Criminal Court & Clumsy Crooks

I had to serve on Jury Duty yesterday - Criminal court. The case was about a woman who allegedly was driving under the influence. It was a real learning experience for me and for the most part I enjoyed it.

Things I enjoyed about jury duty:

• The judge - Judge David Patterson - is very kind and funny. He is a good judge and made us feel at ease. And I am glad I did not have to serve under this guy: http://www.clumsycrooks.com/pictures/41-good-name.htm
• The clerk - Marcia Borys - is also very kind and funny. She has more energy than the energizer bunny.
• A juror who was in her 80s or 90s who fell asleep during the hearing and then said that it was boring.
• Learning how everything works with our court system.

Things I did not enjoy about jury duty:

• Making a decision that will severly affect this woman's life and her criminal record. (scary)
• Feeling so ANGRY at two jurors that I wanted to hit them. The worst one was a high school TEACHER (I think at Cookeville High School)!! She looked miserable all day and had a rotten attitude. When the jury was hung, she said that she just wanted to get out of there and that this has been "the worst day of my life" and I wanted to say, "I want your life if this is the worst day of your life!". She did not care anything about the importance of her decision on this case OR about being rude to others - and she is a TEACHER!!! I don't want her teaching my kid! This is a person having a bad day: http://www.clumsycrooks.com/pictures/72-woman-driver.htm

By the way, we finally agreed on not-guilty even though one of the jurors claimed to have "given up her principles" so that she could go to her dinner party and get out of there.

Here is a relevant website:

• Clumsy Crooks - http://www.clumsycrooks.com/index.php - this webpage has some really funnny pictures on it. Jason would like the following: http://www.clumsycrooks.com/pictures/44-careful.htm