If mandatory service is slavery, what about jury duty?

[mitty]

Jury duty is not quite slavery, but rather close. You could easily get out of jury duty, but it is still very much involuntary. If you were to answer honestly and they saw you fit, you had no way out of it but to lie. A voluntary jury would be nice to see, but I'm not sure how exactly that would work. I can't see people just deciding to get paid dirt to go deal with a bunch of fools on a jury. Hard one to figure out. Even if you paid people their exact wages or more, I can't imagine people would just come for the "fun" of it, especially those that are younger. The elderly might not mind though. lol...idk.

aristotle disagrees

 

[Conza88]

It is involuntary servitude...

Rothbard addresses this point exactly...

 

[Coughlie501]

Obviously neither is slavery in a voluntary organization, but once you realise the state owns your life the context changes.

 

[Truth Warrior]

Obviously neither is slavery in a voluntary organization, but once you realise the state owns your life the context changes.

http://www.reference.com/search?q=Involuntary+servitude

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Threads like this are why people continue to think of us as kooks. I'm halfway convinced this place is full of nutters myself.

When sane people tax and war each other to death, we nutters shall inherit the earth! How ya like them apples?

 

[mediahasyou]

Slavery is forcing others unwillingly.

If you are unwillingly forced into jury duty, that is an act of enslavement.

 

[torchbearer]

Slavery is forcing others unwillingly.

If you are unwillingly forced into jury duty, that is an act of enslavement.

I see kind of a catch-22.
If everyone has a right to trial by jury when indicted of a felony.
And then, no one volunteers to be on your jury...
Is your right to trial by jury being infringed upon?

 

[torchbearer]

I have to admit, that I'm one of those nuts who likes to be on the jury because I realize I have the ultimate power of jury nulification.
SO I enjoy it.

With that said.. people could voluntarily sign up for jury duty role call.
But then again, signing up to vote is voluntary too.
But i don't think the two should be linked,

 

[Mini-Me]

If it was only a volunteer activity, you'd get even more of the bottom of the barrel than we are now. Juries are supposed to be constructed of your peers; not just those who consider $12/day to be a financial boon.

When considering this, think about who you would want on the jury if you ever found yourself as the defendant in a court of law.

I certainly wouldn't want someone who's really selfish, unhappy to be there, bitter about me being on trial in the first place (because they had to sit on the case), and/or in such a rush to get it over with that they'll agree to convict me of Felony Thought Crimes and sentence me to death just so they can go home in time to watch American Idol.

I do agree that picking jurors randomly from a pool helps create an actual jury of peers, however. The way I see it, it would probably be best if you were called up and asked if you'd be willing to serve on a jury rather than commanded to show - and a market wage surely would not hurt the ratio of people accepting the offer. I have no problem with jury service being highly encouraged...it's the mandatory part (yes, assuming it's actually mandatory, Danke - I'm speaking philosophically ) that is in conflict with the spirit of liberty.

As for jury service itself, I fully agree that it truly is one of the last vestiges of power still left in the hands of the people. The power of the jury to judge both facts and law was inherent to the very word "jury" at the time the Framers wrote it into the Constitution, and even though federal judges have weakened the power of jury nullification, the right to trial by jury is still one of the most important rights in existence. I considered it an honor, a privilege, and a duty to serve on a jury (even on a small-time civil case), and I hope to someday be called up again to sit on a case where I can save someone from being punished for violating an unjust "law"...but that still does not mean I believe people should be threatened with punishment if they do not respond to a summons.

 

[Truth Warrior]

Hey, where'd all the Constitution worshipers go?

Amendment XIII

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

 

[John of Des Moines]

Hey, where'd all the Constitution worshipers go?

Amendment XIII

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

They're off preforming they're community service. That should make you feel better.

 

[Truth Warrior]

They're off preforming they're community service. That should make you feel better.

Nah, I DETEST involuntary servitude. BTW, I'm NOT real high on voluntary servitude either, for that matter.

 

[JeNNiF00F00]

Just something to think about...if the envelope that your jury duty summons comes in is not a certified letter, how can they prove that you actually received the summons?

 

[Truth Warrior]

Just something to think about...if the envelope that your jury duty summons comes in is not a certified letter, how can they prove that you actually received the summons?

The burden is on you, guilty until proven innocent.

 

[Josh_LA]

You get paid for jury duty.

so if I paid you I get to rape you?

 

[Josh_LA]

I'm an advocate of private juries...

you mean this?

I forgot that N word again!

 

[torchbearer]

so if I paid you I get to rape you?

Can't wait until you are brought in on charges of treason, and you have no jury because.. well, that would have been slavery to ask people to give you that right.
Hope that one judge isn't too partial to the government laws.

 

[Josh_LA]

Can't wait until you are brought in on charges of treason, and you have no jury because.. well, that would have been slavery to ask people to give you that right.
Hope that one judge isn't too partial to the government laws.

why don't you hope I get lynched on the spot and get it over with already?

I miss those days when we used mob rule, things were a lot less complicated.

What happened to "shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed,"

 

[Truth Warrior]

Gee, even I can "get" and understand Amendment XIII. I wonder why the STATISTS don't?

My SWAG, pragmatism, compromise, and a general ABSENCE of principles.

 

[Roxi]

$12??? here you get $50 a day