I got derailed yesterday because of Jodi so I will finish this jury selection post quick because I’m tired of the whole deal. We were ushered into the jury assembly room where almost 300 people looked for places to sit and I hate feeling crowded so I tried to leave a seat on either side of me, but they got taken very quickly and I felt like I was smothering. We were shown a film on the process and the court clerk talked to us and then a judge there were two guards at all times to keep the masses under control, but they were actually nice little old ladies.

They started pulling panels right away and I was on the first one so it broke the monotony they make you feel like you’re in first grade and take attendance and then when they call you for the panel they line you up like little kids and it’s very precise and you must be in the order you’re called so the diagram lines up for the lawyers so when they pick their jury they already how you think because of the questionnaire that you filled out beforehand.

You’re ushered into the court room and you must be seated in the right order so you can be ogled and judged if you will make a sympathetic juror for their side. You must stand and take an oath as a group then you’re addressed by the judge and then both lawyers ask the panel questions, if you answer a question you must state your juror number first and speak loudly so everything can be in the transcripts, they then make their selection back and forth between lawyers then they call their picks for the jury.

Everyone must then go back to the jury assembly room to wait to be called for another panel apparently some of the cases were over before they got started because the criminal cases were basically open and shut and many of the people that had been picked for the jury were back within a few hours to be thrown back into the jury pool. Ignorant me thought if you were pulled for a panel or sat on a jury you would then be released, but in fact you have to stay for the week and be used over and over.

Some people were selected for several different cases. I think they should pick 84 people from all those called and release everyone else because it seemed like they just kept calling the same ones anyhow for all the cases and the others were just wasting their time. At the end of the 3rd day I had enough and my nerves were shot so I talked to one of the clerks and explained about my Shadow and how he needed me to take care of him so they were nice and dismissed me.

I couldn’t take another day I was ready to rip my hair out, I had managed to remove myself from the rowdy crowd of women that were having a blast on the second day and move all the way across the room by the window and seclude myself. I would have made a lousy juror anyhow. They pay 9 dollars a day and if you’re there on the 4th and 5th day it goes up to 25 dollars and 35 cents per mile traveled back and forth.

Only 3 people at a time can take a 10 minute break, 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon and you have to use a hall pass, I did notice that several people took more breaks and some even longer than the 10 minutes and an hour for lunch. Everyone had formed their little groups and they all acted like they had assigned seats and were suppose to sit in the same place day after day, it was so weird.  I realized that I am definitely not a people person any more and the strain of those 3 days really took a toll. Definitely the end!!

Tags: jury duty