Quality of Juries

* Though Timothy Lynch’s Jan. 24 commentary, “We All Lose When Judges Overreach,� is accurate, such brevity bypasses what may be a greater threat to our venerable jury system. I was elected foreman of a jury deliberating the fate of an individual accused of a “cocaine buy.� One juror brought a pocket Bible to the table, which she kept in front of her during the deliberations. At one point, 10 of us were certain that a particular witness had lied during his testimony, another one was not sure, but this particular juror was adamant that he had told the truth.

I asked her to please tell me why she was so adamant, and perhaps I would change my opinion. She said (and this is an accurate quote), “He put his hand on the Bible.�

I asked her, “What color car do you drive?� She replied, “Blue.� I told her: Suppose I am a witness in a trial and the district attorney asks me what color car she was driving, and I say, “Green,� but before I could complete my thought (that I might have been mistaken, colorblind or lying myself), she jumped up, pointed a finger at me and said, “Jesus wouldn’t let you say that!�

She ultimately changed her mind. Wouldn’t say why.

ROBERT M. FRANK

Rancho Palos Verdes