If I had thought it through, I might have been able to offer white lies to cover the questions they asked. As it was, they didn't ask me anything so nice as "do you have a problem with the law in question"; they asked several questions related to that, including "do you have any feelings about drug legalization".
They didn't just ask if I could return a guilty verdict, either -- they asked if I would return a guilty verdict based on the law as explained by the judge if I felt that the facts supported the verdict. To be honest, I did answer yes to this one, although I did feel a twinge and my hesitation was palpable.
As for not knowing whether you'll say "guilty" or "not guilty", that's fair. They did describe enough of what the charges were that I find it hard to believe that I would convict, unless I exercised my power of "jury expandification", which would require me to convict them of the charge presented if I felt that they were guilty of other crimes, to make sure that the defendant received some punishment.
> If I had thought it through, I might have been able to offer white lies to cover the questions they asked.
I didn't intend to suggest white lies; I consider the responses I suggested entirely truthful, just carefully chosen. :)
> As it was, they didn't ask me anything so nice as "do you have a problem with the law in question"; they asked several questions related to that, including "do you have any feelings about drug legalization".
That could certainly make it more difficult. Depending on the wording of the questions, you may or may not have had the ability to give a truthful answer that would keep you on the jury. I certainly would not advocate lying.
> They didn't just ask if I could return a guilty verdict, either -- they asked if I would return a guilty verdict based on the law as explained by the judge if I felt that the facts supported the verdict. To be honest, I did answer yes to this one, although I did feel a twinge and my hesitation was palpable.
"if I felt that the facts supported the verdict" gives you all the leeway you need to say "yes" without reservation.
They didn't just ask if I could return a guilty verdict, either -- they asked if I would return a guilty verdict based on the law as explained by the judge if I felt that the facts supported the verdict. To be honest, I did answer yes to this one, although I did feel a twinge and my hesitation was palpable.
As for not knowing whether you'll say "guilty" or "not guilty", that's fair. They did describe enough of what the charges were that I find it hard to believe that I would convict, unless I exercised my power of "jury expandification", which would require me to convict them of the charge presented if I felt that they were guilty of other crimes, to make sure that the defendant received some punishment.