Jury Duty

Jury duty in the morning. I don't know why but I just don't look forward to it. There's too much pressure. I'd actually rather go to work. I've always been consumed with too many doubts to be a good juror. Everyone else is ready to convict while running through my mind is the thought, what if he really didn't do it? It's always been my experience in the past that it's one persons word against another's. Who do you believe? I always want some sort of undeniable video evidence before I'm convinced. The majority of others seem to require much less convincing. That's been my experience anyway. At times I wish it was more like most television episodes of Perry Mason, where you're following along with the proceedings, confused and unsure. Then suddenly, the least suspected person sitting in the back of the courtroom, jumps up and admits guilt. Everyone gasps ..... And then we all go home. Except for the guilty party that is.

Maybe I should inform the judge of all this in the morning. Maybe they'll excuse me from my civic duty for over-thinking things. Isn't the courtroom the place where they often quote the line, "Beyond a reasonable doubt"? Maybe I need the word, reasonable, defined more clearly? Maybe there's been a last minute plea bargain and settlement? Maybe I'll just go listen to that recording one more time .... to make sure I'm supposed to report.
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It never happened like this on Perry Mason. We all show up, go through the security scanner, report in with the jury coordinator who looks at my summons and says: "Number three huh, you're screwed." Glad he has my kind of humor. Fill out the questionnaire, receive some helpful tips and advice from the jury coordinator, (like please don't use stairwell C during down time or you'll be locked in there for infinity), watch the orientation film and by then, undergoing an attitude adjustment and feeling good about participating in my civic duty, commence to wait around while reading about Keith Richards guitar technique. The jury coordinator tells us that 18 jurors and alternates are going to be needed and that since there's 24 of us present, "six of you just got lucky." Eventually the judge comes in, who I recognize from seeing his photo in the paper about a thousand times during his days as District Attorney and informs us that everything's been settled and we are free for the day. You could actually feel the pressure in the room being lifted.

He explains that we all still have great value as often it takes the parties involved in the scheduled case, realizing that their day in court has arrived and that a potential jury is present in the same building before they get serious and settle the issues in question. That without we the jury, it all would have continued to drag out. I realize from my personal experience with a date in divorce court and that neither of us really wanted to go through a trial  or hearing and thus a last minute revised settlement and quick acceptance took place ..... I realize that the judge is indeed correct about the need for us jurors to show up and force things into motion.