Jury Duty

Some days I wonder if people are just plain crazy?   Whether it's walking down the halls of a courthouse or on the streets downtown the question comes to mind on almost a daily basis.

Because I'm around courthouses and attorney's offices people always ask me if I know how to get out of jury duty.  My usual response is there is no surefire way of getting excused from jury duty.  That doesn't mean that I haven't seen people try all kinds of crazy things.

One Monday morning when I was running down the hallway where potential jurors check in, I pulled up short and had to cover my mouth so no one saw me laughing.  Sitting there among all the other potential jurors was a women who had to be in her mid-thirties.  I noticed her because of the way she was dressed.  I usually notice women who are dressed nicely in clothes that are flattering or at least clean.  This particular woman was going for a different look.  I was close enough to see that her T-shirt was inside out and backwards.  On her feet were fuzzy slippers and her hair was ratted to the point of standing two feet out from her head n every direction.  Based on the fact that no one was standing, or sitting, within three feet of her I can only assume that she hadn't bathed for a few days.   I hope her efforts paid off but I doubt it.

Have you ever sat through jury selection?  It's nothing like in the movies or TV.

I sat with my boss at the counsel table the first day of trial studying notes and comparing them to the people sitting around the room.  No one had been directed to the jury box.  the judge was first trying to determine who, if anyone, would be excused from jury service.  After a short speech about what did, and did not, qualify as an excuse from jury service.  Then the judge began asking for a show of hands those who qualified for one of those excuses.

For the next half hour people stated their excuses.  They ranged from medical conditions, to vacations and included sole proprietors of businesses.  About half of those who stated their excuses were actually excused.  No one stated an excuse that had anything to do with mental illness or other excuses that stretched credibility.

Before to long we had what is called our jury pool and after another two hours of questions we had  twelve, actually thirteen people, seated in the jury box.  Then it was lunch time.

Nothing qualified any of these people to sit on this, or any particular jury.  That's why some refer to a jury as twelve jokers in a box.