Relax...at the Courthouse?

Saturday, December 6th I opened my mailbox only to find an official jury summons. (the Commissioner plans on most people receiving this summons so that they have a couple of days to calm down before they can call his office to complain!) Like most people my initial reaction was oh s..t, how am I going to get out of this? After reading through the material and realizing that short of being mentally incompetent I probably would have to appear. So with that in mind, I prepared myself and my co-workers for my two week departure from the office. I was not thrilled at the thought of all the work that would pile up in my mailbox while gone, but decided "what was I going to do about it?", and came to the conclusion "nothing". Reporting day came soon enough and was a Monday to boot. Knowing myself the way I do, I prepared for this day to come by driving downtown not once but twice to get the "lay of the land" so that I would have some idea of where I was going and to eliminate some of the stress I knew I would be experiencing come that morning. Let me just tell you now, that driving downtown on a Sunday morning at 6:00 AM (coming back from dropping off my husband Don at the airport) and driving downtown at 9:30 AM on a Monday is like the difference between night and day! The traffic was horrible, the parking situation only made worse by construction in the area. Not to mention the hundreds of people walking the streets, cutting in front of you while driving, crossing at crosswalks when they are not supposed to etc. After circling 12 times around the block to hopefully see the "open" sign at the parking garage, I gave up and thought I was moving on to the next garage a block west. The lane I got in turned out to be a left turn lane only, so I quickly found myself in the Brewery District. I turned into the first parking garage I saw, asked the attendant if it was for public parking, found out I would be shelling out $20.00 for the day and proceeded in! I had no choice, I was to report in less than 15 minutes and I really had no idea where else to go from there. The attendant told me I was free to park in any space that did not have a sign. After going round and round and quite frankly feeling a bit dizzy, I came upon a spot that did not have a reserved sign attached to it. I quickly pulled in, buttoned up my coat and headed north on High St. to the courthouse. It was a bit overwhelming I must admit but those feelings were quickly set aside as I settled into the safety of the jury commissioner room. It was there that I was joined by 71 fellow potential jurors, all of whom were strangers.

After an introduction by the jury commissioner, Tom Shields we were briefed on the events of the week and educated on our duties while there. The stress of the morning gave way to an unusual feeling of patriotism. I will have to admit that I felt somewhat ashamed at my original feelings upon receiving the summons. It is our duty as citizens to provide the opportunity for every individual the right to a fair and speedy trial. A room full of jurors who understand this duty as opposed to a jury room full of persons with attitude and resentment is important to the health of our courtrooms. Several of the things we were asked to examine while jurors were to remember that every person appearing before the court is innocent until proven guilty and that you cannot assume by looking at ones appearance that they are guilty.

While the courtrooms average 90 cases per day with 12 courtrooms in session on any given day, one would assume that the need to "call up" a jury would happen often. Quite the opposite. In the 4 days that I served only one courtroom requested a jury. That meant that the remaining jurors were left to "enjoy" their stay in the courthouse awaiting the possibility of another call to duty. You may ask...how come no one else requested a jury? We were informed that many times the accused settles and takes a plea bargain or the charges are simply dismissed due to lack of evidence. So there we all are, in the jury commissioner room doing what you may ask? Well if you ever tell anyone that you are serving jury duty they will always tell you to take a good book! While that may be true, the jury commissioner of the municipal court has provided an amazing opportunity for all jurors to participate in a new learning experience every day should you choose to participate. Each day speakers are brought in to discuss various topics. Judges stop by for question and answer sessions which can lead to a great education. Tours of the statehouse and county jail are available as well as observations in various live courtrooms. Computers are available for those who feel the need to remain connected with the outside world, and there is a movie run everyday for those who enjoy escaping into the world of Hollywood.

I chose to participate in as much as I could, welcoming the opportunity to learn about an area in which I was not previously interested. On Thursday afternoon we were all informed that our duty as jurors had been satisfied and that we were free to go. One would assume at this point that everyone would rush for the door and heave a sigh of relief. But to my surprise, many people turned to their fellow juror and said, "you mean we don't get to come back tomorrow"? What a funny comment to hear, but I felt the same way!

Once you realize your duty and encounter the accommodations made by the jury commissioner it is easy to slip into a mode of relaxation. Granted, not a place where one would seem to find relaxation but I did. Proof that you never know what unusual place or circumstance may afford you a simple pleasure in life!