Today I’ve been occupied with jury duty, which the judge today said is the highest civic duty, next to serving in the armed forces. (She’s probably just tired of seeing flaky jurors.)
I really wish I could’ve sat in on this particular trial. Unfortunately, all of the jurors were selected before my name was even called. It was a domestic violence misdemeanor case. The defendant was a woman accused of beating her boyfriend. To me, she looked like she weighed ninety pounds. I secretly wondered what her boyfriend must look like. Maybe I’m a freak, but I really enjoy watching voir dire. Maybe it’s just that it’s another opportunity for me to sit back and study the humanity around me. Some people were obviously trying to get excused by saying all kinds of outrageous things. I found that very humorous. (The judge didn’t seem to like it, though.) Some of the jurors were complete idiots. (I noticed that the people who talked the least were the most likely to get on the jury. It was the idiots who rambled on for five minutes who got kicked off first.) The prosecutor was funny. The defense attorney looked like he’d just gotten out of jail himself (no offense to my criminal defense lawyer friends, who unlike this guy don’t fit the stereotype!).
Anyway, my day in court today makes me want to practice criminal law. (Actually, when I first started law school, I wanted to be a prosecutor more than anything.) Lots of trials and court appearances. Very little paperwork. People interaction. Thinking on your feet. Drama. Action. Sounds good to me! Maybe someday . . .
[Check out the picture of the courthouse I went to for jury duty today (below)! Sweet, eh?]
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I was called in for jury duty last Spring. When the judge asked if anyone should be excused, I tentatively raised my hand and explained that I had a nursing baby at home, along with 3 other small children to care for. He nodded and then asked if he allowed for 20 minute breaks every three hours so I could nurse the baby, would that suit me? I was so surprised! I said that my husband would then have to haul all four of our kids to the court house every three hours so I could nurse the baby then. I was excused...
It sounds like it would have been a very interesting case. Women aren't accused of domestic violence very often even when the police reports indicate that they deserve it as much as their male counterparts (of course, men are the aggressors 95% of the time). in fact, often times the man will call the police and end up getting charged for it just because even though she started the fight, she got roughed up in the ensuing struggle. On the other hand, if a guy gets good and thunked (I've seen reports of frying pans and such) after he started the fight, you can bet that he's the one that is going to get the charges.
Not that I mind overall. Guys are normally the problem. But I bet it must be some case in order to go to trial.
Mark - I think one of the central issues (from what I could tell by the prosecutor's questions) was whether the "primary aggressor" or the "dominant aggressor" is most culpable in a criminal prosecution for domestic violence. :) Obviously, that might make a huge difference, depending on the facts of the case.
-Amy
Reminds me of something Prof. Rucker once said in crim law - that he always tried to get mothers on the jury.
You might find this article interesting: Male abuse survivor stands up for the stigmatized. Domestic violence is equally common between men and women, although women do report significantly higher injuries.
You should know that it really doesn't matter the size of the person abusing. A person could be 90 pounds and have a boxer as a boyfriend, but if he wasn't willing to strike back, and was psychologically under her control, she could still beat him up. I know this firsthand...
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