The Forums › Forums › Most X-treme! › Is It Just Me? › Jury duty › Re: Jury duty
Yes, I have thought about it quite a bit.
I’ve been called to jury duty at least half a dozen times in my life – all before I knew I had ADHD. I’ve never been selected to serve on a jury. Maybe I seem weird, or maybe they wouldn’t have chosen me anyway – I don’t know. However, based on past experience, I’m guessing I never will be chosen, probably because I look like a wreck.
That’s because I freak out every time I have to go into the courthouse building. I feel overwhelmed. I get so upset just being there, with so many people, the noise, the guards, the scrutiny involved in going through security and sitting in a jury box, the questions, the loud video tapes, etc. that I can’t eat or sleep for the entire 48 hours. Plus, it’s boring to sit there waiting to be herded about – truly hellishly boring. I feel like I’m the one in jail. I hate everything about it. It’s a horrible ordeal.
I’ve thought about asking my psychiatrist for a letter the next time I get a summons, but I don’t know if I want that in my permanent medical records or in the courthouse records. I’ve wondered what would happen if I asked a judge to excuse me once I’m already there.
Would I be good on a jury? Probably not, because I won’t assert myself in a group, and I get confused easily. I get emotional and defensive.
But consider this: There actually are attorneys who are courtroom litigators, who have ADHD. No one is stopping them from presenting a case, which involves much more detailed work than listening to a case. No one asks them to disclose that they have ADHD, either, I bet. If they can do it, why couldn’t one of us do it?
As for causing someone to go to prison for years, that’s why there’s more than one person on the jury. The majority decides.
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