Jury duty is exactly
that, a duty. Nobody likes it (well, almost nobody) but it’s something we all
have to do.
I try and remember if
the shoe were on the other foot I wouldn’t want the intelligent and reasonable people
to shirk their responsibility to me.
But I gotta' say…..this
time was a real eye opener.
The most interesting part about the whole experience (and I've been ‘voir dire’d’ more than a
dozen times now) was how many people who were being interviewed to be impaneled
had been arrested and how eager they were to say so, and why!
Out of a random group
of 45 people more than HALF had been arrested multiple times!!!!
All I kept thinking was what
a dull life I’ve lead! LOL
I’ve never felt so WASPy!
But the man sitting next
to me was the most brilliant of them all.
He stood to say he
couldn't serve because he was a Jehovah Witness and it was against his religion
to sit in judgment of his fellow man.
You could see all the other people figuratively slapping
their foreheads wondering why they hadn’t thought of that!
I'm thinking of
converting.
(You know what else I was struck by during jury duty? The men
held doors open for the ladies AND let us go through them first!! I had
forgotten there were people with manners still left in the world!)
I'm surprised that fellow got off duty for religious reasons, who'd have thought! They don't select like that over here, but I've never been asked so what do I know. lol.
ReplyDeleteMy strategy: I change my jury duty date to the day before a holiday. Here, you have a year in which you can postpone your service and select your date. Day before a holiday, everyone is interested in getting out of Dodge. You sit in the jury room. Watch the film Get a coffe and donut from the little cart when it rolls in. Read a book. Around lunch, you're dismissed with a thank you for you service because everyone wants to get out of Dodge. If questioned about this strategy: I don't recall anything at this time... (-;
ReplyDeleteI've heard of much worse ways to get off jury duty…but you're right. If the shoe were on the other foot, I'd want intelligent, caring people as my jurors.
ReplyDeletewow, sounds like both of us have lived really dull lives!! makes me want to knock off a liquor store or something ... just to see how the other half lives!!
ReplyDeletejust kidding. i don't have it in me. oh, well.