Trial of the Century (Cont.) : The Simpson jury should go back to work . . . period

It would be tempting to say that every bizarre twist imaginable has already materialized and surely now we must be coasting on the downslope of the theater of the absurd in the O.J. Simpson trial. Tempting, but probably wrong.

Consider the jury’s “job action” on Friday. Apparently upset by Judge Lance A. Ito’s effort to reassign three sheriff’s deputies assigned to the Simpson jury, 13 jurors refused to go to work. The hapless Ito had been told by an excused panelist about alleged problems with the deputies’ behavior and the judge no doubt was hoping that removing the deputies would calm things down and get the jury back on track. Ito is still hoping.

It now seems fair to say that this is a trial that so far appears to not be bringing out the absolute best in everyone. Blame the overheated media environment or whatever, but the “trial of the century” won’t win a lot of points for decorum or efficiency. At times, well-intended criticism aimed at moving this ridiculous circus along has targeted the lawyers on both sides--suggesting that their obnoxious behavior during the trial did nothing to allay public cynicism about lawyers. Then observers politely suggested to Ito--who was furious about erroneous and sometimes truly irresponsible reportage by the electronic media--that nothing would be gained by pulling the plug on the courtroom’s TV camera.

Now the Simpson jury is a problem. Everyone who has ever served on a jury knows the experience is not exactly a dream vacation. And in this case, the attorneys on both sides have sometimes been exceptionally long-winded and the testimony often amazingly tedious. Plus this poor jury has been twirling its thumbs in sequestration bliss for lo these more than 100 days. Even so, the jury’s job is a job. It should go back to work. The insanity has got to stop. The whole world is watching and derisive laughter is starting to break out here and there and almost everywhere.