Sutter County Sikh Told He Can’t Serve On Jury With Ceremonial Knife

[Nuclear Unicorn]

Sutter County Sikh Told He Can’t Serve On Jury With Ceremonial Knife

YUBA CITY (CBS13) — A Sikh man wants to serve on a Sutter County jury, but the court will not let him because of the ceremonial weapon he carries.

Next week, Gursant Singh is scheduled for jury duty. He says he’ll be arriving with other members of his community, asking for the chance to serve on a jury.

“I feel very strongly that as a citizen of the United States that I should be able to serve as a juror,” he said.

Despite the fact he’s ready, he may never be allowed in the courthouse.

“They’ve put me in a position,” he said. “Either I violate my code of conduct with my religion, or I break the law.”

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/04/23/sutter-county-sikh-told-he-cant-serve-on-jury-with-ceremonial-knife/

[tularetom]

1. How can I become a Sikh?

From 2001 to 2007 I was called for jury duty every year. I never had to serve but I did have to go and sit there for a whole day each time until they decided they didn't need me.

[Orrex]

2. Sikh and ye shall find.

[msanthrope]

7. Guru ought to be spanked by Skittles for that!! nt

[Orrex]

8. Feh. Skittles loves me.

Honest!

[Orrex]

3. Interesting situation

I applaud his eagerness to participate in the jury system, though.

[lame54]

23. No it's not - No weapons in the courtroom...

If he can't undunderstand that
I wouldn't want him deciding my fate

[onehandle]

4. Pretty sure Second Amendmentnuts won't be backing this 'A-rab' up. nt

[hack89]

6. Sikhs are not Arabs

secondly, the RW loves Sikhs because they are socially conservative and are not Muslim . They are "good" foreigners.

[seveneyes]

5. Why not just use a rubber replica?

While I see no reason to even bring a knife to jury duty, if it's just a symbolic issue then use an inert symbol.

[malaise]

9. Tell him to replace this with an AR15 or an M16

then he's good to go

[Nye Bevan]

10. I doubt he's allowed to fly on a plane with that thing.

A plastic or rubber replica would seem to make sense.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

11. He may elect to not fly. However, jury duty is a legal requirement. nt

[nilesobek]

12. There is a really good reason for this ruling.

The knife could intimidate people in court or in the deliberating chambers. I can see it now, " I felt compelled to give this verdict because the dude with the knife had that particular point of view."

[Nuclear Unicorn]

13. I would imagine the same argument could be made for his head-wrap.

You know how some people lose their minds over "scary looking foreigners."

[nilesobek]

15. I don't know about that but I get your point

about people freaking out over foreigners. A head wrap is not made of sharp, cold steel.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

22. The typical Kirpan is tiny - not much more dangerous than a nail file.

Obviously, I don't know how big this guy's was, though.

[SwankyXomb]

27. A Sikh I worked with once showed me his kirpan.

Thing was so dull it couldn't cut hot butter, or some of the liquefied RepubliDem brains that seem to be infesting DU these days.

[Sheldon Cooper]

14. We are governed by law, not your religion (at least not yet).

So put your knife down and go to the courthouse. And I would say this to anyone claiming that their religion,whatever it is, should trump the law.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

17. " I would say this to anyone claiming that their religion,whatever it is, should trump the law."

Is that what you would say to Rev. King?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

21. When did he say that?

If he said in as many words that his religion should trump the law then he was wrong, I think.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

24. .

[snooper2]

16. my religion makes me carry around a ceremonial 30lb sledge hammer

I got screwed!

[Logical]

26. I am a fellow "hammerer", hello brother! nt

[cthulu2016]

18. He has no greater right to carry a knife than anyone else

You don't gain extra rights from choice of religion.

The right he has is that the government cannot adopt a no-knife policy for the purpose of hassling Sikhs.

I am quite confident that this no-knife policy was adopted for reasons other than sticking it to those Sikhs.

[Spirochete]

19. His religion is too outdated

if he carried a ceremonial gun, he could waltz right in...

[Donald Ian Rankin]

20. IIRC, Sikhs take exception to it being called a knife, don't they?

I think I've seen Sikhs writing that the Kirpan should be called a sword, not a knife.

I may be misremembering, though, or that may just have been one sikh with a bee in his bonnet about it. Can anyone else confirm or deny?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

25. I'd have to google it, myself. However, assuming you remember correctly

the reporter and editor did a sloppy write-up.