Columnists endorse Family Friendly Jury Duty Legislation
Back
to the HOME PAGE
James
Bemis
Is an editorial board member, weekly columnist and film critic for
California Political Review. He is also a columnist for the Internet website
Catholic Exchange and served for years as a columnist for the Los Angeles
Daily
“...rearing the young is society's most
critical job…a mother's work is far too essential to interrupt for such an
ordinary task as jury duty...
But to her children, a mother is everything, a unique and irreplaceable
person, and when gone even temporarily is cause for distress and
alarm...these premises are now subtly shifting - the tacit assumption of
...jury service rules is that a mother's first duty is not to her children,
but to the state. Kids in her house must play second fiddle to strangers
she's never met. Her role of “citizen” takes precedence over that of “mom.”
...Stuck on a jury of endless duration? That's your (and your kids')
problem. We'll see you in court on the date of your summons, comrade, or
else.”
-- “Motherhood Loses
out to Jury Service” by James Bemis, September 18, 2000, Daily News of Los
Angeles (CA)
Wendy Dager
is a columnist for the
Ventura County Star, Ventura County, CA
“[As a
stay-at-home parent, I...] am trying to raise two kids to be productive
American citizens. Can’t [jury duty] wait seven years for me to finish my
job?
-- “Jury duty not very
friendly to parents” , by Wendy Dager, August 21, 2003 Ventura County
Star, Ventura County, CA
Ruth Sheehan
is a staff Writer with
The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC
...“Under (North Carolina) state law, it’s far easier for a 66-year-old golf
fanatic to dodge jury duty than a stay-at-home parent with two kids younger
than 5. That doesn’t seem right...
-- “Temper Justice with
Good Sense”, by Ruth Sheehan, November 15, 2001 The News & Observer,
Raleigh, NC