The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune (11/13/09 ) reports that answering questions honestly during jury voir dire can land a potential juror in jail.

What was Judge Timothy Bloomquist thinking? Maybe he’s tired of being reelected to his post.

I have long believed that judges and state’s attorneys ought not to be elected, but, in light of what this judge did, it does make me think again. The Minnesota electorate ought not to permit judges to treat citizens who take the time to show up for jury duty so disrespectfully. I had no idea that judges were permitted to exhibit “contempt of jurors.” (But I did experience the contempt a judge had for a jury in Cook County. That’s where I learned that most trial lawyers and some judges truly resent the jury system.)

Now I’ll have to revise my quiz, “How to avoid jury duty.” The question is: what is the correct answer to the quiz question, “Can you complain about the pay and get out of jury duty?”