Amanda Thompson’s editorial, “Getting Arrested for Skipping Jury Duty” brings up something we often don’t think about: our own civic duty! In clear, concise language, she describes how one district judge in Texas recently proposed that jury duty ought to be enforced by deputies making house calls to the summoned and either bringing them to court or bringing them to jail! Amanda does a great job of examining both the pros and cons of this proposal: on the one hand, it might “whip” the population into shape by making an example of people. However, she also notes that on the other hand it might be seen a waste of tax payer’s dollars. She clearly addresses how the issue could be perceived in two totally different ways.
Amanda then goes on to give her own opinion, specifically that sending law officers to people’s houses to enforce jury duty is a good idea. “It might take a week of hard work to accomplish the task” she writes, but the precedent that jury duty is an important obligation would quickly be reestablished. She also takes care to address the opposing viewpoint, that change can be slow. I think it’s great that she takes a clear stance on the issue and makes her opinion known. Personally, I think that a tax break might be a better incentive, but of course, our hope is that people fulfill their civic duty without needing any incentive, negative or positive.
I fully agree with Amanda’s statement, that “there used to be so much more respect for the system.” More and more, jury duty is brushed off as unimportant, when in fact it is incredibly essential to our judicial system. We often forget that our Bill of Rights mandates that we have the right to a “trial by jury” and to an “impartial jury in the state and district where the crime was committed.” People fought and died for these rights! It’s right up there with our civic obligation to vote! I think her commentary examines an important, often overlooked issue.
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