Civil Service

Last weekend, I called in to report to jury duty. I was thrilled that I was told I did not need to go down to the courthouse on Monday. When I called on Monday after work, I was equally happy to not have to go in on Tuesday. Honestly, by Tuesday, I thought I was off the hook. So, much to my surprise, I was told to report on Wednesday morning at 7:30am to the superior courthouse downtown. I was not thrilled but my boss was supportive, my job pays for 10 days of jury duty, and things were pretty under control at the office so I could afford to be away for a day. I figured, given my legal experience, I would not be a desirable juror so it was worth it to go down there one day, stick it out, and get dismissed for 12 days. I reported to the jury service room and, let's just say that I was glad that I brought a book. By 9:30, however, I was sent to a courtroom. The clerk handed out a paper with questions we were all going to answer and, again, I felt like I would be quickly dismissed with my answers to questions like, "what is your occupation?" and "do you know any friends or family in the legal field?" FALSE. By 11:00am, I was officially Juror #3 in a case.

Long story short, the case was about a traffic accident and the trial lasted 3 days. By Friday afternoon, we had reached a verdict. I am really grateful that I had the experience to serve in this way, but I have to be honest, I feel really jaded about the effectiveness of jury trials. I had a long talk with my dad today about jury trials (incidentally, he is right in the middle of one) and he reassured me that if you have the opportunity to watch good, effective, skilled lawyers in action, jury trials work and the system works. I had some frustrating moments in the jury deliberation room and, although I don't know if I will ever practice law, I have never been more proud of my "thinking like a lawyer" brain.

The sweetest part? 12 jury duty-free months.

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12