I'm still stuck on jury duty. Day two here at the NYC Courthouse. But at least today I was able to bring my laptop and come a little early to get one of these work stations that have high-speed internet hook ups. First come, first serve, with no time limit, so I can work all day as I wait! Getting a lot of evil eyes though from people who didn't get a space.
I really don't mind being here as it's interesting to see the legal/judicial process first hand. I watch a Law and Order all the time, and I'm enjoying seeing the reality of it. What I found funny was that most people think jury duty is a pain in the ass and try to get out of it, so they show you this Diane Sawyer hosted video when you get here that tells you what an honor it is to be selected and your role should be respected and how "powerful" a responsibility it is. (They use the word 'powerful' a lot.) They really try to glamorize it when all you do is sit around and wait to be called.
I was called yesterday. We went down to the courtroom, met the judge and attorneys, and went into jury selection for a felony drug charge. I didn't get picked and was excused, so had to come back today, but it was fascinating to watch them interview and eliminate all the jurors who do get picked. Trying to catch the jurors who were lying just to get out of it was the most fun. One girl raised her hand and said she couldn't serve because she was a Buddhist and the Buddha wouldn't approve of her deciding the future course of someone else's life. That's really what she said! The judge got a real kick out of this and explained all she had to decide was help decide if the plaintiff was "guilty" or "not guilty" and he would decide the guy's future from there. She hemmed and hawed and came up with all kinds of bullshit, and he argued with her, but he eventually excused her. I'm tellin' ya, it takes all kinds!
So maybe I should start thinking about that legal comic now...
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4 comments:
Jury Duty!?!
My wife got jury duty the week before we went on vacation last year. She talked to the judge and he let her delay it until we got back. Then she got picked for a murder case.
She told the judge she could not consider recomending giving someone convicted of murder life with the possiblity of parole. (Hey, she's tough!)
The judge tried to convince her, but the defense attorney decided he didn't want her on the jury!
I LOVE Jury Duty! I got up early, sat in a big room with an egg sandwich and the Times while they played Seabiscuit for us. Later I answered some questions and learned about trials a little, and I got home by 3:30! Two days in a row! And my job paid for it! AWESOME!
I had Jury Duty. Man is sucked. I was in a huge room doing nothing. When I got chosen I excused myself. At least I got some money.
The only thing that really bothers me about it, is that you have to get up friggin early as hell to be at the courthouse. I am NOT a morning person. Normally, I get up at like noon. :)
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