And Justice For All is a slogan that we have all heard many times throughout our lives. Four simple words that speak a message more powerful than entire books made up of tens of thousands of words. Justice is something that our country was built upon and is something that has been called upon time after time to ensure that our freedoms remain.

Justice is sought and expected in many venues but none more important than in the legal arena. The failure to achieve justice can be a toll so severe that entire lives are destroyed based on the incompetence of those who have been put in place to ensure that justice is served. Many would say that other than God Almighty, none of us are capable of making a decision or judging other people based on their acts of indiscretion. Although I will admit that this challenge is in deed daunting, surely God has confidence in mankind to carry out this important task, at least on a mortal level.

It is this fear, along with many other varied and miscellaneous excuses that causes some to do everything possible to avoid finding themselves in a position to judge. Our legal system is dependent on ordinary people, just like you and I, to step up to the plate and accept the responsibility to ensure that our society remains one that is civilized and not the chaotic mess that we see throughout the world. This responsibility has been one that has gone from "serving but not excited" to one that is "not willing to serve and resent being asked." This blatant refusal to perform our civic duties can be the ultimate downfall of our juris prudence system if that attitude of refusing to serve should become of an epidemic level. While it is not at that stage currently, it is to a severe point. Recently, a local District Attorney was faced with having to release serious felony status offenders from jail because he could not seat a grand jury for formal charges to be filed. State law stipulates that if incarcerated persons have not been indicted in a reasonable time, that those who have allegedly committed the crimes will be released. His failure to seat the grand jury was based on people, who had been subpoenaed, simply choosing not to appear.

Surely, none of us want to see felons on the streets. Well, at least those felons who have already been caught. It's bad enough to fear those who have not been caught. Unless we are willing to return to the days of the scarlet letter, then we must do all that we can to keep dangerous people off the streets. This can only be done when people are willing to accept the responsibility that the system demands. For those who are not willing to share in this responsibility, the courts are left only with the option of finding them in contempt of court. At first glance, this may seem a bit extreme but one only has to look at the consequences that would be felt if everyone reacted in this way. Our system would be brought to a grinding halt and instead of the cry that we take such great pride in; "and justice for all", we would be left with "injustice for all." The courts made up of our citizenry are our best and most effective way to ensure that justice is done and that those people who commit crimes are held accountable.

Our judicial system is not a perfect one and does have certain flaws. But, a quick comparison to other parts of the world, where an eye for an eye ideology is held at its literal meaning, shows just how far above the bar our system is. After hundreds of years this system is still a work in progress. Daily tweaks and adjustments in accordance with legal precedents, as well as, the system of checks and balances via our appeals process will continue to make improvements within a world that is one of constant change. The ability of the courts to adjust to norms that are accepted by a civilized society is the only way to ensure that the system does not become antiquated and ineffective. The best thing that can be done for the good health of our system is to continue to participate as a juror when called. The sacrifices that we make on a personal level are a drop in the bucket to the past historical sacrifices that were made to make this civic opportunity possible.