Dear Diary:
The other month, doing our civic duty down on Centre Street, a fellow prospective juror and I proved the improbability of an unbiased jury.
The case was robbery with a possible weapon. During the voir dire, I sneaked looks at the defendant. I was moved by his sad, frightened expression, but it was his torn ski jacket with the synthetic filling bursting out that melted my heart.
Afterward, the 20 of us were instructed to wait in the hallway outside the courtroom. To break the glum silence I asked a bespectacled young man nearby if he thought he’d be able to be an impartial juror.
“I don’t think so,†he replied. “Right when I saw the defendant’s torn jacket I just knew he was guilty.â€
Read all recent entries and our updated submissions guidelines. Reach us via email diary@nytimes.com or follow @NYTMetro on Twitter using the hashtag #MetDiary.
