Oooh Jury Duty

I admit it, I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to be a on a jury.  The worse the crime, the more I'd like it.  Unfortunately, with my profession and my background, the chances of me being kept on a criminal case jury are slim to none.  It's probably for the better because I wouldn't be able to control myself from reading about things I shouldn't read about or talking about things I shouldn't talk about.  In addition, I have no doubt I wouldn't be able to stay perfectly quiet while the trial was going on.  Case in point, when I was testifying as the victim of a horrible burglary case, I was jumping up to speak to points that the ADA was missing in her argument to the judge.  I also spoke directly to the various elements of burglary and theft when testifying . . .  right, I'm sure the defense attorney was pleased about that.  Anyway, one jury that I'm not sure I'd want to sit on is the current federal trial of two alleged hit men in Memphis.  The jurors will be known only through identification numbers, and, for their own safety, they will be escorted to and from the courthouse via U.S. Marshals.  So far, the judge has had to direct the defendants to sit quietly and has threatened them with restraining them if they cannot behave.  These defendants (Clinton "Goldie" Lewis and Martin "M" Lewis) were part of a 61-page indictment from 2007 that addressed a massive cocaine and marijuana operation between Mexican and American soil.  Many of those who crossed the various bad guys were killed.  Goldie and M are on trial in Memphis for some deaths they caused in Shelby County.  May justice be blind, and may the jurors be brave.

For more information, see http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/06/alleged-killer-cousins-on-trial/