It's... Law School

Last week I was waxing lyrical about wanting to sloooow down the pace here.


Yesterday, I was living the adage 'be careful what you wish for'.

I became aware of just how excruciatingly sloooow life can be.
LIfe as a prospective juror.
Especially a prospective juror looking down the barrel of a three week trial.


Last Monday I was privy to the delights of real live 'Play School' - with these fully grown men and women playing clown putting on a show for our benefit.

 

This Monday I was privy to the delights of real live 'Law School' - with a whole different set of fully grown men and women playing clown putting on a show for their own benefit, it seems.


Being summonsed to jury duty was a life long ambition of mine.
By 10am yesterday, it felt like a life long experience of mine too.

I have nosey parker tendencies and I do like the notion of contributing to our justice system.

Especially since they have tightened the rules so that my employer's letter and young child excuse didn't cut the mustard with the Sherrif's Office. Turn up or pay up appears to be their new motto. (Hence, the stream of prospective juror excuses poured out to the weary judge in the middle of the courtroom during selection instead of on paper before wasting everyybody's time).


I did enjoy gaining some insight into how (slowly) our judicial system operates in detail and full colour. I particularly enjoyed watching a selected juror backchat the judge while the rest of us looked at each other with incredulous, nervous amusement like school children. I also couldn't help but feel for the accused  - being ogled by a large bunch of strangers. Had I ended up on the alternative 'indecent dealing' case, this sympathy may not have been a factor though.

I did not enjoy the prospect of 21 long, sloooow days hearing 72 seperate, but almost identical, counts against the one accused.


Thankfully my extended Magoo duty trumped extended jury duty at the last turn and I was released to enjoy the delightfully slooow sushi train of Jaws - bliss, before coming home to pick up the pace again.

It's my hope that this voyeuristic near brush with the judicial system is the closest I ever come to gracing a courtroom again. (You hear that, Magoo?!)


Shar, your honour.
 :-)