Jury Duty

This week, I've been called to Jury Duty (JD) . . . again. *sigh*

Most people get called once, twice, or sometimes not at all, but not me.  I think this is about the tenth time that I've been called since I was able to vote (yes, I'll say it, over 30 years).  One of my friends laughed and said, "No way" and thought I was exaggerating. 

Trust me, I'm not.

Along with the regular City/County turns that I've been 'privledged' to be on a month long call for Federal Jury Duty (FJD). 

Yep, been there, done that. Seriously.

FJD is fairly straight forward.  You get called for a month of duty.  On Fridays, you call a phone number and find out if you have to be in court on Monday.  I was called two out of four weeks.  At the time I worked night shift, 11-7, at a hospital, which meant I also worked weekends.  Try explaining that to your boss!  I vividly remember those two cases: 1) racial discrimination, and 2) oral contract.  But that doesn't tell you about the mind-numbing evidence I had to listed to BEFORE the jury decided each case.  Let's just say that I know more about how to make rebar than any normal person should!

It's been three years since I was on JD.  They tried to get me two years ago, but it was illegal to call a juror in back-to-back years.  And they always seem to call me in March, right around my kiddo's spring break. I've been called to sit on more cases than I can even remember, everything from contracts-to-insurance fraud-to murder. I've sat on them all.  And I don't expect this time to be any different.

All I can say is that $20 a day isn't good enough.  I'll blog on Wednesday what a day in the life of a juror is all about--BORING.  I'll have my phone, Kindle, paper books, and my netbook (though I have slim hopes of trying to write my leprechaun revenge story--as they never have enough electrical outlets)

Like I said before, I don't mind JD, but I think it's time to give another upstanding citizen the chance to sit and enjoy getting grilled by the prosecutor, defense lawyer, and judge--and don't think that they won't do that to a juror, they will.

Yeah--like I said before, been there, done that. 

Later, Peeps!