Jury Duty: The Great Equalizer
Jury Duty has always been one of my favorite experiences. It is easy to forget how privileged we are in this county as a free and democratic society, especially as we go about the business of day-to-day life; and jury duty is a reminder of the equality and protection that are valued so highly in our laws and Constitution. Regardless of the criminal charges brought against the accused in a court of law, the accused is entitled to certain rights of due process, which serve to protect him/her and to ensure equality under the law.
Today as I sat in the courtroom as the jury selection process began for my biennial jury service (actually a hardship selection process due to the unusual length of the upcoming trial), I was taken by the synergy of diversity and equality in the courtroom. In the courtroom there were people from all walks of life, all ethnicities, all professions, and all statuses. Each of the individuals being selected for the jury is viewed equally under the eyes of the law, which forms the fabric of our society. Each potential juror seeking to be excused from jury service for hardship pleaded his/her case before the judge who then granted or withheld the excuse of each juror as was fitting.
Two thoughts occurred to me as I observed this process (and having served on an actual jury previously). First, I was reminded of the openness of potential one has in life to guide his/her own path. Each of the potential jurors had a unique story to tell about why they could not serve, which was a reminder to me that in a country such as ours we have radical freedom to choose our own professions and destinies. This made my inner existentialist quite happy and was a reminder that one can always, literally, pick up and change professions or goals as one sees herself fit.
The second thought that occurred to me was that many of the prospective jurors seemed to take the responsibility of jury service rather too lightly. The defendant was present in the courtroom while the selection was underway, and the twelve jurors chosen will ultimately decide that man's future. This is a weighty responsibility that can only properly be taken up with the utmost gravitas. I heard many people whispering that they would automatically vote guilty if they were chosen to be on the jury. I cannot imagine a more un-American sentiment than this. To have this mindset is to forget that the jury is there to protect the rights of the accused to a fair trial (and that one is assumed innocent until proven guilty, in our society) just as much as to protect the average citizen from harm. We are indeed fortunate to live in a land that allows trial by a jury of one's peers rather than summary judgment from a monarchical power, to which any who have been falsely accused would attest.
It is this very same freedom that allows for the economic prosperity of this country to occur. Free enterprise, just as self-determination, is a necessary counterpart to the protected freedoms mentioned above. While I have written about free will elsewhere in my blog, it is worth reiterating that free will is the backbone of moral and economic responsibility. As free (and equal) agents, we are able to use our resources wisely or foolishly, but we must be prepared to face the consequences of the foolish use of those resources. While one is unlikely to encounter a financial jury (unless one handles resources so badly as to venture into the land of fraud, theft, etc.), the prosperity or poverty one faces as a consequence of sound finance management, or lack thereof, is weighty enough consequence. Simple and straightforward principles are perfectly adequate here: Don't live beyond your means; A penny saved is a penny earned; Let your money work for you; etc. And just as one is entitled to a jury by one's peers in criminal law, one is entitled to bankruptcy or prosperity as a result of the metaphorical jury by our free market economy. We all must live under the law and under the same economy, and we must use our freedom wisely.
