Jury Duty 1: Preliminary Thoughts

Happy birthday to me: I turned 45 on Monday. Yippee! I’m excited I’m not dead. It’s good to be above ground.

As a special present this year, the State gave me jury duty. And by jury duty, I mean the kind where you actually have to stay for the trail, as opposed to the kind where you show up and sit around all day bored out of your mind, only to be sent home before ever making it into the jury box for voir dire.

That was my last experience about 20 years ago and I haven’t been called since. I find that odd. Actually that’s not quite true. I did receive a summons when I lived in Fremont but opted for the 3 month deferral knowing I was moving the next month and it would take them a while to catch up with me at my new address.

I know! So shameful.

This year, I showed up to the fancy new Merced courthouse not quite sure what to expect in terms of security. Last year, a man walked past security with a knife in each hand, ran into a courtroom, and was headed for the judge before deputies shot and killed him.

Now it’s just like airport security at the courthouse entrance, only they don’t make you take off your shoes: purse on conveyor belt, walk through metal detector, confirm that yes, you are wearing an underwire bra, then go on your merry way.

(Oh wait, that last part happened at the Calgary airport but not at any of the U.S. ones nor at the County courthouse. Canada overachieves once again.)

So guess which judge presides over the trial for which I am a juror? Go on, guess…

Thaaaat’s right, the target of the knife-wielding mental health patient. The judge has since moved to a courtroom on the second floor so any crazy person who manages to get past security still has to navigate stairs to get to him. Very sensible of him.

Obviously I cannot talk about the trial until it’s all over but I can discuss things unrelated to the trial but very much related to serving as a juror. I will put that in a separate post I hope to get up in the next day or so.

In the meantime, are you dressing up for Halloween? What is your costume? Do provide a link to pictures in the comments here, won’t you?

 

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Photo source: Courthouses of California on The Well