What Is It Like To Be A Juror?

We asked individuals from across the nation what it was like to be a juror. Most people dread jury duty and are looking for ways to get out of it. So we decided to ask people about their experience as a juror.

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I was a juror for 45 days or so. A few things...

The judge was amazing. He was so sharp and great at making sure that the whole situation moved along correctly. There was never a feeling like he was confused about what was going on, he just moderated the arguments, and made sure the jury knew what their job was.

Most of the time you're just listening to testimony that is important, but also obvious and usually barely relevant like "What is your occupation," "How long have you worked there," "What college did you go to" etc.

When it came to deliberation there were a lot of different ideas on how to process the info. Some people already knew what they knew and weren't going to be swayed. Some people wanted a few days to review their notes. Some people wanted to talk it out for a couple days and process that way.

-Gabe Hagstrom
Communications, waterfi
www.waterfi.com

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I recently was a juror in November. While I did not want to serve as it is a busy time of the year for my company, I felt my civic obligation if I was chosen to be dedicated. I was chosen and the experience was very interesting and overall a good experience. I enjoyed my fellow jurors and found it all very educational.

Haralee Weintraub
CEO Haralee.Com
www.haralee.com

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I have been a juror twice in NYC in the past ten years. One criminal case of domestic abuse and the other case of striking a police officer. I always feel much honored to be a juror and take it very seriously. I love the dynamics around the juror's table. I was a victim of a non-juried system in Mexico, unjustly incarcerated in a "Napoleonic" system.

-Mary Ellen

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I was the jury foreperson in 2002 in a case in Los Angeles against Philip Morris (we awarded $28 billion). In some ways, it was an absolutely amazing experience. It was like taking one of the best courses at a top university. We had experts from around the world coming to present the history and science of cigarettes and the cigarette industry. Absolutely fascinating! It was also a very long trial and it began to take a toll on me since I was a juror during the day and then went to work right from the courthouse until 10:30 pm each night. I was exhausted. But I really knew the whole time the importance and significance of this trial. I don't think I am suited to join the armed services or anything along that line, but I felt this was a good way for me to give back to my country.

-Jessica Gelson