Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Jury Duty

I get summoned for jury duty a lot. In the last four years it has been at least six times! And still I have yet to actually serve on one jury. Last year I got two summons (what is the plural, anyway?) for the week of and the week after Thanksgiving. I refused the first and accepted the second, only to have court closed during the horrendous storm that took out the power every where. I had one more day of obligation when court reopened, was called for a panel, and rejected. Then I was summoned for county court downtown and got my bus schedule all figured out, only to call in over the weekend and find out I was not needed. Last spring I was summoned to superior court, but we had travel plans so I delayed it until November. Sure enough, November neared and I got two more, one for the delayed service, one for a district court. I rejected the second one, and this morning I reported to the Kent Regional Justice Center for duty. That meant getting up much earlier than I usually do as a retired person, driving through wind and rain, waiting for a train, and finding parking. But I was there by 8 AM like a good girl. After checking in we sat for half an hour before anything happened. Then we got our general instructions. By 10:00 I was getting antsy. They had identified a panel of 50 for a trial, but those people were still waiting, too. I had to admire those around me, several hundred of them, who were waiting so patiently. I was not. I got up and started wandering around, staying in proximity, hoping I would hear any announcement. A break was called so I wandered a bit farther. I got quickly back to my seat when I heard another panel being called. I heard everything except #1. Well, guess who was #1. I got a special "where are you" invitation. Great. But at least I was on the move, headed for some action. We were to hear a criminal case, DUI and driving with a suspended license. As the voir dere questions were being asked, I knew I would be rejected again, and I was. You see, my lovely son-in-law is a law enforcement officer, and he gets me out of jury duty. I'm not sure if I like being rejected, but by 12:00 today I could tell I just did not have the patience for sitting around waiting for the snail's pace of the law to carry on. I thought of the phrase "They also serve who only stand (sit) and wait". Well, I served, I guess. When we who were rejected reported back to the jury room, we were released. We do not have to report back tomorrow. We're done. We rejoiced quietly in our freedom and headed out into the storm.

12 comments:

  1. I've been called once, waited all day as they called groups of 10 to seat a jury, and was never even called to be in a group of 10. Oh well, I'm thinking I was lucky, as were you. Why do you get called so often?

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  2. You do get called often! I've been called 4 times. The first was years ago, and I begged off because I had no one to watch the kids. The second time was local, and I sat on a hard wooden bench with the other "rejects" until they told us we could leave. The third time was Federal Court down in Tampa, and it was a criminal trial. I was chosen and eventually served as foreperson. It was very hard knowing someone's freedom was in your hands. The fourth time was Grand Jury, and I was not called for that (phew!). It would have been Tampa again. I hate driving down there at rush hour. Think I-5 into downtown Seattle. :(

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  3. I have yet to be called, but I'm not complaining. Wonder why you do get called so often? Of course, I've only lived in Seattle for 18 months.

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  4. I've served on one jury, a rape case. That was enough, a case of who do you believe...not a great experience.

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  5. I got called once in Chicago and had to wait a half a day before they let me go. I hadn't even voted in Hawaii yet and I got a Federal notice for Jury duty. Oh...boy.....

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  6. Whadya know? Being a law enforcement officer got me out of jury duty last week too! I got the special boot before they even got to voir dere.

    Corey

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  7. I've been called twice. The first time the court closed for an emergency and everything on the docket was dismissed. I wasn't called back on that one.

    The second one I was selected to serve for a trial on an assault and battery (with a hate crime enactment attached) and I was foreperson. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. Not that the evidence didn't point directly and definitively to the prisoner's guilt...it did. But, his attorney was so inept. It drug on forever.

    I don't want to do it again.

    My brother-in-law is one of the most prominant criminal attornies in the state of Utah. I've been to several of his high profile murder trials. They're gruelling! I can tell you that being a juror for something like that would be horrific! The can be tedious, boring, difficult to listen to. They're both gut wrenching and haunting. And it's extremely important that you listen to and weigh everything with precision. People's hopes for resolution, and very lives rest squarely on how carefully you pay attention and what you decide. It's more responsibility than I ever want to take on.

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  8. I was called several times in NY. Not once here in NJ, watch - now they'll call LOL

    I ended up serving once - a man was accused of shaking his infant son to death. It was the most stressful and heartbreaking time!! And it was made worse because the judge kept changing his schedule. We'd get there only to be sent home. Went on for weeks.

    Every other time I had to sit in the main room for hours and hours waiting. You really get to meet some characters in a large gathering of NYers ;)

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  9. I've been called twice. Once didn't get questioned for a panel and was realeased by noon. The second time was on the panel and because of guess who was promptly the first person dismissed. Defense lawyers don't seem to like Corey and I here.

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  10. Yes, 'fun' isn't it? A complete time waster. It happens like that here too. Must cost our countries $millions. - Dave

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  11. This seems to happen here often as well. My son-in-law is in academy now for the Oregon State Police. It never occurred to me that it would be an issue. I guess it makes sense.

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