Anatomy of a Trial [Period 4, Class #1, 5-13]

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

Class today was meeting in the Danger Room, which they might realize looked very much like a courtroom. Their professor entered with a cup of tea in one hand and a briefcase in the other.

Alex had decided the best way to teach this class -- at least this first week -- was to dive in and pretend it was a courtroom scenario, at least at the outset. They were teenagers, most of them; they should catch on rather quickly.

"Thank you for being here," Alex said, setting her briefcase down on the long table in front of her. "I know jury duty is generally seen as a thankless nuisance, but the court appreciates your civic duty. We're going to start with a voir dire session as we empanel a jury. Those of you who are selected will be seated to hear a case; those of you who are excused may go home, with our thanks."

"Voir dire means that we ask you to speak the truth. Both the defense attorney and I will be asking a number of questions so that we can be sure to seat an impartial jury, one that has no preconceptions or prejudices on the issues we're going to be facing in court. Therefore, we'll be asking a number of questions both related to the accused -- William T. Thornsmith -- and his alleged victim, as well as more general concerns.

"Once we've asked our questions, certain participants may be stricken for cause -- if either side can make a compelling argument that the potential juror is too biased to follow the rule of law -- or dismissed summarily by either side via 'peremptory challenge,' which simply means that one of us feels we'd rather that juror not serve. We only have ten each, and if either of us are caught using them discriminatorily -- that is, to eliminate members of a specific gender, ethnic group, or sexuality -- our challenges may be overturned.

"All you need to concern yourself with is answering questions as honestly as you can. The rest, you can leave to the lawyers; that's why we're so overpaid." She smiled at her students. "Shall we?"

(wait for the OCD! OCD of wtf-was-I-thinking-DOOM is up!)

Comments

Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

Has any member of your family -- yourself included -- ever been arrested, or served time in prison?

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata simply shook her head--'no'--for this question.

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall snorted and raised his hand. Sure, he'd been jailed and tortured, but that wasn't going to affect him being impartial at all.

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

"Yes?" Alex said, nodding and pointing to him. "Could you elaborate, please?"

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"I was sent to prison for attempted assassination," Squall told her with a shrug. "Escaped."

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

Not what she had been expecting. She was going to tackle the second half of that first.

"Does that mean you're currently a fugitive from justice?"

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall shrugged. "Define 'justice'. There's a war going on."

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

"So you were an enemy combatant?" she asked. "Civilian courts don't usually have jurisdiction over wartime offenses."

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall shrugged. "That's not really relevant. There wasn't a court involved. You only asked if I'd been in prison."

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

Point. And it was rare that someone out-nitpicked Alex, so she had to give him his due, on that.

"My mistake," she said, with a quick smile. "So you were imprisoned without a trial, and escaped. Do you feel that experience may influence your participation in this trial?"

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall shrugged. "No."

It wouldn't.

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," she said, offering him a brief smile.

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[glacial_queen]

Karla was relieved to be able to shake her head at that one. After all, Vimes had said that he hadn't actually arrested them.

As for Hobart, the answer was 'not yet.'

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[wwiii]

Warren thought that one over for a moment. And then he thought of the headlines that would happen if anybody in his family had ever gotten themselves in trouble with the law. And then he smirked a little in spite of himself and resolutely kept his hand in his lap.

Nope. None of the above.

Re: Q1 - Voir Dire - ANAT01

[telekineticfury.livejournal.com]

Vance shook his head. Well, as far as he knew his father had never been arrested. It wouldn't have stunned him if he spent a night in there once, though.