Jury Duty

[stormiestl]

D.A. Confronts 'Jury Pool From Hell'

MEMPHIS,
Tenn. (AP) - Defense attorney Leslie Ballin called it the "jury pool
from hell." The group of prospective jurors was summoned to listen to a
case of Tennessee trailer park violence. Right after jury selection
began last week, one man got up and left, announcing, "I'm on morphine
and I'm higher than a kite."

When
the prosecutor asked if anyone had been convicted of a crime, a
prospective juror said that he had been arrested and taken to a mental
hospital after he almost shot his nephew. He said he was provoked
because his nephew just would not come out from under the bed.

Another
would-be juror said he had had alcohol problems and was arrested for
soliciting sex from an undercover officer. "I should have known
something was up," he said. "She had all her teeth."

Another
prospect volunteered he probably should not be on the jury: "In my
neighborhood, everyone knows that if you get Mr. Ballin (as your
lawyer), you're probably guilty." He was not chosen.

The
case involved a woman accused of hitting her brother's girlfriend in
the face with a brick. Ballin's client was found not guilty.