“You’ve got jury duty.” It’s four words that most of us are not anxious to hear. Not many people are anxious to spend their week in service to the court system when we all have other things that we need to do.
However, instead of being upset when we get that jury duty notice, we should be honored to have been selected. Aside from military service and voting, jury duty is probably the highest civic duty that one can perform.
Jury duty is a chance for citizens to actively take part through their service in making sure that justice is served.
Jurors keep the wheels of justice turning. When called upon, they serve as impartial judges of the facts and their verdicts, whether guilt or innocence, speak the truth.
Sometimes just having a jury ready to hear a trial is all it takes for some defendants to decide to plead to their charges. Whether a juror ever hears the first word of testimony, their presence is important.
We should welcome the chance to serve rather than make excuses about why we can’t.
The next time you get that jury duty notice go with the attitude of readiness and willingness to serve. As a citizen, it’s your responsibility, and more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.