Too few, it seems, feel it is their civic duty these days to serve on a jury. For many, serving on a jury creates a hardship in their lives. That’s understandable. It requires an individual to be away from their jobs for an unknown amount of time. Considering the court system pays jurors something like $10 a day for their service, and 15 cents for mileage to drive to and from the courthouse, it’s completely understandable why some individuals would not want to serve.
Many employers are understanding of this public service and compensate their employees as if they have been working. Kudos go out to those that do.
It is amazing how few people I know that have actually been called for jury duty. A quick poll of our office revealed that only two others and myself have ever been summoned to serve. Ask some of your friends. You may be surprised at how few you know that have been called.
Personally, I think serving on a jury would be an interesting challenge. Working for a newspaper would likely present a few difficulties. How do you separate the reporter from the citizen? Many reporters are trained to view most things with skepticism, while those on trial are considered innocent until proven guilty.
The one time in my life I was called, came a few years ago in Rockland. It was a fascinating, but excruciatingly long process of waiting to see if your number came up to serve. I sat through the selection process for four or five cases, and not once did my number come up.
Jury selection began last week in the Thayne Ormsby murder trial, and finished Monday with opening statements by the prosecution and defense.
Ormsby is accused of killing two men and a young boy in Amity nearly two years ago. Jury selection for this case, understandably, took far longer than anticipated, starting Wednesday morning and finishing Monday morning.
That trial is sure to garner a great deal of interest from the surrounding towns and could take more than two weeks to complete.
The men and women chosen for this trial have a tough task ahead of them. It’s not a task to take lightly and it has the potential to leave some long-lasting images in their minds as the details of the case are sure to be graphic in nature.
Fortunately, the judicial system was created for just such a purpose. Its goal was to create a jury by the people and for the people. It’s a system that has stood the test of time for generations.
We can thank our forefathers for having the foresight to come up with such a grand design when forming our nation.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.
