Implausible Jury Excuses is this week’s Mystery Question. I was all set to find more crazy things we did as kids when I ran across jury excuses, and I couldn’t resist!
But first the photo and verse. The photo is one that my friend, Cheryl Meints took on one of her trips out West. And the verse is one I remember reading for the first time over twenty-five years ago. I have read these two verses as well as the whole psalm many times when life seemed overwhelming.
Now for the answer to last week’s Mystery Question: Stupid Things We Did. I found three of the following on the internet that people admitted they did and made up one. Please note–I didn’t do any of these!
- When I was 11 someone dared me drive my parent’s car around the block. I could’ve done it except I didn’t know how to back up, and if it hadn’t been for the ditch I could’ve done it.
- Me and my cousin tried to run through a wooden fence to leave an outline like Bugs Bunny…It did not work.
- We used to play a game called “gauntlet” where we’d line up our bikes on each side of the street and throw sticks and rocks to get at anybody crazy enough to ride down the street to crash.
- At my uncle’s we used to swing from the hayloft over the tops of the cows in the barn and try to land on their backs.
And the answer is…#1. Congrats to all who got it right. 🙂
Now for this week’s Mystery Question: Implausible Jury Excuses. Lawyers ask potential jurors a lot of questions — and get some awkward answers. Here are three I found when I googled the question and one I made up. Can you guess the made-up one?
- An attorney posed this question while questioning potential jurors: Have you ever had experience with an attorney?’ The woman answered, “You picked me up at a bar five years ago.” She was excused.
- Another prospective juror told the attorney, “I don’t think I can be fair.” When asked why not, he replied, “This dude looks like the guy that robbed me at gunpoint last year. In fact, I’m not so sure it’s not the same guy.”
- As a potential juror was questioned, he said, “I only trust one lawyer, and he is dead.” Also excused.
- Another tried to use man’s best friend, claiming he had no one to walk his dog. The attorney asked, “How often do you have to walk your dog?” The man’s response sealed his spot on the jury. “I don’t walk my dog. He goes through the back door by himself into the back yard.”
Okay, Mystery Sleuths which excuse did I make up? Leave your answers in the comments and I’ll enter you in a May drawing for a book from my library!
Implausible Jury Excuses is this week's Mystery Question. As usual, three are true, one false. Can you spot the false one? leave your answers in the comments, and I'll enter you in a May drawing for a book from my library! Share on X
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Comments 58
#2 had me laughing, but I choose #3.
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Hi Mary! Glad I made you start your day off laughing! I’ve done my good deed for the day. 😉 We’ll see next week.
Cheryl’s picture is stunning!
Hmm, they’re all good, but I choose number 2 because it’s awfully coincidental.
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Priscilla, Cheryl’s photos belong in a magazine! We’ll see if it’s #2 next week. 🙂
It’s a great line but I think you made up #3.
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Good morning, Delores! Glad you think that’s a great line…we’ll see next week.
I’m going with #2. All of these are great! 🙂
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Thanks, Rosalyn. I thought they were pretty good, too, and maybe made people laugh. We’ll see next week if it’s #2.
4 is my favorite, but I’m going for 3! People! Right?!? Lol
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Right, Regina! Good to ‘see’ you here!
Choosing #2. I sure wouldn’t want #4 deciding my fate in a trial.
Love Psalm 46!
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Me, too, Barbara–especially verse 10 that says “Be Still and Know that I am God.” I have that where I can see it each morning. We’ll see if it’s #2 next week.
Love that photo and verse, Pat.
I can’t stop laughing at #1. #3 is good for a laugh as well. However, I think you made up #2 this week. It actually seems like a reasonable excuse.
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Thanks, Tim! So glad I made you laugh. That’s why I like these–they’re funny. We’ll see next week if it’s #2. 🙂
I’m going with #2
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We’ll see, Gail! Thanks for commenting!
Well Pat, I couldn’t resist weighing in on this one as it hits close to home. LOL!! Actually, I can appreciate that ALL of these, even the made up one, would be, could be and probably has been offered at one time or another. I guess I will have egg on my face if I guess the wrong one, but I think you made up #4. There is some legal rationale in my ‘ciphering’ but I won’t go into it in case I’m wrong. LOL!
Now for a real life testimonial concerning picking jurors that fits right in with your topic:
One of the first, if not first, jury trials that I ever attended or participated in was an eminent domain case in one of our adjoining counties. (Eminent domain refers to the law that allows a state or county or municipality, etc., to ‘take’ your real property for the common good of the whole and tender ‘just compensation’ to you for its fair market value. The property being taken was along Hwy 72 as they were 4-laning the highway.
Voir Dire is the process of selecting the jurors and there are specific areas that the judge has to question the potential jurors about. I won’t go into all the topics broached but one is the prospective juror’s criminal history. The Judge was asking if anyone had been convicted of a crime. (Now the jurors are arranged usually alphabetically from A to B, front to back and sitting next to each other on the pews in the courtroom. They are not called by name but by the number given to them when seated.) So when the judge asked this question, a male juror on the third row held up his hand and when recognized, said something like this, “Well, I haven’t been convicted yet, but I have been charged with murder and am awaiting my trial”. The judge made some notations on his list and thanked the man and told him to sit down. Then a juror on about the sixth row held up his hand and when recognized, replied, “Yes, Your Honor, and it’s my brother he’s accused of killing and I don’t particularly want to sit on a jury with him,”!!! The courtroom became deathly quiet and all eyes turned to the Judge. Again, he made some notations and then called the baliffs to the front and announced Juror #12 you are excused from jury duty and Juror # 29, you are also excused and #12 you go out this door (pointing to the side entrance to the court room) and #29 you go out the back door, the baliffs will be escorting you out, and I better not hear that you all have met each other in the parking lot and gotten into a fight!
