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originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: Sremmos80
I am trying to figure it out. Maybe because the baby squawks, and it distracts the courtroom?
well of course that's it...trials are serious, a jury member must pay attention to what's being said, and have a degree of focus to the proceedings.. that requires attentiveness...if you are breast feeding, you are distracted, and the people around you are distracted by it....you or other jurists may miss a crucial piece of evidence or testimony, which is unfair to the court, the plaintiff, and to the defendant.
originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
Hi all!
Okay, so today, I got another jury summons.
I was very excited..... (and I'm NOT being sarcastic!)
I LOVE getting jury summonses, and I'm going to try my best again this time to get on the jury. I've gotten close a couple of times, but then not.....
Anyway, so - reading the jury summons for THIS time, I was looking at the "ineligible if..." list.
So, yeah, anyone who has any of these conditions is ineligible:
a) no longer a resident of the county (I still am, so that's all cool)
b) not a citizen of the US (no problem)
c) convicted of a felony in the last 10 years (no problem there, either)
And here is the one I want to discuss:
"You are not eligible for jury service if:
d) You are a breastfeeding mother." (And, by the way, I am NOT a breastfeeding mother, either....)
I think it used to say 'you are not fluent in English'......
but - not now! Or, maybe that comes on the questionnaire at the beginning. Interesting.
Last time I got called, it was for a murder trial. During voir dire, one potential juror said he would be unable to be neutral because he could not impose the death penalty (something I respected) due to his religion. That's fine. Good for him.
My brother says he once sat on a capital murder case, and that he was the ONLY one who dissented in the verdict room and saved the guy from the death penalty (he lives in Montana).
I have no idea what cases there will be (although none are expected to require sequestration).....but it just really offends me that a law-abiding citizen of this county would be ineligible to serve on account of she is BREASTFEEDING.
What the hell difference should that make?
Oh....wait. Some people get upset when women breastfeed.
Right.
Anyway - this IS a social issue......EDITED: If it's for the welfare of the baby, then I'm all for it. New moms and breastfeeding moms SHOULD be exempt...........
Don't know if anyone else cares, agrees, or disagrees with this 'exclusion', but I personally don't think it's right. ANOTHER EDIT: Please see that I did my homework below, and that this 'exclusion' is for a good reason.
EDIT AGAIN: I admit my knee-jerk response was to blame the prudes.............but as it turns out, this is part of the National Health Plan already!! It's even part of the ACA!!!
Federal Health Reform and Nursing Mothers
President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on March 30, 2010. (See the combined full text of Public Laws 111-148 and 111-152 here.) Among many provisions, Section 4207 of the law amends the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 (29 U.S. Code 207) to require an employer to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child's birth each time such employee has need to express milk.
The employer is not required to compensate an employee receiving reasonable break time for any work time spent for such purpose. The employer must also provide a place, other than a bathroom, for the employee to express breast milk. If these requirements impose undue hardship, an employer that employs fewer than 50 employees is not subject to these requirements. The federal requirements shall not preempt a state law that provides greater protections to employees.
www.ncsl.org...
Also I have known women, who breastfed, and when they went too long without pumping or feeding...the milk would let down; staining the blouse or shirt.
This would cause a unexpected trial delay.
Therefore it is best to alleviate a breastfeeding mother from jury duty.
originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: Metallicus
Why would you not want to be on a jury?
originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
Okay, guys and gals - you know what? I totally jumped the gun on this one.
LOL!!!!!!
Anyway, I'm glad to have presented that Obama's ACA has provided leeway for mothers to nurse, and so on.
YAY!!!
originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: alienjuggalo
This makes twice we've agreed on something.
I think the earth just shifted on its axis.
originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: alienjuggalo
This makes twice we've agreed on something.
I think the earth just shifted on its axis.