Well, that was painless.
Jan. 16th, 2003 09:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
camwynI had jury duty yesterday. Morris County has called me three times to jury duty, and this was the first time I was able to go (the other two times happened while I was in college, and it's tough to get to court in New Jersey when you're attending classes in Ohio). I know a lot of people don't like the idea, but you're talking to someone who sees nothing wrong with a twelve-hour train ride to Canada so long as she has enough books and a supply of her own food. I sent the jury summons back with my name and profession on it and showed up at the county courthouse yesterday with three books.
I was a bit early and parked in a public garage for which I would have to pay, because I had lost the little stub with the phone number on it that I was supposed to call to make sure it was really my turn. It happened when I got there that they had only wanted up through juror number 207 and I was juror number 296, but the jury manager said I could still serve if I wanted to instead of just going back into the general pool. I said sure; I was already there, I had my books, and I didn't want to go into the office. Besides, despite everything I've seen of gov't behavior in the last three years, I still harbored a small spark of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-itis and felt very strongly that jury duty was of tremendous civic importance. Even if it was just sitting around while two morons sued each other for moron things, at least I'd be there and doing my part. (A similar attitude informs my blood donation; sure, my blood might be going into someone who'd gotten themselves into a horrible health situation who'd die immediately after the operation, but at least the blood was there.)
I got my little juror badge and sat down to read, starting with my copy of 1421: The Year China Discovered The World, by Gavin Menzies. Fascinating book, although I'd feel more comfortable about some of his conclusions if the authorities were more in agreemend over the Vinland map. (No, it's not out in the States yet. Amazon's British affiliate doesn't particularly care where the books get shipped to as long as you pay.) I had to put the book aside for a bit for our orientation video, "You, The Juror". I get the feeling I probably ought to have started with a different book, because it's a bit hard to get excited over being 'the cornerstone of our justice system for over 200 years!' when you're reading a history of a nation something like twenty times older, but I watched anyway. It went through all the procedures and possibilities so that we'd know what would be expected of us, and informed us that 'despite what you may have seen in the movies, it is not the juror's job to investigate or visit the crime scene'. That made me smile. Eventually the video ended and the jury manager told us the three judges were meeting with the various lawyers to see if cases couldn't be settled before getting the jurors into the courtroom, and then the day began.
I finished 1421 around about lunchtime. When they released us to go eat, I phoned up![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
condotierre and asked her if I'd get in a whole lot of trouble for desecrating graves in China - since the answer was yes, I scratched 'hunt down tombs of Ming ministers who canceled all future exploration and jump up and down on sacred areas whilst wearing cleats' off the list of Things To Do When I Visit China. Ah well. After lunch I went back and ran quickly through two trashy magazines, then read Jespersen's book (the one I got from the used bookstore) and started on a third. At three-thirty the jury manager came in and said all the cases had been settled out of court, and we could go home.
I had no problem with this. I'd been there in case I was neeeded. I wasn't needed. Sure, I didn't get much pay - the pay for a New Jersey juror has been $5 since 1927, per day - but so what? I did what an American is supposed to do, even if it was only a small thing. And I got my books read, which is always good. I liked it. Doesn't mean next time I won't try to bring some kind of DVD player so I can watch Iron Monkey like one of the wiser juror candidates, but hey - it was still cool.
I was a bit early and parked in a public garage for which I would have to pay, because I had lost the little stub with the phone number on it that I was supposed to call to make sure it was really my turn. It happened when I got there that they had only wanted up through juror number 207 and I was juror number 296, but the jury manager said I could still serve if I wanted to instead of just going back into the general pool. I said sure; I was already there, I had my books, and I didn't want to go into the office. Besides, despite everything I've seen of gov't behavior in the last three years, I still harbored a small spark of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-itis and felt very strongly that jury duty was of tremendous civic importance. Even if it was just sitting around while two morons sued each other for moron things, at least I'd be there and doing my part. (A similar attitude informs my blood donation; sure, my blood might be going into someone who'd gotten themselves into a horrible health situation who'd die immediately after the operation, but at least the blood was there.)
I got my little juror badge and sat down to read, starting with my copy of 1421: The Year China Discovered The World, by Gavin Menzies. Fascinating book, although I'd feel more comfortable about some of his conclusions if the authorities were more in agreemend over the Vinland map. (No, it's not out in the States yet. Amazon's British affiliate doesn't particularly care where the books get shipped to as long as you pay.) I had to put the book aside for a bit for our orientation video, "You, The Juror". I get the feeling I probably ought to have started with a different book, because it's a bit hard to get excited over being 'the cornerstone of our justice system for over 200 years!' when you're reading a history of a nation something like twenty times older, but I watched anyway. It went through all the procedures and possibilities so that we'd know what would be expected of us, and informed us that 'despite what you may have seen in the movies, it is not the juror's job to investigate or visit the crime scene'. That made me smile. Eventually the video ended and the jury manager told us the three judges were meeting with the various lawyers to see if cases couldn't be settled before getting the jurors into the courtroom, and then the day began.
I finished 1421 around about lunchtime. When they released us to go eat, I phoned up
condotierre and asked her if I'd get in a whole lot of trouble for desecrating graves in China - since the answer was yes, I scratched 'hunt down tombs of Ming ministers who canceled all future exploration and jump up and down on sacred areas whilst wearing cleats' off the list of Things To Do When I Visit China. Ah well. After lunch I went back and ran quickly through two trashy magazines, then read Jespersen's book (the one I got from the used bookstore) and started on a third. At three-thirty the jury manager came in and said all the cases had been settled out of court, and we could go home.I had no problem with this. I'd been there in case I was neeeded. I wasn't needed. Sure, I didn't get much pay - the pay for a New Jersey juror has been $5 since 1927, per day - but so what? I did what an American is supposed to do, even if it was only a small thing. And I got my books read, which is always good. I liked it. Doesn't mean next time I won't try to bring some kind of DVD player so I can watch Iron Monkey like one of the wiser juror candidates, but hey - it was still cool.
