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From: ags@pucc-i (Seaman)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: Grand Juries (nature of)
Message-ID: <402@pucc-i>
Date: Wed, 22-Aug-84 15:33:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-i.402
Posted: Wed Aug 22 15:33:34 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Aug-84 03:53:39 EDT
References: <1293@sdccs7.UUCP>
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Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
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I agree with most of what was said about Grand Juries, but the following
is a bit much:

>  ... most Grand Jurors are rich, old, conservative, and not even
>  from the local area.  This is because of the way they're chosen.  They
>  have to have money so that they don't need to work (at some gainful
>  occupation).  They're usually old, so that they won't mind the time.
>  They're usually conservative, because they're rich, old, and Most Of
>  All, because liberals (kooks, eggheads) are not considered the proper
>  material for Grand Juries by the DA.  And with counties like they are
>  today (10 million people live in LA County), chances are that the 20 or
>  so on the Grand Jury are all from Beverly Hills, not Watts where the
>  defendant lives.

I have served on a Grand Jury.  The mere fact that I work for a living did
not get me excused.  I am not rich, old, or conservative, but the DA did
not seem to mind.  He didn't even ask me enough questions to determine
whether I might be a liberal, kook or egghead.  (Actually it was the DA's 
assistant.  I never even saw the DA.)  

I don't believe any of my fellow jurors fit the description either.  Some of 
them may have been richer, older, and/or more conservative than I, but all of 
them were working people (I consider a housewife to be gainfully employed).  
There was no one on the jury who "didn't mind the time."
-- 
[This is my bugkiller line.  It may appear to be misplaced, but it works.]

Dave Seaman			My hovercraft is no longer full of 
..!pur-ee!pucc-i:ags		eels (thanks to my confused cat).