Jury Duty

[Patrice]

Had jury orientation this morning, went in my best skirt set - I really don't think I pass all that well but no-one gave me a second glance. At the check-in the bailiff asked me my last name and went through the cards looking for it - she went right past my card saying, 'well, your not William'. Felt good.

[Victoria Anne]

That is wonderful, you must have felt great so how did the rest of it go ?

[Beth785]

I haven't been summoned for a while, but I had been thinking lately that if I was that I might go dressed up. The one bad thing is that I have run into people that I know the previous times I had been there. I have never been selected for a jury, though. I kinda think I have ADD or something, as when I'm sitting there, it looks like I have "ants in my pants!"

[Karren H]

Yeah!! So cool! Almost did that a few years ago.. But decided that I didn't want to get selected so I wore a dark business suit and glad I did because when I walked into the jusy waiting room there was a good friend.. The business suit was the right choice since they were choosing mainly middle aged poorly dressed women and not overly dressed men!! Lol.

We did have a local tranny make a fly through the court house at lunch.. She over the top.. Looked like a hooker.. None of the guys would believe me when I told then that she wasn't a she!!

So on day 2 we got excused early and I brought my clothes and went out shopping enfemme... Bought some cute earrings at a local resale shop just around the corner from the court house..

[kristinacd55]

I should have gone enfemme, I was on grand jury duty for about 5 months. Every Thursday!! Would have made the time go by a LOT faster! lol

[Patrice]

Actual jury selection is tomorrow - should be real interesting if I get chosen. I'm not sure what I expected when I decided to dress for this, so many people just try to flat avoid the duty that I think they would take any willing person no matter what they were wearing.

Supposed to be a 10 day trial, I'm going to have to go shopping if I get selected - oh darn! :heehee:

[Sapphire]

Hi Patrice,

It must have been a nice feeling. I hope all goes well. But do make sure to put your jury duty first and concentrate exclusively on listening carefully to the evidence if you are chosen! Others need to be reminded that being transgendered should never be a disqualifier.

[Ralph]

But do make sure to put your jury duty first and concentrate exclusively on listening carefully to the evidence if you are chosen! Others need to be reminded that being transgendered should never be a disqualifier.

Yeah baby, you got to REPRESENT!:^5:

ralph

[JoAnne Wheeler]

You were very lucky and fortunate - what you did would not go over well in the Bible Belt South
JoAnne Wheeler

[Christinedreamer]

Two things keep me from jury duty.

I wouldn't mind serving jury except for having to listen to the liars err....... lawyers.

The other is the irony of the state wanting me to be unbiased when they do not reimburse me for lost business (I own my shop) or for fuel, (30 miles to the courthouse)
and they threaten me with fines or jail if I don't come.

Maybe if I do get called again, I will go en femme in my white dress with the petticoats.

That will surely give them cause to excuse me.

[Tamera]

I am on call for Jury Duty first week of March and I too am doing it as Tamera.
Hugs,
Tamera

[Jess_cd32]

The last time I got one of those jury deals in the mail I sent it back with a note saying 'unless you have a corrupt judge or attorney on trial don't waste my time as I won't convict anyone to be raped and abused in your current prison system', never heard from them again:)

[kimmy p]

The last time I got one of those jury deals in the mail I sent it back with a note saying 'unless you have a corrupt judge or attorney on trial don't waste my time as I won't convict anyone to be raped and abused in your current prison system', never heard from them again:)

No disrespect meant but does that mean that you would rather have the bad guys out on the street where they can do further harm to the innocent, or create more victims? Our prison systems are not much more than vicious animal cages, but except for rare cases you aren't going in unless you commit a (felony) crime.

[KandisTX]

I usually show up in blue jeans and a t-shirt with one of my hobbies on it, either Harley Davidson, Paintball, Masonry, or Renaissance Faire. Last time I was summoned, I ran into another Mason and we started talking and found out that we had known each other through the renaissance faire as well. LOL.. haven't been selected yet. ~knock on wood~

Kandis:love::rose2:

[MissConstrued]

Maybe if I do get called again, I will go en femme in my white dress with the petticoats.

