I just served on a civil jury as well. I finished the experience feeling very frustrated by the fact that those who can afford good attorneys to litigate instead of finding a solution through arbitration or mediation are able to bring frivolous cases to our court system that inconvenience 13 people and burden taxpayers through the use of the court’s time. In this case, neither individual was blameless, and yet because our society allows it, they could sue one another for damages in a jury trial.

After the verdict the judge gave us all a brief sermon on the importance of trial by jury in our democracy, but in this case I struggled to see the connection.

I’m sorry you were similarly disappointed by your jury experience. Certainly, those with less are disadvantaged to a greater degree than those with the pockets deep enough to afford high priced lawyers. If it were up to me, we would be like New Zealand and limit people’s “right” to sue!

Thanks again for your blog!