I did jury duty several times in Trenton, when I lived in Hamilton. Once in Woodbury, as well, after I moved to Gloucester County. After I became self-employed, I began taking advantage of the exemption. If I was getting paid, I'd still do them, but I'm not going to take a financial hit for it.
In my opinion, attorneys and prosecutors should have less leeway in selecting jurors, if we really want to call it "a jury of our peers." I understand that maybe you don't want neo-Nazis or any type of extremist freaks, but except for that, I say take the first 9. The trial becomes a stacked deck if one side or the other is better at picking only jurors who are predisposed to agree with them. And a huge jury pool is needed when the lawyers can pick and choose.
As for "doing your duty" and "following the law," all I can say is "damn." Society is on a horrible slippery slope in that regard. Red lights are not respected much anymore, for example, unless it's convenient for the driver. Go through an intersection when the light is green at your own peril (I realize it's worse here in Atlantic City, which can be like the wild west when it comes to driving).
