I-No-Sense

I've been called for jury duty. It's my first time in Travis County. In Houston, you would go to the courthouse in the morning with four hundred other citizens and wait around all day. In Austin, you can use the I-Juror system, which is an on-line system where you watch a video of the case and then text your vote of guilt or innocence. OK, it's a scheduling system, but you know that's coming. As is the Wii-Nocence System where you get to act out the crime on your gaming system.

I remember having only a few options to get out of jury duty in Houston - full-time student, taking care of a child, not eligible to vote, don't believe in the death penalty for Class A misdemeanors on up (it's a very death-y county).

The I-Juror system had those exemptions and a few other interesting ones (these are actual valid "Excuses" on the "Excuse Form")

Q5: I cannot read or write.

This one's a trap. I'm kind of thinking by checking this box, you've basically proven that you can.

Q6: I am not of sound mind or good moral character.

Again, another trap. Should you not be of sound mind, would you know that you are not of sound mind? And therefore, those who check this box are actually of sound mind and therefore do not qualify as being not of sound mind, while those are actually not of sound mind would not check this box because they are not of sound mind. I know, it's crazy.

Does one need to meet both of these criteria or just one? Can one get out of jury duty by being crazy or immoral but not both?

I think these should be separated. I'm pretty sure one knows if they are not of good moral character. But if you are not of good moral character, wouldn't one bad thing you would do would be to lie on this form? And get on a jury just so you could mess up the justice system by convicting the innocent and letting the guilty go free? The form does not define moral character and how "goodness" is measured. I expect that fornicators and pornographers would be excluded, but what about those who take the Lord's name in vain? Or remove mattress tags? I need some type of chart to see if I qualify for an exemption here.