So, long story short, the jury duty thing didn’t happen. And I can’t really say I’m crying into my beer about the whole thing. So here’s what happens when it turns out you don’t have to serve after all: one of the people in the jury co-ordination office calls you up and reads you, word for word, a note from the judge. Which, in this case, said only that they were “going to proceed without a jury” which, from talking to my lawyer friends, either means that the defendents waived their right to a jury or there was a plea bargain of some sort. Either way, on April 22, my ass was in my seat at work and not in a jury box.
So my Jury Selection date was yesterday and I meant to write about this then, when the details were fresher in my mind, but as is my wont I left it until the middle of the night and a day later.
The courthouse is only just over a block away from my apartment, so I actually got to sleep in later than I normally would for work. They warned me that there would be a lot of sitting around and there was, but I had my notebook with me and I got some notes jotted down for a new story, which is good. There were maybe about 60 to 80 people there — I meant to count and didn’t — but every seat was filled. When the Jury Co-ordinator spoke to us, though, he said that normally the jury selections were standing-room-only and that ours was a small one. Only two juries were being selected (as opposed to the three that I’d been told earlier).
When the first case came before the judge, the defendants hadn’t been arraigned yet (I’m not sure if this was normal or not; it didn’t seem to be) so we all got to sit through the arraignment and hear the complete chargest against the defendants.
The actual jury selection was pretty much as I’d expected it to be from hearing about it and seeing it on television (the American system is similar in this regard to our own, clearly). Though I’d been expecting the lawyers for the prosecution and defense to ask us questions before deciding whether or not we were acceptable jurors. We were called by number into the jury box, 18 at a time, though that number decreased as jurors were selected.
I was in the first group of 18 to be called up (13th) and was the third person actually selected for the jury. With most people, what was happening was that they would stand up, would be instructed to look at the defendants, and the lawyers would take a moment (or a few moments) before saying “content” or “challenge”. If the potential juror was challenged, that was it, they would go back into the pool for the next jury. (Each lawyer had 12 challenges for which they had to claim no cause, but since there were two defendants for each case, this meant 24 for each of the prosecution and defense.)
When it came my turn, I stood up, straightened my shirt, and had barely lifted my head before all three of them said “content” and that was it. I was on the jury. It was the fastest of anyone, by far, I think. And I have no idea why.
So yes, I’ll be serving on a jury for a criminal trial from April 22 to about May 17, so this morning was spent starting to make the arrangements at work to be absent for that length of time. Thank god it wasn’t our busy period, is all I could say. Though if it had been, I guess I would have had cause to be excused from jury duty in the first place, since we have no other employees who can replace me.
The trial? Cocaine trafficking. I’m really not dreading it at all. In fact, the more people who said “Couldn’t you get out of it?” the more I actually wanted to do it, just to get a real sense of what it’s like. I’m a writer; new experiences are a very good thing. And I think that parts of it at least will be interesting. I’m not really thinking too hard about the responsibilty I’ll have to decide on the guilt or innocence of the defendants; that’s almost two months off at this point. There’s plenty of time for that.
The only other thing I want to say about the experience is that the courtroom itself was beautiful, the architecture was stunning. the building doesn’t look like much from the outside, but I suspect that’s because a new outer shell has been built around an older building or set of buildings. It wouldn’t be the first time that approach had been taken in Winnipeg. I’ll have to look into it.
So yes, jury duty. Talked to the co-ordinator today to get everything set up. Had to talk to five different people at my company just to find out if I get paid while on jury duty or not (I do) and most of them were in HR. This is really the kind of thing that they should just know, if you ask me.
I think I’m probably going to keep a running log of the experience, as much as I can, just so I remember it later on. Any experience builds character, and I’m sure that I can use this in a story at some point in time, so I’m paying attention. When I went to my supervisor to mention that I needed the time off, he sat me down and we chatted for a while about when he was called to jury duty. He wasn’t selected for any juries, which he attributes to his “scornful looks” at the defendants.
Apparently they’re selecting for three juries, for trials lasting anywhere from 4 to 20 days, some time between April 7 and May 16. Which means, if selected, I may have to miss the ACT festival. That would be rough. I got detailed instructions on how to get past the metal detectors etc. and where to find jury registration, but something tells me I’m gonna get lost anyway. Put me in a shopping mall and I have perfect direction sense, put me in a cubicle maze and I’m lost. Probably a skill honed by the fact that I like to get in and out of malls as quickly as possible. Then again, I’m pretty good at navigating airports, which are never well marked, so I guess we’ll see.
I’m interested to know the cases that they’re selecting juries for. Shall find out on the twenty-seventh, I guess. I don’t think I’ll be having any more contact with them until then. The people working the jury management office, by the way, were universally pleasant. That can’t be an easy job, and must have a lot of annoyed people calling all the time, so kudos to them.
So I dunno. I got a jury summons today for the first time; not a really common thing around here. And a part of me wants to get myself out of it — which wouldn’t be real hard — but the bigger part actually wants to do it. Like, doesn’t just feel responsible to do it — which I kind of do, because people deserve at least one intelligent and willing person to decide their fate — but wants to. I’ve only ever seen the process on TV; I think it would be worthwhile experience to go through it myself. It can only make me a better person, really, and a better writer. But it’s still a pain in the ass.