The county courthouse is under renovations, so some of the offices have been moved temporarily while the work is being done. The day I was called, court was being held in a former indoor shopping mall, now mostly offices.
I arrived promptly and stood with about a hundred other potential jurors in what would have been the "mall" area. Our names were gradually called and we proceeded to enter the double doors into what looked like a former department store divided into smaller rooms. I was given the number 56 card and became potential Juror #56 for the morning.
The presiding judge for this case had a sense of humor, thankfully, which made the day a little more pleasant. He introduced the prosecutor and defendants, went through the basic schedule for the day and asked those who needed to be excused to come forward. About a dozen people were excused for various reasons ranging from age, disabilities, commitments, job conflicts and familiarity with the case.
The two sides were allowed one hour each to talk to the potential jurors about generalities of the case. Our case was about an accused aggravated assault, and they wanted to make sure everyone understood the definitions of the law. They were mostly interested in hearing answers from the first twenty jurors, and made a note of their numbers.
After returning from the lunch break, we were called back inside and the selection of jurors were announced. All the jurors came from the first 15 jurors, so I was excused.
I took my $6 in cash.
Oh, well, maybe next time I'll get chosen.
I sat on an actual trial once....pretty interesting experience. I've been called several times, but the most annoying time was when I was chosen for a jury, had to cancel my vacation plans (because I didn't have any plane tickets so I wasn't excused), then they settled with a plea bargain the morning of the first day, before we even got there. I was SO irritated about that one! Overall, though, I don't mind the responsibility at all.
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