Jury duty is a civic responsibility, and as a responsible citizen, it is my duty to serve as a juror.
It was reported last year that more than one-third of Philadelphians (250,000 residents) don't bother to respond and ignore jury duty summons each year. Maybe the $9.00 dollars per day as compensation has something to do with it.
This time I received a higher number in my jury duty panel. Inside the courtroom the judge read out the charges against the accused person, it was a case of sexual abuse among siblings. The judge said it will take at least five days to hear the case, unless the defendant plead guilty before trial.
When the judge said five days I felt a little uneasy because I have a doctor's appointment that I cannot miss next Friday. In fact I've been looking forward to see my primary doctor this week to receive the results of multiple diagnostic and blood tests I took recently.
I am not a religious person, (I'm spiritual but not religious) especially when it comes to organized religion, but I was "praying" inside the courtroom and hoping they would select the jurors early before it was my turn.
Fortunately I lucked out, I didn't have to sit in the jury box. Before my jury panel number was called by the judge and attorneys, they selected the jurors after questioning the people ahead of me in the courtroom. I was given a jury fee check and was dismissed before noon.
I was a very happy camper when I left the courtroom, and didn't have to report to work until tomorrow.
Twice I've gotten that letter. The first time I did get picked, for a long, boring case about mold in a building. Eventually both sides settled out of court, unable to tell from our bored faces which way we'd decide on 150 photographs of mildew on walls. Its a good experience, only in that what you see on Law & Order, still doesn't tell you everything you should know about courtrooms. It really is just a job to a lot of people there, even when its outcome can change someone's life.
ReplyDeleteAgree, some of the jurors don't seem to realize their decisions can affect someone's life for the rest of their lives. Thanks for sharing!
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