Federal Jury Duty

I have to report for federal jury duty for the MONTH of September some 40 miles away.
I wish I could say I was a happy camper, but I can't say that, without lying.

I did not get selected today, nor questioned. I wish I had.

The case is for a convicted felon charged with 1 count of possession of a firearm.
Both sides stipulated he was a convicted felon.

The indictment says he was found with a 9mm HiPoint loaded with Federal and Winchester ammunition. Apparently the car was searched due to the "smell of marijuana" although no marijuana was found.

In addition to the prosecuting attorney, a BATFE agent was at the prosecution's table.
Both attorneys asked those seated in the jury box (I was not one of them) if anyone owned guns (handguns, rifles, or shotguns); who had a CWFL; who carried a pistol for self-defense; who was a member of the NRA; who had strong opinions about federal gun laws (for or against); did anyone have a problem with the law that states that convicted felons can't possess weapons?

I wanted them to get to me SOOO bad.

On a side note, the judge made the following statement (I wrote it down): "I will tell you all the law you need to know."

That last sentence is scary as hell. I too would love to get on a Jury someday.

Up here they're trying to get Hi-Point for some jack a$$ that was buying guns in Ohio to illegally sell them in NYS. Some teenager was injured ruining his NBA career. Somehow Hi Point is at fault.

This is just my opinion from what the facts you included in your post.

The smell of weed gave the officer(s) their probable cause but none was found (Yes, I know they could of just been smoking a joint/blunt and ate it). IMO, that'd make what was found during the search fruit from the poisonous tree. It could be a case of profiling and since you CAN just eat your joint, "I smelled marijuana" is a safe thing to go with far as probable cause since you can just say "oh they must of ate the joint" when weed isn't found. I have nothing against LEO's, but I also don't take everything they say as truth either, just as I don't from anybody else.

Courts inform every jury, either civil or criminal, of the applicable state/Federal laws relevant to the case. It's called jury instructions and occurs after closing arguments in some states and before in others. Nothing unusual about that at all.



Bigworm
... just soaking up the knowledge!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by bigworm

Courts inform every jury, either civil or criminal, of the applicable state/Federal laws relevant to the case. It's called jury instructions and occurs after closing arguments in some states and before in others. Nothing unusual about that at all.

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Most, if not all, Federal Circuits (and many states), have pattern jury instructions that lay out the law and the elements of the crime, etc.

A HiPoint loaded with Federal and Winchester ammo,Your honor that ain't my gun,If I had a gun it would be loaded with speer Gold Dots

Getting nailed for carrying a HiPoint is like getting nailed for robbing a bank of a hundred bucks. Hardly worth risking the time.

"The indictment says he was found with a 9mm HiPoint" <~~~~ GUILTY! Throw The Book At Him!...or better yet - Throw The HiPoint at him...it's heavier!

Just Kidding Just Kidding.

Last time I was called for jury duty, I was questioned about being a NRA member--and not selected. I'm sure many lawyers would use that as a reason to reject a potential jurist.

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Originally Posted by OldVet

Last time I was called for jury duty, I was questioned about being a NRA member--and not selected. I'm sure many lawyers would use that as a reason to reject a potential jurist.

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You could use the old "I wouldn't be here for jury duty if the guy wasn't guilty. Prosecutors don't charge people they cannot convict." That will get you off jury duty in a heartbeat.

Yesterday I read a story about a guy in England who wanted to get out of jury duty so he wrote a letter to the judge saying that because of his prejudices he would not be a good juror. It seems he made quite an impression. They are looking at pursuing criminal contempt of court charges against him!

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Originally Posted by mcp1810

Yesterday I read a story about a guy in England who wanted to get out of jury duty so he wrote a letter to the judge saying that because of his prejudices he would not be a good juror. It seems he made quite an impression. They are looking at pursuing criminal contempt of court charges against him!

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Would love to read that article.

Now my comment was tongue-in-cheek but if taken seriously I would not recommend the potential juror say it smugly but with the utmost sincerity.

Here is one article about it. Not the one I read but about the same guy. I just heard it run on Headline News also!
Dodging Jury Duty: ‘I’m Too Racist And Homophobic To Be A Juror’

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcp1810

Yesterday I read a story about a guy in England who wanted to get out of jury duty so he wrote a letter to the judge saying that because of his prejudices he would not be a good juror. It seems he made quite an impression. They are looking at pursuing criminal contempt of court charges against him!

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Ah, I was going to say "First Amendment" but then realized the guy was in England, which true rights are severely restricted.

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Originally Posted by gasmitty

Getting nailed for carrying a HiPoint is like getting nailed for robbing a bank of a hundred bucks. Hardly worth risking the time.

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Or like taking your hot girlfriends ugly older sister for a drive, and getting caught


Judge sounds as though he's one of those, "I am smarter than you little man" types who would look down his nose at the Pope.