In my ‘fresh out of law school’ mentality, I thought WOW!!, is it always like this in Court?? What have I gotten myself into???? That trial had some other interesting moments, one of which was when an alarm clock went off that afternoon during the trial and all eyes flew to the jury box where a little man who was selected as juror was hitting his coat pocket and trying to silence one of the old fashioned alarm clocks with the two bells on top that he finally pulled out of his jacket. The judge asked him if something was wrong and he said no, it was just his alarm clock to remind him to take his medicine. Ha Ha….. The whole jury box erupted with laughter. That was a very, very strange day of court.
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Oh, Rhonda, you have made my day. I bet that was the funniest jury picking you ever got to hear. 🙂 And I actually think I remember that shooting. After that, surveyors were accompanied by deputies. People wanted Highway 72 four-laned, but not on their property. And there are people around here that you really don’t want to get on their property.
We’ll see next week if it’s #4.
Wow Pat, if you run out of scenarios, you can have Rhonda help you!
I’ll choose #3 this time. They are all hilarious!
Beautiful picture and verse! It speaks to me of God’s strength!
That’s quite the scenario from Rhonda. I’ve been a census taker in Canada and in one remote area, a retired banker said he knew I was sent by the conspiracy govt. He would not cooperate and as he turned and walked down the hall said he was leaving to get his rifle. He looked and sounded quite convincing. I left without completing his information. Within the year he was found alone in his home deceased from cancer. I don’t know if that affected his response or not, but he was the most difficult citizen I dealt with, worse than the day three little scrappy dogs bit me at three separate properties. They didn’t do much harm–they were just busy protecting their owners who weren’t home.
Delores, I can relate to the situation regarding the man with cancer. Years ago, a lady in my department seemed to be getting contrary and disagreeable rapidly. She had been working there for a number of years before I started. She just quit one day without notice. Within two or three months, we heard she had a brain tumor. She died shortly thereafter. We were fairly certain the tumor had a significant impact on her behavior.
I suspect the ca. was a factor in a sad situation. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I’m going with #3 this week because I think that juror wouldn’t be excused just because he doesn’t trust the lawyer…just seems like a weak excuse to me. All of them do really, but this one is especially lame…lol!
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Hi Trixi! Great logic…we’ll see how that works out next week. 🙂
Pat, each week the photos and verses are food for the soul. Thank you for bringing both.
This week’s choices are hard!! Apparently there’s another world operating in our court systems! Though I’m sure everyone enjoys the chuckles amongst the stress. I’ll have to close my eyes and guess #3. Good job Pat because these are tough!!!
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Glad you enjoyed them, Debra! And I’m especially glad you enjoy the photo and verse each week. I enjoy making them. 🙂 We’ll see next week if it’s #3.
#1 – all of these excuses sound made up, but, unfortunately they’re not!
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Yeah, I know, MS Barb. We’ll see next week which are the real culprits. 🙂
Beautiful picture! The verse fits it very well. It’s a very good verse to hold on to in difficult times. These excuses sure are crazy. I’m going to guess #2. I just finished reading Crosshairs. It was so good. It kept me up late reading several times. Looking forward to book #4 in the series.
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Thank you, Erika! I’m glad you enjoyed Crosshairs. And Deception will be out in August!
I’m glad you enjoyed the photo and verse. Psalms 46 is one of my favorites. We’ll see next week if it’s #2.–It’s a popular answer.
1.
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We’ll see, Lynn!
Yes, I love your photos and verses! Your friend Cheryl should have her own photography book!
All of the jury excuses sound like grown up versions of “the dog ate my homework,” but I’m going to guess #3.
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Cheryl really should, L. You can find more of her photos at https://www.corinthrose.com/ I can’t believe some of her photos–they’re so good! I agree with your assessment of the excuses. lol And I’ll probably have more next week…you won’t believe how many I found. lol.
These are really cute! I choose #2 as the false one.
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So glad you like them, Megan. Just hope they made you chuckle! We’ll see next week if it’s #2.
I am guessing #1 again this week.
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Hi Gloria! We’ll see next week!
I’m going with #3
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We’ll see, Shelia!
#4
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Hi Patricia. We’ll see next week.
I’m going with #4 Have a great week.
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Hi Alicia! Number 4 is growing in popularity. We’ll see next week.
#4 love the scripture and photo.
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Thanks, Lucy! We’ll see next week if it’s #4.
I’m going to go with #3.
I don’t get to hear any of the excuses when prospective jurors appear at jury selection, but I’ve gotten to read a lot of their excuses why they can’t appear for jury selection and they can be very creative!
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Hi Colleen! Yes, I’m sure they can be. We’ll see next week if it’s #3.
Love the picture. The verse fits so well. I don’t think the cliffs are quite that bad along the Pacific Coast Highway, but the highway runs along the side of the mountain in many places. The only time I drove it, there were almost ten places where the side of the mountain had slid into the ocean below and there was a temporary road around the slide.
I’m struggling with these. As others have said, #1 is hilarious. We know our sins will find us out, but I would hate to be guilty of something like that and have it come out in a courtroom. I choose #3. That sounds like something many people have thought but would be very hesitant to blurt in a courtroom.
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As always, I enjoy your logic, Edward. So glad you enjoyed the photo and verse! I would love to see the Pacific Coast Highway! And we’ll see next week if it’s #3.
1
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We’ll see next week, BN. Good to ‘see’ you here.
I’m going to go with #2.
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Hi Diana! We’ll see–number 2 is very popular. 😉
I’m thinking #4
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Hi Lisa! I just noticed #4 is also very popular. We’ll see next week…
Beautiful scripture and photo, Pat!
#3
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Thanks, Caryl! We’ll see next week if it’s #3.