Jury Duty

I had a new experience this week, and I believe it worth sharing. A few months back, I received an envelope form the Federal District Court of Kansas in Wichita, Kansas. For some reason, I never am excited about opening envelopes like that one. It contained notification that I was in the pool as a potential juror for the Federal District Court. Yippee. No biggy though, right? What are the odds I would come up? Well, a while later I received a letter stating that I was now on call for the month of January 2014 and was to call every Monday evening to get instructions. January is a good month to be on call though, right? It is not football season. It comes right after the holidays, so the lawyers will not be pushing to try cases, right? I don't know why I thought that, but it made me feel better.

So, I called each Monday, releasing a sigh of relief each time the recording said I did not have to report. Then, for whatever reason, I forgot to call. Luckily, Heidi realized it around 4:30 on Tuesday morning, and she called in for me. I was to report the next Tuesday morning at 8:00 am. At least I had that news to wake up to.  I had the common reaction I have heard most people express when they find out they have the pleasure of reporting for jury duty: "Well, crap."

I won't bore you further with the details of my selection to actively serve on the jury. However, I will tell you that this became one of those experiences that starts out in a completely negative light, but actually develops into something worthwhile. Notice that I did not say "enjoyable" or "satisfying". It was neither. What it was was worthwhile. I performed a duty, one which each of us as citizens of the USA are expected to fulfill to best of our abilities. I was not part of a group too stupid to get out of jury duty. An engineer, a zookeeper, a business owner, a retired insurance adjuster, and many other professionals and otherwise intelligent people occupied the chairs in that box. People try to get out of jury duty every day, and I do not fault them, not the slightest bit. We all lead busy lives, and the disruption of those lives is a significant reason to ask to be excused. I know teachers and other educators who have asked to have their service deferred until summer, when they can perform their duties without having to miss school. There are few professionals who would do that. "Judge, I would like to have you recall me in a month or two so I can schedule my vacation and spend it in jury duty." I probably should have asked for that consideration, but for some reason I didn't. When the prosecutor asked me if missing school was going to be a severe hardship that should not be inflicted on me or others, I answered as honestly as I could: "We have substitutes, and I have written lessons plans. I would rather be there, in the classroom, than here, but I understand my duty to serve if selected." Asking to be excused is fine. Lying to do so is another. That is a rant I won't go into right now. Maybe later.

As I was saying, it was worthwhile. I will be trying to catch up for the time I missed for about 3 weeks, if I am lucky. However, it was worthwhile. As part of the selection process, this thought was presented: If you (a doctor, a teacher, an engineer, a mother, etc.) were sitting accused, would you not want someone like you, someone with your busy life full of important responsibilities and significant actions on a daily basis, sitting in that box, considering if the evidence presented by the United States government was sufficient enough to determine if you should be punished for a crime? I had not considered it from that point of view.

It was worthwhile. Was I bored from time to time as lawyers sometimes, in words actually used in the courtroom, "beat the dead horse"? Yes, I was. Did I get frustrated when a witness continually tried to frame her answers so as to make her actions appear justified or righteous? Definitely. Did I sometimes marvel at how the tall, lanky defense attorney with glasses and low, deliberate voice had an odd resemblance to Gregory Peck, but failed to live up to that Atticus Finch image, mainly because the client was not as worthy as Tom Robinson? Um, yes. Was my mind screaming at times when the lawyer would not ask the question I wanted him to ask? Oh yeah, more than once. But those instances were all part of the process. I found myself thanking Mr. Marsh in my mind for the job he did in government class my senior year. His lessons gave me the basis for an understanding of what was going on, and why.  I learned very quickly from the judge that if I even entertained the thought of following in Henry Fonda's footsteps, footsteps that led him to purchase a switchblade from a little junkshop, I would not become the hero of a classic screenplay, but instead would have committed juror misconduct and face the wrath of a longtime federal justice. I learned that individuals in their 50s sometimes act like high school sophomores, and that is frustrating. Sophomores do not usually know better, or sometimes even know what they are doing. These adults should have known better.

Most importantly, I learned that jury duty is worthwhile. Not enjoyable, although I did meet some very interesting people and shared some very enjoyable lunch conversation. Worthwhile. Our system relies on us, as citizens, to perform this duty to the best of our abilities. We are nation of laws; as John Goodman's character in The Big Lebowski screamed, "We have rules here! It's not Nam!" And wouldn't you want you sitting in that box if you were accused of violating one of those (or seven of them), and you were not guilty?

I will admit, however, I will probably still groan sigh, "Oh crap" if that envelope comes in my mail again. That is human nature, and of being human, I am guilty as charged.