Jury Duty

Well so far jury duty is a breeze!

As required I called Sunday night to find out when I was to report for duty. Yes my civic duty to listen to evidence and decide if some one is innocent or guilty of who knows what dyer crime.

Any way the recorded message told me that Rockingham County did not need me or any other jury member for Monday. Well hip hip horray! I have a free day to do what ever I want to do. I could have been at my new job, but no that was postponed for good of the free world and democracy. I will take the free day and enjoy it by cleaning out the chicken coops. The joys of living in the country.

It is nice to know that in my little corner of the state crime is not running rampant and clogging up the court dockets. My only instructions, to call back on Monday night after 5 pm.

So once again after 5 pm, I called to find out - when am I to report for duty sir. I am so glad that Rockingham county is a sleepy little county far from big city crime. I also have Tuesday off . . . what luck! And the coops are all clean! The barn was cleaned up last week so with little else to put straight I guess I will tackle the biggest mess of all . . . gasp . . . my bedroom! Run for the hills and back up the dump truck.

Wed, March 19 - the saga continues

I finally received instructions on when and where to go for my Jury Duty. The original summons was for Monday, Courtroom-A. You already know that I did not have to show up on either Monday or Tuesday. Today was the magic day. The recorded telephone message - after playing it 3 times so that I could understand the muffled message - instructed me to arrive at Courtroom 'C' at 8:30 in the morning.

Now if you worked with me as all of you have you know that I have to be early, just in case. Like the world would come to an end if I was late once in a while. Any way I arrived at 8:10, failed the metal detector at the visitors entrance, got the wand treatment and never found out what tripped the metal detector. Had my case searched, was carrying a copy of JavaScript & Ajax sixth edition. I thought I would learn some web scripting while I was waiting. Last time I had jury duty was in Cincinnati and I was there all day for 5 days any only on one trial. The rest of the time I was in a room with all the other jurors with nothing to do but watch a TV. So I came prepared for a long boring day.

I was directed to Courtroom-C at the other end of the building and on the second floor. Oh the Rockingham County Court House is an OLD building no elevators - keep this in mind. So I get up to the second floor, Courtroom-C is locked, I park my butt on the steps going up to the third floor and wait. A few more very happy (not) people arrive and wait with me in the hall. Eventually an official looking person shows up to inform us that the trial has been moved to Courtroom-D. First floor at the front of the building. We all trudge downstairs and wait in the hallway outside of Courtroom-D. This room was quickly opened and we all filed in as plopped down on wooden church pews.

I opened my book and started to read again. About 15 mins latter a bailiff come in, tells us the person up stairs (Courtroom-C) doesn't know what they are talking about and send us back up the stairs to the second floor. Of course by now all the church pews in Courtroom-C are filled and I have to stand and try to fill out a form that said who I am so that I can get credit for showing up. Try writing on a piece of paper with a ball point pen while holding the paper up on the wall. Some one handed me a bible to use for a desk, I thanked him and scribbled out the required information and returned the bible to one of the fortunate seated jurors.

The judge shows up thanks us all, tells us its not really Jury Duty but Jury Service. Right, if you must know it is Jury you gotta do it or you're gonna be in trouble. The court 'some body or other' puts in a VCR tape in the TV and the judge leaves the room again. We watch a 16 min 12 second or was it 12 min and 15 second . . . movie on what a Juror's responsibilities are. So I am propped up against the wall just wanting to slide down to the floor and sit down and doze off during a high school civics class. After the movie the bailiff informs us that the bathrooms are down in the basement two flight of stairs down the two back up . . . if anyone needs one. She (yep a female bailiff) tells me that I can't keep my case if I am chosen for a jury and that I will need to take it to my car at the next break, while the lady next to me has a huge purse and nothing was said about it. OK, it's your court room I'll take it to my truck. Of course I don't have any pockets for my keys and wallet but I'll just hold it in my hand all day if necessary.

The judge returns, tells us the lawyers for the two parties are considering having the judge make a decision on the case and waiving the jury trial. To be continued. The judge has us all sworn in and leaves the court room again.

The big purse lady complains that she has things to do is not accustom to waiting. I inform her that she is a juror and she really can't do much about it but wait. Return the judge. The lawyers have agreed to waive the jury trial, the Judge thanks us all and dismisses us for the rest of the week. Big purse lady now lets everyone know that she was really looking forward to being a juror. I suggest she volunteer her services and maybe they will let her serve next week. Gathering my thing I quickly exit the building before anyone can change their minds again.

So there you have it, the whole sordid affair. Now I don't have to worry about Jury duty until 2010.

Of course that 2 hour period (my entire time spent on Jury Duty) delayed my starting work by two weeks. I could have started on the 10th if it wasn't for my Jury Summons.

So what is everyone else up to?