Of course, he was excused. Some people will also say that they don't believe in sitting in judgment or don't believe in the death penalty, he said. Some will say that they can't be impartial. All of those statements will excuse the person from jury duty immediately. Mathis added that people usually come up with excuses when a trial is expected to be long.
Most jurors are honest and hard-working.
Mathis said in one week he may pull the names of 150 jurors and 40 to 50 will show. There was a time, said Mathis, when he would go down to the barber shop to recruit jurors if there was a shortage. The number of jurors becomes more critical depending on the number of trials going on during the week, he said. That's why, said Mathis, he tries to make the experience as pleasant as possible so jurors will return. Everyone is seated in a large room with coffee, soda, juice and magazines available.