Jury Duty

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My name is on the telephone list of jurors who don’t have to appear this Monday at Connecticut Supreme Court. I know it’s my civic duty, but the thought of being at the courthouse from 8.15 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day for goodness knows how long filled me with horror. Now I’ve fulfilled my jury duty requirement for the next court year according to the automated phone message.

Anyone here served on a jury? Several years ago I had to appear, but I was not selected to serve. Thank goodness since the defendant was accused of murdering a woman.
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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.



I was initially selected for jury duty for the first time about 2 months ago, with the court sessions opening in about a weeks time from now. I had a valid excuse for getting out of it as I have university exams which conflict. I'd still find it interesting though despite the inconvenience.



We've gone on holiday by mistake
Yes when I was like 22, so 13 years ago. Got 2 cases then they let me go because I had a driving test.
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I served on one when I was 18 or 19. It was a very intriguing case. A couple, new homeowners, were suing the previous owners for not disclosing that the basement leaked. Fascinating stuff for a young punk. A couple things I remember: Not Guilty - unanimous with hardly any deliberating, one of my fellow jurors got kicked off the jury for doing some outside research (went to the property to get a lay of the land - big no-no) and the wife on the plaintiff side was a bit of a looker. To counter that the defendants also appeared daily and the defendant wife was also a bit of a looker so they cancelled each other out in my late teenage brain and I was left to decide the case on facts alone.



I was on a jury a little over 10 years ago. Even made a thread about the experience.
Yikes. This was my worst fear. Having to spend days yakking back & forth with a bunch of people I don’t want to be with. I even did a test run to see how fast I could walk to the nearest DNKN to get away from them at lunchtime.



A system of cells interlinked
I have only been called for jury duty once in my entire life. I had seen many colleagues and family receive the call, but had never found a letter in my mailbox. Alas, finally in 2013, there it was. And for US Federal Court, no less. I was to report to the City of Boston Federal Courthouse to fulfill my civic duty.

For anyone that has ever had the pleasure of driving in Boston, the Federal Courthouse is in a bad location when it comes to getting out of the city and heading West. Actually, there are no locations in Boston that are easy to get out of, but this one is especially bad. Of course, during the selection process, they end up releasing us each day after 4PM, when rush hour is already in full swing.

Each day, you ask? But what jury would require multiple days for selection?

When I arrived for the first day of selection, I parked in the nearest lot, which about 1200 miles for the courthouse, or at least it seemed like it, and a trudged over to the monolithic edifice that was the entrance to this particular hall of justice.

Hmmmm, FBI agents. Dogs. People with automatic weapons. I checked in with my summons, turned in my cell phone, and headed to the giant hall where the rest of the potential jurors waited. There had to be almost 1,000 people there. Turns out to be a bit over 800 when the official count was announced a bit later. We all sat and waited, until it was announced that we would now be introduced to the judge, attorneys, and the defendant.

After a short while, a bunch of people in very expensive, crisp suits paraded in, along with a man in an orange jumper, who was bound in shackles. He was introduced and one Mr. James Bulger. You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

What followed was a tedious few days. I will sum it up by saying that I made it down to a pool of about 60-70 people on the final day of selection, and even made it as far as being brought into the courtroom itself as the one on one interviews proceeded along. I did not get called in to meet with the attorneys. When there were perhaps 25 or us left in the courtroom, all of which we beginning to get quite nervous, thinking we had a chance of ending up on this jury, we were finally told that they had finished selecting their jury, and we could go.

Whew!

I think it took me over 2.5 hours to get home (30 miles away), but I was quite relieved as I lurched and puttered along in traffic.
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⬆️ Great story.

When I 1st read the blurb from the CT court I thought it said we get $50 per day for sitting on a jury. Not bad I thought. If the case lasts a week, at the end I’ll have $250 more than I started with. Wrong. When I re-read it one doesn’t get $50 until the start of the 6th day. Cheapskates.



they end up releasing us each day after 4PM
I think I said in my OP that what I most dreaded was being there, according to the paperwork they sent, every day from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. What a torture.



Turns out I couldn’t have served on a jury because I’ve been in bed for 5 days with flu-like symptoms.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
I like it lesser than his masterpieces Son in Law and Bio-Dome.
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That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
^thankyou
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Box-Fanned & Consoled Nobility
As for me boys and girls I shall save my jury duty stories for another day and another dollar....
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