Jurors Shanghaied Off Street in Oregon
When it comes to seating juries, desperate times call for desperate measures. Like arresting — and shackling — jury duty deadbeats, which is what’s done in D.C.
Out in Oregon, they conscript jurors from off the street:
A juror shortage forced a judge to look through a phone book before sending sheriff’s deputies out into the street to round up enough people for a trial.Lane County Presiding Judge Mary Ann Bearden said an unusually large number of criminal trials combined with an equally unusual number of no-shows for jury duty forced her to invoke a little-used state law.
“I dealt with some angry people,” the judge said. “They didn’t think it was fair.”
Their anger is understandable. These folks were out for a nice morning stroll, on a sunny day in August. The next thing they knew, they were jurors on a sex abuse trial — for a man accused of screwing the pooch aggravated animal abuse. And the defendant wasn’t even a federal judge.
Democracy: what a bitch.
Oregon judge tries dialing, rounding up jurors [AP via Seattle Times]
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Comments
1st!
1st!
these pretzels are making me thirdsty!
Now this is a well written post. Take a hint Elie.
Consider this an echo of 4
doodie
That's what you get for not being at WORK and having a JOB like the rest of us.
Is "Shanghai" an offensive term?
(Lat is Asian, but can I get away with using it, as a white person?)
8: I don't know, but I am definetly going to use it more in my everyday vocabulary.
Elie sux compared to Lat. I think we should have ATL Survivor. Elie, I vote you off of the island.
I think this is how the Russian army works, but the Oregon jury system? c'mon!
Nothing at all offensive about the term - it originates from the practice of basically kidnapping drunken men and forcing them to serve as crewmembers on boats bound for China and other Asian destinations. Similar to the British Navy's practice of press-ganging.
8- I don't believe "Shanghai" is an offensive term (especially considering that it was something done against the Chinese, not by them), but if it was, it wouldn't be OK if Lat used it just because Lat is "Asian." Asia is a big place and just being from one country in Asia doesn't give you carte blanche to use insulting Asian terms. You can't say "I can call Japanese people Japs because I am Chinese."
Seeing liberal pussies who talk about "public service" bitch about being drafted for jury duty makes me glad we're not trying to draft them for Iraq- they'd quit.
14- how the hell do you know those people are liberals? Sheesh some people have a chip on their shoulder.
Because they live in Oregon.
14, 16 = stupid
Cadwalader is using this tactic to recruit at T14 schools this year.
lol 18
I'd just vote to acquit...no matter what.
Or vote for capital punishment. No matter what.
Can a juror simply refuse to participate after being "drafted"?
It's Oregon, the Portland tunnels were used for to Shanghai people all of the time on ships.
As for Oregon hippies? They're the state trying to pass mandatory minimums, of years, on all property crimes.
7, So naive. No one in Oregon shows up for work during the summer - it's the only time of year that is not cold and raining. The funny part is that I still make 75% of what you make and bought a house in the city with a nice backyard for what you paid for you cubbyhole of an apartment. Portland to 120!
I hope the defense had the presence of mind to move to strike te jury panel since this method of jury "selection" is probably not sanctioned by the Oregon constitution or relevant statute.