December 9, 2016
Dear Everyone:
I received a summons for
Jury Duty last month, directing me to appear
in one of a variety courthouses in
Martinez last Tuesday no later than
8:30 AM. Martinez is the
county seat for
Contra Costa, so it does a lot of court business.
It is also the location of the
public library that “Jeannie” and
I go to about every other Saturday for our Needle Arts group.
So I already knew how to find Martinez and I knew that finding a parking
space during the week was something of an
Olympic Event.
There is a
handicapped parking space right outside the library,
which is across the street and down half a block from the courthouse
where prospective jurors are required to assemble.
And I discovered that the library doesn’t open until around noon
on weekdays; so I figured that was one possibility.
But I went ahead and did some research and discovered that the parking
lot directly behind the courthouse where the Jury Assembly Room is
located is now designated for “Juror Parking”, although there are no
signs to indicate this. It’s
one of those things you “just know”, like just knowing that the doors to
the courthouse don’t open until 8:00 AM.
I also knew, from previous experience, that checking in takes a great
deal of time. The last time
I was called, the line to check in was, literally, twice the length of
the room. So I planned to
get there early, get checked in, then find a place to sit and read my
Kindle until they started calling names.
When I arrived and got through security (having placed all the Criminal
Elements from my purse in the trunk of my car), I was pleasantly
surprised to find that they had significantly streamlined the check-in
process. Each prospective
juror had a summons that included a
barcode.
They had four
readers stationed where you could hold the barcode
in place, confirm that the information was correct and that was it.
Four people processed in less than half the time it used to take
to do one.
Eventually, they started calling names, mine included.
That’s when I realized that everyone in the Jury Assembly Room
was now part of a single
Jury Pool, up on the third floor.
(On the Plus Side, our prospective trial was taking place in the
same building, so we didn’t have to trek across town to another
courthouse.) While waiting
through the bailiff’s roll call, I discovered another prospective juror
was “Darlene” who used to be in my work group.
So we did a little catching up while waiting outside the actual
court room. Once in the
room, of course, there was no talking, except for the Judge and
Attorneys.
The rest of the day went to
voir
dire, a French expression meaning, “asking the same questions of
eighteen people over and over until everyone falls asleep”.
Eventually the Judge let us all out for lunch.
Again, “local knowledge” paid off.
“Jeannie” had pointed out to me a small restaurant two blocks
from the courthouse where breakfast and lunch were served for a
reasonable price by staff who clearly understood the need to be back in
court on time.
In fact, “Jeannie” eats there so often that they already know her order:
Bacon, lettuce and tomato half-sandwich and a cup of soup.
It’s like my favorite Chinese restaurant in
Dublin where they
know me by name. They think
my name is “Adrienne” or possibly “Audrey”; but they know me to the
point that the busboy brings a glass of
Diet Coke even before the server
takes my choice for lunch.
In the afternoon, more people rattled off answers to the same questions,
printed on a laminated sheet, while the rest of us struggled to stay
awake. By about 4:20, the
judge instructed everyone to go home and return “promptly” at 10:00 AM
the next day. On the Plus
Side: No need to get there
early. On the Delta Side:
Waiting until 9:30 to find a parking space is like studying the
wrong chapter for tomorrow’s test.
So I arrived early again, parked in the same space as the day before,
and sauntered on down the street to the little restaurant.
I had a leisurely breakfast.
The library wasn’t open, but through our Needle Arts group, I
knew that there was a
Senior Center just around the corner from the
restaurant.
Technically, I wasn’t a “Member”, but as soon as I dropped “Marni’s”
name, I was welcomed with open arms and allowed to sit comfortably in
the “library” until it was time to report to the court room.
One of the problems with the courthouse is a lack of jury rooms.
So instead, all of the jurors are kept standing out in the
hallway where there are only a few hard wooden benches.
I’ve actually seen people sitting on the floor, something I know
better than to try at my age.
The bailiff took roll call again.
A few people failed to answer, including one person who “Darlene”
assured the bailiff was “coming, but got stopped at security”.
Evidently he had brought his lunch, including a small knife.
“Everyone knows” that you can’t bring a knife into a courthouse
these days; so he had to lope back to his car, which was parked at the
marina, and then return. He
also didn’t “just know” that he couldn’t find a parking space next to
the courthouse at a quarter to 10:00.
Another person assumed that when the judge told us to return the
next day it didn’t apply to her.
Big mistake.
Less than half an hour later, they had convened a jury, plus one
alternate, including “Darlene”.
My name was never called.
Nevertheless, I have fulfilled my civic duty, which is both a
“privilege and an honor” for at least one year.
And I had the rest of the week to work on my Christmas Project.
Love, as always,
Pete
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