Tuesday, 13 May 2008 09:32 pm
(no subject)
Had my first jury duty today. Within a half hour after my 10:30 arrival, my number was called. I was among about two dozen people who attended the voir dire, but not among the seven chosen for the jury. I didn't realize they had seven-person juries, but I suppose it makes sense for a minor, two-witness case that the judge predicted would be very brief. The case was about how much someone owed for damages in a car accident more than two years ago. I'm a little surprised they took so long.
You may think that because my number was not called again, I wish I hadn't had to stick around. But I was okay with the arrangement. I got a change of scene. The obligations still started later and ended earlier than on a normal workday. We were told to expect to stay until 5, but we were dismissed at 3. The cafeteria/bakery was pretty good. I brought entertainment, and so did the remarkably cheery juror lounge supervisor -- in the form of closed-captioned movies on enough TVs for everyone to see. (Too bad the lighting made things a tad difficult.)
The morning movie was One Fine Day. It's not bad, but I remembered it too well even after all these years, and it doesn't lend itself to a second viewing. Interestingly, I started watching at the point when the woman loses track of the six-year-old girl in her care... and the next movie was Flight Plan, which centers on a woman losing track of the six-year-old girl in her care. That one was good enough that I and a few others stayed about ten minutes after dismissal. (Anyone interested in a more detailed but hopefully spoiler-free review, just let me know.)
You may think that because my number was not called again, I wish I hadn't had to stick around. But I was okay with the arrangement. I got a change of scene. The obligations still started later and ended earlier than on a normal workday. We were told to expect to stay until 5, but we were dismissed at 3. The cafeteria/bakery was pretty good. I brought entertainment, and so did the remarkably cheery juror lounge supervisor -- in the form of closed-captioned movies on enough TVs for everyone to see. (Too bad the lighting made things a tad difficult.)
The morning movie was One Fine Day. It's not bad, but I remembered it too well even after all these years, and it doesn't lend itself to a second viewing. Interestingly, I started watching at the point when the woman loses track of the six-year-old girl in her care... and the next movie was Flight Plan, which centers on a woman losing track of the six-year-old girl in her care. That one was good enough that I and a few others stayed about ten minutes after dismissal. (Anyone interested in a more detailed but hopefully spoiler-free review, just let me know.)