LogFAQs > #979995347

Westernwolf4 posted...

I was also surprised by this. I dont know what your experience with jury service has been Pie, but my JD/legal career has always disqualified me. When I lived in Va., I was always dismissed before coming in (long time ago, so dont know if that still happens.). Where I live now, I always come in and am instantly dismissed when people realize what I do for a living. Last time it was a law school friend of mine working the case who laughed at me for having to come before kicking me out!

Everywhere I have been no one wants a lawyer on a jury. Or maybe just me? But in this case finding a panel is so hard that I guess beggars cant be choosers?

Oh no, I've also been tossed for (presumably) my JD. Funnily enough, at all three stages of my career: law student, judicial clerk, and practicing attorney. All my voir dire questionings have ended at the "and what do you do for a living?" stage. Funny enough, the attorney at my second voir dire was a classmate of my judge, so she asked me to tell my judge she said hi.

Unless if I was really confident in both my case and the JD juror, I sure as hell would never let anyone with a JD on a jury if I still had the peremptory challenges to spare. Too much of a risk for taking control of deliberations. That said, I don't know what the strike count was looking like, but it wouldn't surprise me if this was strategic by the state. New Yorker + JD may be a good combo in this situation.