jchrisobrien | Service Means Citizenship: 6 of 6

The date? The place? a Cheesecake Factory restaurant near the Middlesex County Courthouse. The scene? Eleven people clustered around the tables and leaning against the bars. Beers and wines and daiquiris and martinis cover the table. The reason? The jury returned a verdict in the case, our civic duty was accomplished, and we didn't kill each other in the process.

After we reached a decisions on the first question of our case (Was the Doctor guilty of negligence in the treatment of his Patient? We said yes), reaching a conclusion on the second issues was almost a piece of cake. We had a template for action, a routine to follow. We listed all the relevant pieces of information, listed so that we could all agree on the facts. We then painstakingly listened to the judges phrasing of the second question. I can't remember the details of it now, but it essentially went like this "Did the Doctor's negligence towards the patient the significant factor in her death." We didn't think so. There was a smaller margin of people who held onto his guilt in this case, and they made their points eloquently. In the end, we decided that his care fell with the acceptable range of doctors in hospitals. This range of care is really crappy, people get discharged being barely about to walk and with trouble breathing, but that is a matter for a different court case. Perhaps in the future, the results of this trial will be used to help raise the standard of care in hospitals. Another discussion for another day.

This day's discussion is about citizenship. It weighed on my mind a lot during the trial. Serving on jury duty was a pain in the ass. Listening to legal briefings for days on end. More days spent in judgment on other people. Losing pay from work. Getting behind in your work. Sinking into a depression as the trial moved on. Was this all worth it?

In the end, I can resoundingly say yes. During the trial, I received several compliments on my arguments during the deliberations. More than one person saw me as a lug, a silent oaf who showed up at the last minute or late, didn't talk to people, didn't say much during the trial, and appeared to be sleeping through most of it. When the deliberations began, I became a different person. I think by the time it was over, we were all different people. American's don't often have a chance to participate in the machinery that makes our country run. We have the chance to vote, but seldom do. Few people join in community service. Most people try like hell to get out of jury duty. Sometimes with good reason. If I had to sit on a case where people were arguing over cutting down tree branches that weren't on their property, I'd be filled with contempt. What I sat on was a malpractice suit, in which the patient had died. These were high stakes, with serious consequences. This was a situation that truly required a judicial solution. And in this country, common citizens like you and me are called on to settle the case. The lawyers present the evidence, and the judge gives power to the verdict. But the jury makes the call in the end. Not doctors, not lawyers. Teachers and restaurant owners, and roofers, and data analysts and tech workers. Every day people. Citizens of the United States.

Being in a jury helped me appreciate the legal system we have. It's not perfect, no system is. Serving on a jury made me feel like I was helping people. It made me feel like I was a living part of the judicial system of our country. It made me feel that there were principles that our country stands for that are worth something. America can be good and bad. It depends on the actions of it's citizens. More so than before, I'm glad to be a citizen of the United States. And just a tiny bit proud.