That will surely give them cause to excuse me.


All you need to get out of jury duty is to sound intelligent during voire dire.

The licensed land sharks on both sides want dummies they can lead around and fool with big words. The last thing they want is a critical thinker. I have seen this happen far too many times -- I'll give a reasoned answer to a question, and be promptly excused, while illiterate trailer trash who can barely string three monosyllabic words together remain to decide someone's fate.

On the other hand, if you decide it's a case where you might do the proper thing by exercising your right to jury nullification, just play dumb and keep your mouth shut.

[Sapphire]

I am on call for Jury Duty first week of March and I too am doing it as Tamera.
Hugs,
Tamera

I admire you for your decision Tamera. I have done jury service a couple of times in a suit and tie, but when people elect to not only discharge a very important civic duty but also advance the cause of the transgendered community in doing so en femme they are deserving of special respect. As for those of us who keep our transgendered natures to ourselves we owe it to you to offer our fullest support.

[StaceyJane]

I rather enjoyed my last time on jury duty. I took the whole thing very seriously and was able to lead my jury (I was the foreman) to a difficult decision.
Of course it would have been more fun if I did it wearing a ladies business profesional outfit.

[Christinedreamer]

If the actual truth were ever told and the lawyers did not play word games and deliberately subvert the truth and if judges actually handed out reasonable sentences that were served THEN I might consider servingf on a jury.

However having a brother in law who is an attorney, I hear the kind ofclaptrap that passes for juris prudence.

I have daydreamed about serving on a jury involving a hate crime such as the murder of Gwen Araujo.
THAT I would do.

The comment about selecting a majority of non compus mentus jurors rings true.

My mother was called for jury duty and was asked by the defense attorney if she felt she could understand the trial and the terms used since she was born in West Virginia.

She rather curtly told him that she was hired as a nineteen year old during WW2 to work in the war department(precursor to the Dept of Defense) in Chemical Procurement in the Pentagon and within 3 weeks was promoted to the department head over 100 other folks.

That department was tasked with procuring all the various components to manufacture munitions for the entire armed forces.

The judge got quite a chuckle out of that.

[Patrice]

Just returned from the jury selection process. I didn't make the cut but it was due to a randomized step in the process rather than direct elimination from either attorney. Never know if they would have tossed me or not, oh well :)

Both days were spent in a professional environment among strangers and the general public, absolutely no strange looks (in my field of vision) or rude comments (in range of my hearing). I was treated with utmost respect by all officials of the court and the other candidates in my selection group. At least to my face, and I'm quite happy with that.

I'm a little regretful I didn't make the cut in truth, Jury Duty can be an inconvenience but one I consider a duty and an honor. I was by no means approaching this flippantly or attempting to use my garments as a means to exclusion.

But I will always regard it as a lost opportunity to be a mature, respectful Transgender Individual out in public, doing my part to uphold our system of justice.

Just another ordinary citizen.

[LisaElizabeth]

Jess cd32....
Are you in Illinois???? We have a corrupt former governor with 'really great hair'.... that should be coming to trial in a few months........ That SHOULD meet your requirement for jury selection!!!
Huggs,
Lisa Elizabeth

[Robynts]

I encourage everyone to exercise their right to sit on a jury. If you took the opportunity to do so you might learn a lot about the legal system and what and why the lawyers are doing what they are doing. The whole process is in place to protect the accused rights and provide consistency.

That said, you need to be careful making light of jury duty service. Once you step into a jury pool your are in the hands of the Judge. There are those judges (many conservative judges) who believe that the courtroom is THEIRS and what happens in that court room is what THEY want to happen. I have seen judges kick a juror out of their courtroom because their dress was "disrespectful of the bench." In once case the Judge gave the guy 30 minutes to be back in the courtroom in a jacket and tie or the judge was going to send him to jail.

Not to scare anyone, but respect for the bench (aka judge) is paramount.

To the girl who sent her summons back with the note on it......you might want to check and see if there is a bench warrant out for you, the judge can do that if you do not show up. Next time you get stopped for a traffic violation better hope you are not dressed cuz you may be spending time in the local jail.......

