Jury Duty in Heels, anyone?

[bambam]

Just served 2 weeks on a jury here, and wore my high heels Frye boots about a third of the time, the same ones in my avatar, except black. Nobody said anything, although I did get a TON of looks, stares, and awkward smiles. It should be said, however, that most, if not all female trial lawyers and law clerks wore huge heels, around half the time. None of the others on the jury ever wore anything like that, despite one being a model, and another being very attractive, and very femme. Thoughts? 

I really will never stop wearing heels, I think...

[mlroseplant]

My thoughts are that I'm glad that there are a few people out there who still wear heels, even if it's only 1/3 of the time. All joking aside, it is seldom you meet somebody who actually likes to wear heels. I wonder what those lawyers wear in casual life? I bet it's not heels. I could be wrong, but I'm probably not.

[Jkrenzer]

8 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

My thoughts are that I'm glad that there are a few people out there who still wear heels, even if it's only 1/3 of the time. All joking aside, it is seldom you meet somebody who actually likes to wear heels. I wonder what those lawyers wear in casual life? I bet it's not heels. I could be wrong, but I'm probably not.

They are unofficially forced into it, unwritten rule.

Bambam did you wear during your sequester? If you did and weren't excused I'm a bit surprised. No reason is required to excuse jurors and each side gets a certain amount. 

[pebblesf]

Good work buddy, must have felt great.  Besides the looks, did anyone actually say anything/compliment you?

[Aly]

6 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Bambam did you wear during your sequester? If you did and weren't excused I'm a bit surprised. No reason is required to excuse jurors and each side gets a certain amount. 

I think you're thinking of the "voir dire" part of jury duty - the selection process: sequester happens after all the evidence and testimonies have been presented, and the jury retires to discuss the case and reach a verdist.

[Jkrenzer]

23 hours ago, Aly said:

I think you're thinking of the "voir dire" part of jury duty - the selection process: sequester happens after all the evidence and testimonies have been presented, and the jury retires to discuss the case and reach a verdist.

My bad, question still stands.

[bambam]

So, I wasn't sequestered, although sequester can still occur after selection. It can occur during the evidentiary process, to be sure nothing is improperly seen or heard from  media or other people. That way, only the lawyers decide what is seen. 

Nothing was said, strangely, although the model was more vocal ABOUT heels while we spoke. And the lawyers who wore them were very aware of the image they portrayed, as they wore flats at any moment they could. 

[mlroseplant]

11 hours ago, bambam said:

So, I wasn't sequestered, although sequester can still occur after selection. It can occur during the evidentiary process, to be sure nothing is improperly seen or heard from  media or other people. That way, only the lawyers decide what is seen. 

Nothing was said, strangely, although the model was more vocal ABOUT heels while we spoke. And the lawyers who wore them were very aware of the image they portrayed, as they wore flats at any moment they could. 

I could have guessed that. I obviously can't get inside of anybody's brain, but I would be willing to bet that like for most women, it's a love/hate thing. Obviously, some of those lawyers thought that the heels projected a certain look that they wanted, but unlike say, us, they're unwilling or unable to put in the work that would allow them to wear them for 8 hours without thinking about it too much. Or just simply go with a less-than-"huge" heels. Even Christian Louboutin does in fact make 85 and 100mm heels!

[Shyheels]

Well 85 and 100 mm heels seem quite nice to me …

[Cali]

When I have had jury duty, I get thrown out right away because of my occupation and how that might work against statements and arguments made by either side. However, I am now excused for life.

[Shyheels]

It’s an experience I’ve never had, nor am ever likely to have. I’ve lived my entire adult life as an expat in one country or another 

[VirginHeels]

The selection process here in Scotland is very different. It appears now we are going back to the pre pandemic situation. The pandemic situation had the jury in a cinema watching from a video stream. Now we are going back to the 15 from 120 for a Sheriff Court and 15 from 90 for the High Court.

We don’t have that stupid Voir thing. Once selected, you are in. There’s an excusal system, so teachers can be excluded from a case involving kids. Retail staff can be excluded from a shoplifting charge.

Next year sees me off my exemption for the Sheriff Court, was last there as a potential juror in 2019, that was a 4 year exemption. My High Court exemption comes off in 2025 as that was a 20 year exemption after being a juror in 2005.

If I’m selected next year, a week of going up to the court to be sent away an hour later, well, I’m going to wear heels. The sound of the click off the marble floors reverberating against the tall brutalist concrete walls will be a confidence booster.

Many of the court female staff here wear heels, if only in the presence of the Justice/Judge. It’s normal for them to have flats on and be carrying their heels in their hand if they are no longer in that courtroom that day, otherwise they tend to leave them under the bench in the courtroom.

Im quite an experienced juror, I’ve been selected twice, been a prospective and unselected juror at least 7 other times. Once it was 6 times in 5 years.

I quite fancy a week going up to the court. I will be wearing my heels this time.

[at9]

I've not yet been called for jury service. Apparently only about 35% of the population in England gets called during their lifetime. The upper age for jury service was 70, but was raised to 75 a few years ago. I've got under 8 years to go.

Scotland has a different legal system to England.

[Shyheels]

Nearest I ever came was reading I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane 

[mlroseplant]

As a member of the State of Iowa Bar, albeit non-practicing (everybody knows I'm actually an electrician), I must object to your reference, "That stupid Voir thingy." Because then you go on to say that there are exemptions/excusals. I don't know exactly how the legal system works in Scotland, but that's exactly what the usual process of "Voir Dire" is designed to address. You don't want a firefighter on the jury when your client is accused of arson. In some jurisdictions, even the judge can disqualify a potential juror for possessing some sort of bias. In any case (pun intended), it would definitely be heels for me, were I selected as a juror in the future.

[Shyheels]

Yes, imagine being called as a potential juror for a case involving a fashion designer and in you stroll in some five inch Louboutins. I can’t imagine the prosecution being happy with that

[VirginHeels]

9 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

As a member of the State of Iowa Bar, albeit non-practicing (everybody knows I'm actually an electrician), I must object to your reference, "That stupid Voir thingy." Because then you go on to say that there are exemptions/excusals. I don't know exactly how the legal system works in Scotland, but that's exactly what the usual process of "Voir Dire" is designed to address. You don't want a firefighter on the jury when your client is accused of arson. In some jurisdictions, even the judge can disqualify a potential juror for possessing some sort of bias. In any case (pun intended), it would definitely be heels for me, were I selected as a juror in the future.

I see now. That’s how it was described to us by a Clark of the Court. Here we get the charge read out, we also read it too. Then we go for excusals, then it’s into duty selection. I’m sorry if my misunderstanding of the US Legal system in regards to Voir came across as ignorant in any way.

[mlroseplant]

I think that the end goals of the jury selection process are not all that different in the various countries that more or less follow the Common Law system, it's just the details that can be a bit different. How very strange that we use the term "voir dire," which is French, when every other foreign word we use in the law is Latin. Depending upon what part of the U.S. you're in, wild, terrible mispronunciations of said foreign language terms are quite acceptable, even by professionals. I still cringe when I hear lawyers pronounce it "vor dyre." I wonder if I could get out of jury duty by calling a lawyer an idiot for pronouncing it like a hick. 😆

[Shyheels]

I should think having a legal. Background would see you bounced pretty swiftly anyway 

[Cali]

I have a jury duty call for the second week of the year.

I have a medical exception. Even if I get called and asked the standard questions, once I tell them my profession and my extensive background in logic, the attorney's from both sides will always excuse me.