My civic responsibility

At an ungodly hour of the morning on Monday, I'll be fulfilling my obligation to be thrown into a pool of potential jurors at the federal courthouse in this corner of Red Sox Nation. I'm wondering if I'll have to put my life on hold for a few weeks to decide whether a person is guilty or not guilty, or hope that working for a media outlet is a cause to be struck from the pool.

Sarah Silverman/Conan O'Brien jokes aside, what should I expect in jury selection? A lot of waiting around?

 

Let's just hope this guy's not on trial.

 

I used the "I work in media" as an excuse to get out of jury duty a few years ago. Most of judges will cut you loose.

Of course, if you don't serve then don't complain if the jury comes up with a verdict you don't understand.

 

more than likely you can expect a ton of waiting around before you get selected or sent home and then even after you're selected. bring a book or two or six. bring work if you can work anywhere. bring your laptop if you want -- the courthouse might have wireless but charge the battery because depending where you are there might not be an outlet.

 

Depending on your media outlet, using the "I'm with the paper" excuse doesn't always work. ME two newspapers ago told the judge and he was still chosen, named the foreman and had to do a verdict.

 

They once threw my ass out of there faster than if I had bubonic plague when I told the inquiring attorney was my occupation was. Fine by me. I'll go home and play video games for two days and say I was on jury duty.

 

I once worked for a paper for which the judge occasionally contributed an outdoors column. Still wasn't enough to get me out of jury duty. I tried to explain it and I got a "So?" from the woman behind the counter.

 

The capability for reason and logic is usually seen as a negative characteristic in a potential juror by most lwayers.
Bring a book and a couple of magazines.

 

My knowing police officers prompted the defense attorney to KO me real fast.

 

Last time I got called, it took two days, and I never even got questioned during the voir dire.

 

we had a thread like this a few years ago.

i posted that if you show up in a star trek uniform, you're off the hook.

someone posted a link to a story in which a guy in a star trek uniform was actually chosen for a jury.

so there goes that idea.

 

My being related to (many) police officers got me out of there just as fast. ;D