Jury Duty
I had jury duty today. It was originally scheduled for February but I rescheduled to fit it in the pathetically short break between our summer and fall semesters. Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m a student so I guess I could claim an exemption, but I didn’t want to get out of it. Far from the typical reluctant juror claiming rampant racism or homophobia to get out of jury duty, I saw it as a rare chance to see things from the other side of the jury box. I thought I might even join the ranks of the blogging jurors sometimes featured in Anne Reed’s Deliberations. Alas, it was not to be.
I spent 4 hours sitting in the juror holding pen, waiting for my number to be called. When it finally was called it was only to tell me that my services would not be needed. Could I come back tomorrow I asked? “Um, no,” I was told by a fairly incredulous officer, “you’re free to go, you got a release.” Sigh. I don’t think there would have been any shortage of volunteers to trade places among the 50 or so people who went ahead of me. Oh well.
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Comments
For another perspective see James Foye, Why I Will Never Have To Serve on a Jury
LOL! In DC, there is a shortage of reading, willing and able jurors. A lot of people who move in and out every four years don’t register with the DMV, either because they don’t care, they’re military and don’t have to, or they’ve heard the DC DMV horror stories. I get called for jury duty every year like clockwork and the only time I’ve been privy to voir dire proceedings was when I worked for a DC Superior Court Judge and we lucked into a trial during our civil rotation. And I’m talking at least 4 or 5 times I did all-day sit-and-wait stints for jury duty. Bleech! Hope you get called next time!