Apparently not even mayors are exempt from the civic duty of jury service.
Mayor Brandon Scott announced on Thursday morning that he reported for jury duty as required and, to his surprise, was seated as an alternate on a trial in Baltimore Circuit Court.
The announcement cautioned Scott’s participation in a jury trial might have a significant impact on his schedule in the coming workdays.
Not so, it turns out, as he was released in under an hour because the defendant in the murder trial reached a plea agreement.
“Jury service is one of our most important civic duties, which ensures our judicial system functions properly,” Scott said in a statement Thursday, prior to the plea agreement. “While being selected was somewhat a surprise, I will fulfill my responsibilities as an alternate juror proudly and fairly.”
It’s a surprise to most of us with a knowledge of the legal system, too, Mr. Mayor! Generally, people with significant experience in law enforcement, lawyers, and interestingly, the “helping” professions (nurses, teachers, etc.) are undesirable jury prospects in the eyes of trial lawyers. Politicians? Even more rare to be seated if one holds a position of such influence.
“You don’t want to give too much power to any one person,” said Anton J.S. Keating, a retired defense attorney who practiced in state and federal courts for over 50 years in Maryland and elsewhere. He defended Robert Myers in the longest murder trial in the history of Maryland.
“They’re particularly powerful, and they would feel as though they know a lot about it all, so they would act that way. And therefore, the people, the other people on the jury, would give that person some extra power,” Keating told Baltimore Fishbowl.
From the case on which Scott was seated, at least, we will never know what kind of juror he would have been. We do know he values absence notes and reporting to his boss(es) from the post he shared on X (formerly Twitter) when he got back to his office.
“I was instructed to show this to my bosses to prove that I completed my jury service, so I am,” Scott wrote, acknowledging that the citizens of Baltimore City are the ones to whom he answers.
You’re excused, Mr. Mayor.
I was instructed to show this to my bosses to prove that I completed my jury service, so I am. Everyone who is called should complete their civic duty and serve. Now, back to our regular scheduled program. pic.twitter.com/gXF0zp2u9U — Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) October 10, 2024
