want to be).
I “randomly” get jury summons every two years like clockwork; even been summoned for a grand jury. I should be so lucky with random drawings for sweepstakes (never win) or the lottery (never buy the ticket). I show up and go through the whole process, yet have never actually sat through a trial. It was fascinating to observe the questioning process for impaneling, how the lawyers work to get the jury they want.
I watched Jury Duty series, enjoyed it, and couldn’t stop laughing during the “soaking” episode. Talk about manipulated letter of the law. I wonder – is this practice found among other religions that teach no sex before marriage? I had heard about it before in reference to BYU students. Don’t know if I believe it happens as described in the show, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
I was interestd in the comment by “Faith” who said she was taken off the mailing list for jury via her job in healthcare.
And I was wondering how this was done.
Here in my state if you are a registered voter you are on the list no exception no matter what.
I have been chose a few times and have seen people trying desperately to get out of jury duty with no luck.
Unless the lawers strike us for what ever reason they choose we are stuck and there we stay, in the jury pool until the jury and the alternates are chosen.
I was on only two .
The worst was one where a mother was having her parental rights severed.
I believe when we turn 65 we are no longer incuded in the draw of registerd voters for jury duty, pretty much the only way to get out of it here.
I served on a jury for a murder trial. Initially I was concerned the case would be close and I and the jury would wrestle with reaching a verdict.
Turned out the case was open and shut. A person was dead, shot by the accused, and a mountain of evidence, including the accused’s own words, photos and videos expressed on social media and in legally obtained recordings proved it.
Halfway through the weeklong trial it occurred to me the reason for the trial was the defendant refused to accept accountability. The defendant had no defense. The trial ended up being an exercise in the prosecution meticulously presenting the evidence. As a jury we deliberated for about two hours in order to ensure we had an understanding of and agreement that the defendant was guilty of first degree murder, and not a lesser charge.
Our jury was a diverse group of men and women, blacks and whites, older and younger. The defining and shared quality of the jury was a desire to follow the evidence. There was no drama on the jury. No tension. No grandstanding. I came away from the experience with a greater appreciation for my community and the quality of my neighbors.
I have been called up to jury duty twice. Both times I sent paperwork from my son’s doctors that I am an essential care provider and that he could potentially die without my care. I was excused both times. This is no longer my situation as my son’s health has improved, and he manages his own care mostly now, but I suspect they have removed me from the contact list.
My husband is contacted regularly but they usually eliminate him from the top because he works IT for Corrections. However one time he was on the jury. They had to decide the fate if a man who was accused of sexually molesting his young daughter. Every member of the jury quickly judged the man guilty except my husband. He says he was concerned the man may have been falsely accused as part of a divorce and he examined the evidence very carefully to be sure this man’s life wouldn’t be ruined by a false allegation. He was the only one who even considered the man could be innocent. For all the other jurors just allegations were enough. They didn’t even considered he could be innocent. My husband hung the jury for a couple days before he decided it was impossible to be absolutely sure but that the evidence did show guilt. He felt very awful about this knowing this man would go to prison for many years as a result of his decision. However it seemed the correct choice.
I got called up once. As a lawyer I was fairly confident that I would not be picked. I was surprised when I made it into the jury box for questioning. The assistant DA trying the case was a very attractive young women. I think it might have been her first jury trial. She was dutifully going through her questions and all my answers were pointed to being excused. The case was a criminal case and involved claims of police abuse. I do civil litigation. The only criminal work I have done has been for children of friends or missionaries that did dumb things. I have handled several police abuse cases on a pro bono basis.
The DA was going through her questions and checking them off. There were a couple of old guys in the pool that really wanted to be on that jury mainly so they could watch the DA for a week or so. They were answering every question in a way to get on the jury. Then she came to me. She asked about my legal practice. I answered explained that handled mostly commercial and environmental litigation but that I had handled some pro bono police abuse cases on behalf of victims. The DA checked her box and moved on to her next question. The judge was shocked when she didn’t dismiss me. When she was done defense counsel started. Apparently the case also involved a drunk driving charge. The defense counsel asked if anyone on the panel had been involved with a DUI. I raised my and and was asked to explain. I said that right after we were married we were hit by a drunk driver that totaled our car. So the defense counsel who wanted my on the jury now didn’t. I was excused.
I have been summoned to jury duty three times, about once per decade, and each time a call to a provided phone number the night before let me know that I was not needed and did not need to report to the courthouse. This had puzzled me because I remember my father serving on juries for trials about every three to five years. “Why such a difference between him and me?” I started to wonder. Recently I thought about it long enough to pinpoint the reason: I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, but I have not lived there since I was 24. Las Vegas apparently has more trials, which makes sense as a downstream consequence of its storied reputation. Living in low-crime counties is nice in lots or ways, such as fewer jury summons.
So I finally watched the first episode and I came back to this old thread to say that the judge threatened everyone with contempt if they left the premises and ordered the jury sequestered. I believe this constitutes false imprisonment by fraud or deception under California law, unless they told the dupe off camera that he really was not subject to the contempt of court citation. False imprisonment can be charged as either a misdemeanor or felony. The dupe can’t really sign away the right to charge after the fact, either. It is up to the local prosecutor’s discretion whether to file charges, and they can probably compel the dupe to testify against the producers. Not that I think that will happen. The prosecutor is likely to use their discretion and not file charges.