So says The Grinch as he sorts through mail in the Whoville post office.
I am writing this article because today, I was summoned to report for jury duty, and I got an insider's glimpse into the federal judicial system. Let's start from the beginning.
To be summoned as a juror, you need to be at least 18 and a US citizen. I know of middle-aged people who have lived here all their lives and have never been summoned. But me...
Around December, barely a year after I officially became a US citizen, not even two months after having turned 18, I received a summons in the mail. I was to report in January.
My first thought- oh hell naaaaw.
I fretted about it, then saw that I could defer. So I deferred to May. Thus, today on May 29th, I reported to the Washington County Courthouse before 8 am in the morning, having no idea what was going to happen.
Was I going to help deliberate a life or death case?
Was I going to meet other random citizens who didn't want to be there?
Was I going to be dismissed after entering?
Was I going to meet a hot lawyer?
Not really expecting anything, I lined up at the Washington County Courthouse early this morning.
Upon entering I regarded the guide to the rooms and presiding judges.
I walked through security then went to the basement jury assembly room. We were greeted by some official, went through blablabla, and then she called out 35 juror numbers of the 195 who showed up to serve on the grand jury. On the grand jury, you have to serve as a juror for a sequence of around a month one or two days each week.
I don't think I've thought the sentence Please don't say 15 so many times in succession in my life.
LUCKILY, I wasn't picked to be on the grand jury. I thought then I was dismissed. But then I learned that nooo, it wasn't over yet.
The remaining people had to sit and watch this informational video about what it was like to serve on a jury and how important it is to the American democracy. On the video I learned that not everyone called will have to serve on a trial. That made me feel pretty ambivalent; on one hand, I wanted to go home, and on the other, I wanted to actually witness a cool case.
The last part of the video said: The right to a jury trial is worth fighting and dying for because it works so remarkably well.
(And I thought I romanticized things...)
After that, we just waited for the next task.
Apparently, they were going to select 44 of those left, who would then undergo further selection, to ultimately have a jury of 6 or 12 members for today's trial.
A friend described it as looking like I was dying inside while still trying to smile, which is how I was feeling the entire day.
1:30 was supposed to be when everyone was back. People came back, and it came and went. Nothing happened. I just waited in that blank room while old memories of times I had to wait for something I didn't know for hours on end resurfaced.
We finally got an answer sometime past 2 pm. We were all dismissed.
JUST LIKE THAT?
Apparently, things didn't turn out the way they thought, and they really did intend on picking jurors for the case much earlier. The case was more complicated than they thought, and it wasn't going to just last today...it was going to go on for, and I quote, "multi-multi-multi-MULTI...days." Oh.
I was quite disappointed in the judicial system today.
I wasn't released early, I didn't get to experience an interesting case, nor did I see a hot lawyer.
Now I know for sure that law isn't for me, not that I had ever doubted it before.
But hey, I'm off the hook for the next two years! (Hopefully more...)
I am writing this article because today, I was summoned to report for jury duty, and I got an insider's glimpse into the federal judicial system. Let's start from the beginning.
To be summoned as a juror, you need to be at least 18 and a US citizen. I know of middle-aged people who have lived here all their lives and have never been summoned. But me...
Around December, barely a year after I officially became a US citizen, not even two months after having turned 18, I received a summons in the mail. I was to report in January.
My first thought- oh hell naaaaw.
I fretted about it, then saw that I could defer. So I deferred to May. Thus, today on May 29th, I reported to the Washington County Courthouse before 8 am in the morning, having no idea what was going to happen.
Was I going to help deliberate a life or death case?
Was I going to meet other random citizens who didn't want to be there?
Was I going to be dismissed after entering?
Was I going to meet a hot lawyer?
Not really expecting anything, I lined up at the Washington County Courthouse early this morning.
 |
| Pretty damn long line |
And I couldn't help but be entertained by the fact that the third floor was occupied by Judges Fun Coal Whipper. Sounds like a mining job in the wild wild west.
I don't think I've thought the sentence Please don't say 15 so many times in succession in my life.
LUCKILY, I wasn't picked to be on the grand jury. I thought then I was dismissed. But then I learned that nooo, it wasn't over yet.
The remaining people had to sit and watch this informational video about what it was like to serve on a jury and how important it is to the American democracy. On the video I learned that not everyone called will have to serve on a trial. That made me feel pretty ambivalent; on one hand, I wanted to go home, and on the other, I wanted to actually witness a cool case.
The last part of the video said: The right to a jury trial is worth fighting and dying for because it works so remarkably well.
(And I thought I romanticized things...)
After that, we just waited for the next task.
 |
| which was obviously selfie-taking...notice the JUROR pin |
Everyone waited for hours with no news. I was getting exasperated.
They dismissed us for lunch. I was hoping that by the time we got back, the court would have made its selection of jurors for the next round.
I had lunch with my dad at a Thai restaurant, and apparently this is what jury duty turned my face into.
A friend described it as looking like I was dying inside while still trying to smile, which is how I was feeling the entire day.
1:30 was supposed to be when everyone was back. People came back, and it came and went. Nothing happened. I just waited in that blank room while old memories of times I had to wait for something I didn't know for hours on end resurfaced.
We finally got an answer sometime past 2 pm. We were all dismissed.
JUST LIKE THAT?
Apparently, things didn't turn out the way they thought, and they really did intend on picking jurors for the case much earlier. The case was more complicated than they thought, and it wasn't going to just last today...it was going to go on for, and I quote, "multi-multi-multi-MULTI...days." Oh.
I was quite disappointed in the judicial system today.
I wasn't released early, I didn't get to experience an interesting case, nor did I see a hot lawyer.
Now I know for sure that law isn't for me, not that I had ever doubted it before.
But hey, I'm off the hook for the next two years! (Hopefully more...)
Comments
Post a Comment