Thursday, July 3, 2008

JURY DUTY

Yesterday, I was summoned to the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg to perform my civic duty of being a potential Juror. I arrived at 8:30 a.m. found a seat, then waited. They call this the "hurry-up, slow-down" process. You race to get there on time, then wait for as long as it takes. The process is actually kind of interesting, they make you aware of everything from what will be expected of you to how your day will play out should you be picked or not. But then, you wait... and wait... and wait.

Naturally, I was happy to see that a number of people had brought books to read. For my own part, I was excited to have the chance to up my Summer Reading Club minutes! I took two books with me in case I needed a little variety in my wait, Open Season by C.J. Box and Small Favors by Jim Butcher. Maybe I should have been reading Runaway Jury by Grisham.

While it might have been interesting to actually serve on a Jury (especially being an avid mystery reader), I have to confess feeling slightly relieved when they dismissed us (they settled). The whole idea of making a decision that will effect other people's lives is frankly a little intimidating; regardless of whether the case is civil or criminal.

I'd like to thank the ladies who work in the Jury Commissioner's Office. They should be commended for trying to make us as comfortable as possible, and doing so with smiles and good humor.

1 comment:

D said...

That's the one thing that's nice about being called, getting more reading time.