A Jury of His Peers (Pt. "The Last")

Time for waiting up, the judge swung into action.  To give the defendant every benefit of the doubt, 911 and police were called, hospitals were contacted, and attorneys were sent scurrying (especially the defense attorney). Perhaps a sudden illness, an accident? No matter.  Find the accused.  Now.

Then, time to reconvene again, yet still no defendant.  Security film clearly showed him exiting the courthouse.  There was no footage of his return.  All agencies reported no contact with the defendant. He had simply vanished. 

The judge, staying on point, called the jurors in, and after advising them that they should not assume anything positive or negative about the absence of the defendant, began to read the instructions.  He was addressing suspicious eyes.

In a monotone voice he methodically began a litany of the charges, repeating basically the same words for all 7 counts against the defendant.  Every word, no shortcuts. In dispassionate, clinical terms, he explained in vivid detail exactly what each charge meant.  I wondered how many times in the course of a year these words were uttered in this courtroom, or any other courtroom for that matter.  The raw nature of our society was on display.  I pondered how extensive this underbelly really was.  No child should have to suffer this affront to their person.  Proof once again, that life, no matter its gifts, can be most unfair.  And cruel.

That done, and a few other procedural matters dealt with, the jurors were sent away, to begin their deliberations.  I caught a glimpse of Jerry the Juror.  He did not look comfortable.  But he did look deadly serious. 

A bench warrant was issued.  The defendant would eventually be located.  The jury would find for or against. Justice would be served.  Another case would be filed away, and the next in a never ending chain would take its place.

Then it was over.  It felt like the air was siphoned out of the room. The judge left. The court staff performed some final obligatory rituals. Like the aftermath of some significant life event, there came an abrupt letdown and a draining of emotions.

For these court people, this was just another day in their world. Another 9 to 5.  For me it was pedagogic, revealing, and so disturbing, on many levels.  But it’s the best we’ve got.  It’s all we’ve got.  

A jury of our peers. 

Mark Twain Quote: “The rain…falls upon the just and the unjust alike; a thing which would not happen if I were superintending the rain’s affairs.  No, I would rain softly and sweetly on the just, but if I caught a sample of the unjust outdoors I would drown him.”