Remember....most Judges have the power to decide who lives and who dies.........the vast majority of them take this responsibility VERY seriously. The also take the behavior of potential jurors seriously too.

[Christinedreamer]

I am entitled to respect from the government and those who represent it, including judges. I do not automatically kowtow to anyone. If you want respect you must give respect. I would have no qualms about filing a complaint against a judge for abuse of judicial powers regarding a coat and tie issue.

I testified once in a court case where the defense attorney was talking to me and othersas though we were ten years old. I simply informed him that I have a rather extensive command of the English language and that if he wished to continue with my testimony I would use MY vocabulary and my phrasing to express myself.

When no one stands up to abuse of power at whatever level it occurs we deserve the results.

[dilane]

Patrice,

Sorry you didn't get a chance to make it. I have once, en femme, and it was a great experience. I'll write about it soon.

MissConstrued,

I'm not exactly William F. Buckley, but I can stitch a coherent sentence together, and I got selected, en femme(!), along with at least two other obviously "college educated" types. Most of the rest were street-smart, not "book smart". Here's one area where I agree with Buckley: He once said: "I'd rather be governed by the first 1000 names in the Boston phone book than the Harvard faculty."

[MissConstrued]

I encourage everyone to exercise their right to sit on a jury.

Having a jury trial as the accused is a right. Serving on a jury is not a right, but an obligation. I don't mean to nitpick here, but as sorry as American civics education has become, this is an excellent juncture to remind everyone to learn just what a "right" is, and which ones we have. This is fundamental.




I have seen judges kick a juror out of their courtroom because their dress was "disrespectful of the bench." In once case the Judge gave the guy 30 minutes to be back in the courtroom in a jacket and tie or the judge was going to send him to jail.

Not to scare anyone, but respect for the bench (aka judge) is paramount.



Horse-feathers. Judges are not entitled by their position to respect from the people THEY WORK FOR. The black-robed thug in the case you describe was engaging in misconduct, and likely already has a string of complaints filed against him -- which will make no difference, of course, because you can't fight the system. The judge is supposed to referee the process, not be a petty tyrant. He doesn't own the f*cking courtroom. WE, the people, do. It's OUR courtroom.

Can the ******* throw you in jail? Yes. Does he have the right? No. And oh, is it ever so delicious when one of those goons is hoisted by his own petard.





I'm not exactly William F. Buckley, but I can stitch a coherent sentence together, and I got selected, en femme(!), along with at least two other obviously "college educated" types.


Awww, yes, Buckley, awld chap, I say. *Dry gravelly chuckle*

Kindly note, I made no mention of college education. I don't care about that. I know too many degreed nitwits to not understand that humans can be educated well beyond their intellectual capacity. The phrase I used was "independent thinker," which, based on my experience, is a thing one is or is not -- and is not a product of an expensive mush-stirring at one of the boob-hatcheries we once could call universities.

So you were selected for jury duty en-femme. You live in L.A., yes? You're just another freak to them, and perfect for the job. (I'm offering their perspective here, not insulting you.) I'll bet the accused was told that jury selection was a process to be taken seriously.... Next time you dress up for jury duty, swap your blouse out for a cute pink girly t-shirt that says "Gun Owners of America" or "Investigate 9/11" or "Ron Paul 2008" or even something half as rebellious, and see if you get picked.



Christinedreamer --
When no one stands up to abuse of power at whatever level it occurs we deserve the results.


Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Joy Carter]

If any of you girls do deside to dress and go into a court room, I hope you don't get told to go home and change. It's the judges discression as to what is proper in his court room. I've see people get sent home for waring shorts or off color tee shirts. That was after being repremanded by the judge. It could be a red faced event. :o

[Tamera]

Hi Joy,
I can see going home to change if you are not dressed presentable. But as to being TG and dressed in a nice pant suit that would be discrimination in my book in which case I would not make a good juror. If they want me, as a juror to think open minded and be presented with the facts. Then they too must be open minded and presented with the fact that I am TG and this is part of me.

As for the politics of lawyers, judges Senators and alike. Even Officials in these positions have been know to be TG, though many because of their position, do not make it known, but yet some have.

Hugs,
Tamera