You see, my jury duty was a whole lot of waiting. While I waited, I read. First, I waited in a big room in the above pictured building. We watched a video by the 60 Minutes people. Then we waited for the head juror to call out the reasons you could get out of jury duty (they were few).
This was actually my favorite part of the whole experience. The clerk said, "Another reason you can be excused is if you do not understand basic English. If you do not understand basic English, please step through the door to my right."
A whole slew of people got up and marched towards the door, immediately, without any confusion. Those of us still sitting started giggling. Obviously, the people headed for the door all understood what the man said! People will do anything to get out of jury duty. Later, Brian told me that a lack of English skills actually won't save you. Apparently they will just send you to a class and then you have to come back to serve.
After this comedy, I waited. Then I was moved to another building to wait in a different room. Then I was questioned for a jury and I was picked. Then we waited for the trial to begin. When it did, we spent a lot of time waiting in the jury room. The trial lasted 4 days and in that time I plowed my way through 3 or 4 books.
I wish I could tell you the fascinating tale of the trial but I simply do not possess the story telling power. Since the trial ended, I have tried to tell people what happened. However, no matter how I try, I cannot convey properly the complete circus that the trial was.
Here's is my basic summary: It was a landlord/tenant matter, the landlord wanted the defendant out of the building, there was no heat or hot water, there was a foreclosure on the building, there was a mysterious knife fight, the landlord's property manager was the defendant's uncle (family disputes are always yucky)... Add to this the fact that the attorneys duked it out ferociously, with the judge having to take them into chambers a few times. Also, the plaintiff landlord had several "That's not true!" outbursts during the trial. Basically, every time that we went into the jury room, we all started laughing at how terrible our situation was.
It was fun, interesting and very difficult. I had fun reading during the waiting but the actual decision we had to make was much more difficult than I thought. In law school, you are taught to apply the predetermined facts to the law. As a juror, the law is irrelevant. Your role is to determine the facts. Stepping into those shoes was difficult for me. I am happy it is over for the next 8 years!
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