Juror Types

Before I proceed with juror types on a light-hearted note, I will point out that both current VP JD Vance and his telugu wife have law degrees and the acronym JD stands for Juris Doctor which is a three-year professional law degree. Upon completion of a JD program and passing the bar exam, individuals are eligible to practice law. I am not suggesting a conspiracy nor predicting the next president of the USA.

The word "juror" originates from the Anglo-French "jurour" and Old French "jureor," which means "one who swears an oath." This, in turn, derives from the Latin "iuratorem," meaning "swearer," from the verb "iurare," which means "to swear". The root "ius" in Latin refers to "law". Thus, the term reflects its legal context and the act of swearing an oath to serve on a jury. So on a lighter vein a jury is a group of chosen people or the congregation of jews, the high priests of the Old Testament who can adjudicate and punish or reward anyone they like, such as Jesus Christ, without jurisprudence.

Sticking to the modern context of juror, say in California, 12 jurors compose a jury. They are chosen from a larger pool of citizens who are retired, working or entering the workforce. I will enumerate what I think are the 12 types of jurors that are typically chosen by the judges, prosecutors and lawyers, who by the way, have different priorities and moral leanings. For instance in the case I know of, a female attorney is representing a male accused of abusing his mother and wife. You can take it as a subliminal suggestion that the said abuse never happened because a very qualified feminine offers moral support. There is no law that forbids a female to defend a male accused of abusing his feminine relatives. However, a male representing a male accused of crimes against females will definitely be seen as a misogynist. So it is a fine stratagem by the defendant in this case.

Further in most of the US states, in such cases, the public prosecutor (PP) has the burden to prove the case. You can imagine now the gender of the PP based on the stratagem. A female PP will argue this is an open-shut case. A male PP might say nothing substantial ever happened just as no one saw when a tree fell in the forest from a lightning strike.

In this context, let me remind you of what is called pramana in hindu scripture. A pratyaksha pramana is when someone saw, heard, tasted, touched, smelt something with their senses. This is the most common one in day-to-day life. An anumana pramana is an inference such as "I see smoke rising from the mountain and I think that is because of a fire". An upamana pramana is when you say "Gava is a type of animal that is like a govu/cow" or "An elephant is as tall as the banyan tree". Note that in the former a Gava might never exist in reality! Thus, we have many pramanas including by inference which sometimes are called "circumstantial evidence".

It is safe to assume that the JD's don't rely just on evidence, loosely translated as pramana, but bring in myriad emotions because the human brain is architected to react easily to emotions than thoughtful contemplation as you may have heard about the different functions of left/right halves of the brain and male/female preponderance. So when the jury is mostly female, rationality is traded for emotions, not to say females are irrational because the rights of ethnic/racial minorities are often clubbed with feminine in American society.

So the promised 12 types of jurors are coming up next with a summary.

  
12. Mr.Gandhi : I haven't seen, heard, smelt anything. I am fresh as prim rose or a blank slate without biases or prejudice
11. Ms.Teresa: I am kind, compassionate and will always make the right choice
10. Chef de jour: I can cook up any explanation to support my argument in a seamless or airtight manner
9.   Mr.Detective: the facts presented don't represent the root cause and I am going to dig into it
8.   Ms. Holier than Thou: I would never do a crime or a moral transgression and I know one when I see
7.   Mr. Confess: I confess to my past misdeeds regardless of my selection as a juror
6.   Grandma: I have a hundred great grandsons and great granddaughters who all are either doctors or engineers, so trust my judgement. 
7.   Grandpa: Though I am retired my mind is as sharp as my driving skills. Stay with me to enjoy the ride.
6.   Mr. Graduate: I passed my degree with high grades yet without a job. If this is the only job I get for ten dollars a day, so be it
5.  Ms.FBI: I am a part-time FBI/CIA/NSA agent and am here to mock you or worse honeytrap 
4.  Mr.Perpetual : I was a juror for ten trials in the past. My experience speaks for itself.
3.  Ms.Holy Book: I carry my bible always and go by book
2.  Mr. Retired: I am a retired legal professional who rose in the ranks starting as a janitor. I am peerless
1.  Ms.Constitution: Our founders know best. If it is there in the constitution, I am all for it. 

I left out immigrants who are mostly disinterested to do their own research into the American judicial system. They are sometimes brought into trials where the translation services are inadequate or too expensive provided they are not "polarizing" or sucking the oxygen in the room.

Hope you took all of this in a lighter vein.

Regards