Jury duty. When growing up, most kids hear about jury duty from their parents. A common view held by those parents tends to be that jury duty is a nuisance.

I can recall a countless number of times when my parents went through the mail only to exclaim, “Ugh, I have jury duty this month.” To most people, jury duty is a chore but truly it should not be thought of this way.

Jury duty is a privilege, a privilege that all American citizens receive. During our fight for independence, before the Constitution was even an idea in James Madison’s mind, colonists did not have the right to a fair and equal trial, let alone an impartial jury.

Because of this, the sixth amendment, proposed by Congress in 1789, was added to the Bill of Rights, stating that: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed…”

What do we get from this amendment? A fair trial. Yes, jury duty is a product of the amendment as well, but, imagine if you were the one that needed an impartial jury. You would not want a bunch of jurors who complain and whine, but in fact, you would want a group of jurors who care about the trial and want the trial to have the right outcome.

The next time you get your mail and see that you have jury duty, stop and think. Yes, I am proud to be an American, and yes I am proud to be free, so yes, I will NOT complain. I will be happy to sit in court and be a juror because being a juror is a privilege that I am lucky to have.

All in all, society needs to stop treating jury duty as a chore.