Jury Duty

I have served my civic duty. Three days of sitting, mostly in the jury room. Mid morning the first day the Clerk of the Court started calling names, oh no my name was called. They led 42 of us up to the 4th floor of the courthouse to one of the Superior Court Judge's courtroom. We were questioned 14 at a time, the DA's attorney first, then the attorney for the accused. I figured out I was number 32 on the list and when the two lawyers finally chose a jury I was rejected by the attorney for the accused. I was so relieved. It was an assault and armed robbery case. It was 2:30 p.m. before we were dismissed for the day, but too late to avoid a splitting headache from having missed lunch. Next day we sat for half a day before being dismissed. The third day we sat all. day. long. Twenty were called to hear a civil case. It wasn't long before all returned except for the six chosen for the jury. In the meantime, the people chosen on Monday to hear the assault/armed robbery case returned. Not guilty! The state failed to prove their case. He was guilty, but not enough evidence presented by the state, so they said.

Rumor had it, they were running out of jurors in a murder/death penalty case and we could be carted off up to that Superior Court to be interviewed to serve on that jury. Oh no! I don't want to get on a murder case! Around 4:30 p.m. the lady made an announcement, "you are dismissed for the week, if you need an excuse for your employer, line up at the window, I'll take your name, Mr. Burch will issue the letter." I was out of there like a flash, my employer could care less.

It will be two years before they can call me again. I know it's my civic duty, but it's painful--all that waiting, the questioning, the waiting, rejected, thank goodness, then more waiting and waiting. The murder case is still being heard.