If you were allowed to pick any jury you wanted, strictly by demographic (no specific people), for the future crime you commit (you don’t get to know what it is, pretend it is random), what kind of jury would you choose?
This thread is inspired by the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode in which Larry claims that the lesbian community really admires him. I started thinking about which community would I get along with best and I figured it would be women over 30. In my entire life, never has an older women hated me intrinsically, I had to really bring them into it.
I think it might be because I look cute and innocent. Whatever it is, I have gotten good grades from all my female teachers, which is enough evidence to convince me that there is something alluring about me to that demographic.
Your scenario seems to specify that you are guilty of the crime. In that case I would like a bunch of idiots that I think I can fool into acquiting me. I would like to choose from a pool of people too stupid to figure out a way to get out of jury duty. So I guess I would be in luck.
However, if I were innocent I would do just what I did when I was falsely accused of a crime a couple of years back. I insisted* on having the Judge hear my case. I felt safer with my fate in the hands of an experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent, and interested professional jurist who has sworn to be fair than I would have with a bunch of randomly chosen amateurs who might send me to jail if they didn’t happn to like my haircut.
The Judge had seen the same kind of stupid case before, of course, and it was a foregone conclusion from early on that she would acquit me as soon as the formalities were out of the way.
*Interestingly I did have to insist. I thought I had a right to trial by jury, which I could choose not to exercise. The prosecutor wouldn’t hear of it at first, but gave in after a while.
I take offense to this remark. Too stupid? Have you considered that some people may feel they shouldn’t just gain the benefits of living in this country, but should also take on the responsibilities assigned to us, too? I would never attempt to get out of jury duty just because it’s an inconvenience.
And to answer Shirley’s question, probably males 18-34. I’m more likely to have similar hobbies with them and maybe they could relate to me better. I have nothing in common with the majority of women.
I’d want people who’d be afraid to convict me because of the possible social repercussions.
Failing that…tough choice, mainly because I don’t know what crime I’m being hypothetically charged with. There are some where I’d prefer having a jury of wishy-washy hippies, and some where I’d actually prefer a bunch of “Good Ol’ Boy” Texans.
I’d want people who’d be afraid to convict me because of the possible social repercussions.
Failing that…tough choice, mainly because I don’t know what crime I’m being hypothetically charged with. There are some where I’d prefer having a jury of wishy-washy hippies, and some where I’d actually prefer a bunch of “Good Ol’ Boy” Texans.
From what I’ve been told anectdotally from lawyers blacks are more likely to acquit than whites, and that’s regardless of the ethnicity of the defendant.
Very good point here - if the charge was for something like pot possesion, I would choose hippies, while the good ol’ boy Texans are who I would want if I was on trial for not possessing the proper paperwork for a Class 3 firearm. In general though, if I did commit the crime, I would go for a white trash/black ghetto populated jury, while if I didn’t do anything wrong, I would a jury composed of well educated technical types.
When I have finally had enough and bash my husbands brains in with a fry pan, I would like 12 equally unhappily married women who can totally relate and perhaps stand up and applaude.
Well of course I’d want twelve charter members of The Straight Dope! If they didn’t acquit me, they’d end up hopelessly deadlocked and I’d get a mistrial!
I’m not quite sure why I’d pick this group for my jury. But…
About half should be heterosexual white females, mid 40s to mid 70s. A few gay African American men. And balance the rest with State University or Community College age males and females.
IAAL but don’t practise in criminal law. I’ve heard criminal lawyers say you use all of your “challenges” (which you may not have at all, depending on your jurisdiction) to knock out any school teachers and young women. Older women tend to acquit much more commonly, so you’d be hoping for a few of them.
I’d want folks who voted for Anyone But Bush in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections, as that demonstrates (a) they take their civic duties responsibly, and (b) they’re intelligent.