Great Minds Look Alike

Just one nugget from the paragraph long inspirational quote read to us by the chief justice of the Suffolk Superior Courthouse. 

Jury duty this morning was … interesting. I got up at 6, was on the T by 7:25 (after stealing a peanut butter sandwich and goldfish from the dining hall for lunch), and in the line for the metal detector by 7:50.  I got my assigned number (226) and was in my seat reading a book until one of the court officers turned on the video screens for the 300 or so jurors in the jury pool to watch. 

The district attorney came on screen, describing to us how vital our jury service was, and what a rewarding and fulfilling experience jury duty can be. “Joowy duty is one of the most impowwtant sewvices pwovided by citizens just wike you in aw of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” We’ve all heard people who have the speech impediment preventing them from properly pronouncing their R’s or L’s, but I doubt many have heard a woman with such an impediment reciting a speech so inexplicably R-and-L-filled as this one. 

“We awe vewwy wucky to have the Suffolk Supewiow Couwtwoom … ” to our disposal, in order that “juwwows can pwovide sewvice iwepwaceabwe to this countwy” that would certainly leave us feeling “weewawded and fuwfiwwed.”

After more information from the friendly pair of attorneys and judge at the bench concerning the Rule of Law, burden of proof, process of impanelment, challenge for cause and other peremptory challenges, the video mercifully ended, but not before a few more “inspiwing wowds” from our Fwiendwy Distwict Attowney. 

We were called by our numbers, starting at 1 and in groups of 15 or so. After some waiting my number was (finally) called, and we were sent up to the 13th floor where Judge so-and-so was presiding. After the court officer read some rules and announced the arrival of the judge (all rose), “God Save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts” and all were seated, the judge explained the case. Basically, one software company was suing another for not fulfilling obligations agreed to in a contract (which made me wonder if these companies even tried to settle in mediation). Then we were asked to verify that we didn’t know any of the attorneys or their firms or their witnesses. After some more questions discerning whether or not we would be effective jurors, it was time for side bar, or as I like to call it, “the gauntlet” of jury duty: individual questions determining finally whether or not you’d be a juror for the particular case. 

Right before it was time for me to go assert that I would not be able to stay for two weeks doing this because that was about all I had left of school, the judge abruptly called out, “Jurors 221, 226, and 238, you are excused at this time; please collect your belongings and return to the jury pool on the 2nd floor.” So no gauntlet for me. But she made sure to remind all of us before we were excused that just because we were not selected for this case did not mean we could not be selected for a different one shortly afterward. After all, there was a murder case to be heard. 

EXCUSE ME?!?!?! It’s what everyone dreams of when they go to jury duty. Something exciting. If I’m going to be missing work, let’s at least spice things up a bit, right? But alas, there wasn’t an icicle’s chance in hell I’d be selected for that one either, seeing as how it’d taken them over a week to select the jury and they weren’t expecting to finish the trial until the end of May, or mid-June if you’re running on Bostonian time. 

So I sat back in the jury pool for a few more hours until it was finally announced around 2:30 that there would be no more jurors selected for the day. We were free. 

In short, there was tons of waiting, lots of boring speeches, 20 minutes in a courtroom before I was sent right back to the waiting, and then sweet freedom. As it happens, sweet freedom delivered me right on the doorstep of my 3:30 International Finance class, so all was not lost. 

Hope you all had as thwiwwing a day as I did!

-Tanya