So, today I did my citizen duty and showed up for Jury Duty. Wow. Eye Opening, I will tell you. A real cross section of America shows up at those things (not to mention the non-American Norwegian citizen that showed up in my group, too).
You have your annoying group of 3-4 people that become "friends" for the day and have to comment and laugh about everything. (Like when we are told to line up & turn around, one wiseguy has to yell out 'and then we get to do the hokey pokey?' and all his new jury-duty "friends" laugh and laugh.) Then there is the woman who is the size of a barge who has unzipped her sweatshirt to reveal almost all of her hangy-hangs. Oh, and don't forget about the one lady that announces, "Your Honor, I have problems with my colon" or the other lady who falls asleep during questioning. And the one guy that has to leave because he has a criminal conviction. Or the man next to me that carried around McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts all day and hadn't showered in a month.
Seriously, I thought a jury pool of 40 was a lot to whittle down to 12. But honestly-- I wouldn't trust most of those people to tie my shoes let alone decide my fate.
I was nervous throughout the whole thing, thinking I would get picked and just succeed in hanging the jury because I would only see "gray" not black and white. Plus, yikes, it was a homicide trial. Scary. Alas, I was not chosen. I don't know if it's because I knew the defense lawyer's daughter or what... but either way, even though I didn't want to get picked... I was still felt a little miffed at getting left out. All in all, it was a very cool experience and left me proud (tear, tear) of our democracy. Though I do think they should have supplied lunch.
4 comments:
Are you sure you beat me in the CYO spelling bee? It's juror. J-u-r-o-r.
Love you. Sorry the powers of justice didn't want you. The power of Greyskull might.
i think it might have been something else that made them not pick you...something small. something cute. something in your nose, perhaps?
like a booger?
Al, yes, you lost on antennae, and I won on aerospace. Then I lost on surprise, dammit. But jurer was my second attempt. The first time it was jurur. Idiot.
And an Unpretty reader mentioned to me (verbally! imagine my shock) that she couldn't believe i wrote that Juror #5 was as large "as a barge." Duly noted, as I don't usually comment on people's weight. However, let me clarify-- it wasn't that the woman was especially heavy, she was just a man, a trucker, an imposing force. With hangy hangs out.
You'd be surprised how desperate they get.
My boyfriend informed the judge that his second cousin was a judge in that district. That's okay as long as he isn't presiding.
He told them that the public defender was his first cousin. That was okay, too.
He told them that the arresting officer was living with his sister and they were very good friends. They didn't care!
He asked them if they were out of their minds.
"You don't really want to be here, do you?" the judge asked him.
"NO," he replied.
They let him go.
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