The closest I came to serving on a jury was 20 years ago. When I was summoned for jury duty, my initial reaction was that it would be incredibly difficult, as it would require me to take time off from seeing patients. However, recognizing that jury duty is a privilege in our free society, I decided to fulfill my obligation and report. Fortunately, my employer at the time continued to pay me during my absence for jury service.

I was permitted to defer my jury duty for a couple of months, giving me the opportunity to block off a week of my schedule in case I was selected to serve. On the appointed day, I arrived at the courthouse to find that I was one of several dozen people who were summoned that day. We received a very slow and deliberate orientation before being directed to the jury selection room.

I was one of the first 12 people to be seated in the jury box. At that point, the voir dire began. In this phase of the trial, prospective jurors are questioned to help decide whether they can be fair and impartial. Both the prosecution and the defense have a certain number of jurors they can dismiss without giving a reason and can request the dismissal of any number of jurors for cause. For example, they may argue to the judge that a juror is likely to be biased or knows one of the attorneys involved in the case.

The case in which I was seated involved a 5-year-old girl who allegedly had been abused. As a pediatrician who counsels abused children, I was particularly interested in this case, hoping to learn from hearing details of abuse in a legal setting. The prosecutor's first question asked to all the jurors was, “Do you think you can believe a 5-year-old if she is the sole witness of a crime?”

Seven jurors before me answered affirmatively. However, when the........

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