[speaker001:] I'm Nevin from Sunnyvale, California.
[speaker002:] Hi, this is Jim Bliss from Minneapolis, Minnesota. How you doing?
[speaker001:] Pretty good.
[speaker002:] Good. Uh, I guess the topic is trial by jury and
[speaker001:] Yep.
[speaker002:] how we should change that or how we would change it. Uh, I'm ready whenever you are.
[speaker001:] Okay [beep].
[speaker002:] So, uh, what are your, what are your thoughts on the subject there?
[speaker001:] Well I definitely think, like decisions have to be unanimous.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Yeah, I think that's probably a good thing.
[speaker001:] It's probably the safest thing.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I mean, it's to easy to get a quorum
[speaker001:] Yep [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] and simple majority won't do.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] No. And even like, you know, two-thirds majority, I mean, it's [LAUGHTER],
[speaker002:] Yeah, that's, yeah, quorums are to easy to get.
[speaker001:] Yep.
[speaker002:] And there's always that, that chance that one or two people could be playing devil's advocate for a good reason, you know.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]. *slash error
[speaker002:] So it's, it's
[speaker001:] Yeah [sniffing]. *slash error
[speaker002:] definitely but, uh, I don't know. I could, I couldn't believe they suggested that judges should be doing the sentencing.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Like Gives them a little too much power [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah [LAUGHTER]. Tha-, I, I know of a couple of people at least who would be arguing with that. Or arguing against that pretty vehemently. But, uh,
[speaker001:] Plus, you know, you may be, you know, doing, you know, a, a guilty verdict but it may not be, you know, it may be for technical reasons [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah. About the only good thing I would say about that is it w-, that it would, uh, hurry the process up a bit
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but I mean even now we've got, I know we've got plenty of cases out there where people have been wrongly convicted and things like that and
[speaker001:] I know.
[speaker002:] that's what the trial by jury. I mean, jeez if, if the judge was doing it himself, without any checks and balances
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] whose to say.
[speaker001:] It, there would be much more of that [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah [LAUGHTER] no doubt. Are you involved in the legal system at all?
[speaker001:] No. But I.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] I tend to follow it just to, just to know what's going on.
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah. I've got some friends that are lawyers so.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I do too so.
[speaker002:] One of them just got his law degree. But, uh, to tell you the truth, I'm not real familiar with, uh, the system of juris-, jurisprudence the way it is right now.
[speaker001:] No.
[speaker002:] I really haven't studied it in depth.
[speaker001:] Yeah. I know a little more about civil cases when, than criminal cases.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Which is, [snorting] it's more in how you present it versus, you know, who's right.
[speaker002:] I'm sure of it. Because a lot of those things, it's all, it's in, it's largely a matter of viewpoint.
[speaker001:] Yep.
[speaker002:] And who can argue their case better.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]. *slash error
[speaker002:] Uh, it's kind of weird. I don't know, you [LAUGHTER] I always think about watching the PEOPLE'S COURT or something.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]. *slash error
[speaker002:] And how weird those cases get.
[speaker001:] I know. *slash error should be 'aa'
[speaker002:] It's just,
[speaker001:] When I was, a couple of years ago, involved in some pretrial stuff and *slash error?? one utt with a.57
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] like, you know, you go say okay, we can't bring up this point because then they're going to, you know, the opposition will say this, this and this and [LAUGHTER] [throat clearing],
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. And it's like, boy, the stuff that they can twist around
[speaker001:] Yep [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] is, it's pretty amazing.
[speaker001:] And it's like the, the truth isn't really important anymore. It's,
[speaker002:] Yeah, it's not. And then you get people who, who bring in cases just because they want to bring them up just because.
[speaker001:] Yep.
[speaker002:] Like this, this friend of mine's pretty obnoxious and he really gets into suing people.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]. *slash error
[speaker002:] And so he'll, he'll sue just about anybody just for the chance to get into court,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]. *slash error
[speaker002:] and argue his case [LAUGHTER] you know, it's like, *slash error
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] That sounds like a little abuse of our system *slash error but,
[speaker002:] It is. It's, it's wasting people's time and the taxpayers' money and everything else. *aa,sv But, uh,
[speaker001:] Yeah but it's for the more general, people don't want to take responsibility.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] You know, it's,
[speaker002:] And, and most of the time they're looking to place blame. Uh
[speaker001:] Yep [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] and stuff. See, you're from California, is that right?
[speaker001:] Uh, yeah. Well originally from Chicago but,
[speaker002:] Oh, okay. I was just thinking I wonder, I wonder how, how the civil system or the court system must differ between there and say where I am in Minneapolis.
[speaker001:] I really,
[speaker002:] From what I understand, it's all pretty the same except when you get to Louisiana.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] And Louisiana is completely different cause it was based on the, what is it, it's based on common law and
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] the rest of the country is not or something like that.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Pretty strange. But, uh, fortunately I never have had to go in
[speaker001:] Yeah, I haven't either other than,
[speaker002:] even, even for jury duty. But, uh, that friend of mine's telling me that I might have to go in for, uh, as a witness. He may subpoena me.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]. *slash error
[speaker002:] So we'll see what happens. But, uh,
[speaker001:] Yeah. *slash error, should be 'b' I'm not really sure how we could change the legal system to make it better..
[speaker002:] Yeah. It's, there are too many big problems, you know. There's, there's such a backlog of court cases right now.
[speaker001:] I know.
[speaker002:] You know, to try to get them all in in a good time and we already have too many lawyers as it is.
[speaker001:] Yeah. And if it's criminal cases we, you can't put them in jail because there's no room left.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Yeah, that's true. And, in fact, they're even letting some go.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I, I, I'm originally from Florida and it's like
[speaker001:] Huh.
[speaker002:] it seems like every year they let out more and more just cause they don't have room for them, you know. That's not a, that's not a good solution either.
[speaker001:] Not at all.
[speaker002:] I'm not real sure what the,