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[Zanzetkuken The Great]

Given the timeframe involved, it's a bit like asking if JFK could have stopped the Iranian hostage crisis.

The problem is that Andrew Jackson's presidency was almost 30 years before the civil war.  Its like the difference between asking if Bill Clinton could have prevented 9/11, and asking if Nixon could have prevented 9/11.

What, you've never heard of speculation about how different people would handle a crisis and alternate history?  And honestly, not all too invalid of one to have fun with given the guy shut down South Carolina's first attempt to secede in the Nullification Crisis, and while the odds of living that long may be low, he could have theoretically won as the amendment that prevented more than two term presidents didn't come into existence for near one hundred years after.

[redwallzyl]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/28/560574893/former-presidents-they-re-just-like-us-obama-called-for-jury-duty

Imagine going to trial and looking over at the jury and seeing Obama.

[EnigmaticHat]

Something is off with those quote markers zan.  What you quoted as maximum spin was me, but that bottom bit was not me.

[Andux]

Imagine going to trial and looking over at the jury and seeing Obama.

You blink in surprise, then do a double-take as you notice that the juror sitting next to him is Obama as well; in fact, you realize with a growing sense of unreality, all of the jurors are Barack Obama!
  "All rise," calls the bailiff (who is also Obama, you note uneasily), and you lever yourself to your feet. As the judge takes his place, your blood runs cold, for the man at the bench is none other than your father, Fred Trump, dead these past 18 years. He frowns as he meets your gaze, and in his eyes you see nothing but bitter disappointment.
  You bolt awake in a cold sweat, your heart racing.

[Trekkin]

Imagine going to trial and looking over at the jury and seeing Obama.

You blink in surprise, then do a double-take as you notice that the juror sitting next to him is Obama as well; in fact, you realize with a growing sense of unreality, all of the jurors are Barack Obama!
  "All rise," calls the bailiff (who is also Obama, you note uneasily), and you lever yourself to your feet. As the judge takes his place, your blood runs cold, for the man at the bench is none other than your father, Fred Trump, dead these past 18 years. He frowns as he meets your gaze, and in his eyes you see nothing but bitter disappointment.
  You bolt awake in a cold sweat, your heart racing.

And then you tweet.

Much of the Twitter nonsense makes sense in this context, actually.

[Zanzetkuken The Great]

Something is off with those quote markers zan.  What you quoted as maximum spin was me, but that bottom bit was not me.

...I could have swore I only quoted you and RedKing.  Not sure where Maximum Spin's bit came from.

[misko27]

I remember my first jury duty. All I think I'm allowed to say is that it was a Grand Jury, and in theory dealt with murders for the county of Manhattan, but in practice spent most of its 4 weeks on a single case. That was one hell of a traumatizing experience. Although at least I got out of Jury duty for a long time afterward for my service.

[TheDarkStar]

How often are people called up for jury duty? I'm youngish and all the people I've known who were called up for it were called up after moving to a different state and so they got out of it.

[hector13]

I had a thing recently for it, and I’ve been in the country for less than four years. County court though. Been in the county for less than two years. Seems to be an occasional thing. Basically get put on a register for a year and they randomly choose names from it, then those people need to call a number every day to make sure they haven’t been chosen.

The only other time was in the UK while I was in college, so got an exemption.

[nenjin]

I've been called twice in about 18 years. I'd say 4 or 5 years apart. I live in a town of around 280,000. My roommate just got called like 2 weeks ago.

[Starver]

I had Jury Duty (UK) a couple of decades ago, maybe. My mother did JD in the early '80s. Other than that, I'm not aware of anyone else I know personally having done it.

But then I don't tell everyone I meet socially that I did this thing (and, I only know about my mother because it i pinged upon my own schedule at the time). Well, hardly anybody. I mention it online when brought up in passing (like now) but I don't go any further about it. Because I don't feel the need to start giving out further details. Or maybe because there aren't that many details to give?

Close friends and colleagues who have heard the little that I have told have, in turn, never offered up their own reciprocally censored experiences. So they're either even more tight-lipped than I am or else actually haven't had to do anything of the kind.

Looking for actual figures for likelihoods gives me write-ups about the subject like: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/20/jury-service-repeated-summons

And linked to, inside that: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36140259

Interesting. (To me!)  Obviously just the UK (and, in the latter case, Scotland) rather than relevant to y'all across the Pond, with your various differences in how they get used, etc.

[Trekkin]

How often are people called up for jury duty? I'm youngish and all the people I've known who were called up for it were called up after moving to a different state and so they got out of it.

It depends on how many people they need. Being called up for jury duty normally means you can't be called up again for a few years, with the exact number varying by locality, but I've never known anyone to be called at the maximum possible rate, let alone have the pool they were called for actually be needed for a trial.

[EnigmaticHat]

Also, both the defense and prosecution can cut people from the juror pool.  Some people I know claim to have strategies to get cut on purpose so they don't have to serve ("ask a lawyer what jury nullification is"), but that might just be talk.

Going back in the conversation a bit, Obama really should get cut for knowing too much about law and being too opinionated.  On the other hand, maybe the lawyers want to spend some time with Obama.  That's a story you can tell for a long time.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

It's ultimately a matter of strategy. You cut a normal lawyer because they tell you they're a lawyer, but you don't know if they're more Atticus Finch or Saul Goodman. There are as many scenarios where you want Goodman as you want Finch. However, while they understand you more they also will be able to criticize your arguments more...and do so to the other jurors in deliberation.

With Obama, his fame and reputation means there might be enough potential that both prosecution and defense will want to appeal to him and trust that he'll appeal to the jury by proxy. It'd have to be a case that didn't have any controversy for partisan issues (because then there's a high likelihood of an anti-Obama person appearing on the jury and crashing proceedings by being contrarian) and that was very ambiguous in terms of guilt (because then Obama is more likely to go one way or the other, and the disadvantaged side will strike him).

It's also possible that they could use up all their prejudiced strikes and then have Obama appear before them, which if they can't sway the judge for one reason or another could lead to a catastrophic appearance of Obama on the jury regardless of the case's nature.

Regardless, the biggest advantage and the one I'd go for is having an single charismatic juror who's views on goddamn everything are public record. You just try to win Obama and then hope Obama's nature as a politician takes over during deliberations for the rest.

[EnigmaticHat]

The way I look at it, either Obama's views favor one side in which case the other side cuts him.  Or the case is politically neutral and whichever side is more likely to win should cut him, since he introduces an unknown element into the situation.  Not just in terms of how he acts, but in terms of how others react to him, as MSH pointed out.  Obama would make everything more complicated.

On the other hand, you get to say you were at the trial where Obama was juror.