What bothered me about being summoned was NOT the fact that I was bored.
I was not bored.
The process, though tedious, was well-organized. Some fifty of us prospective jurors were assembled and instructed on how the process would go. After we were all signed in and the witnesses for the case were advised on what to expect (in a separate room from the prospective jurors), we were ushered into a different room for more directions and instructions. Then, through random selection, eight prospective jurors, at a time, were chosen to answer the same set of questions, juror by juror. I was in that first group of prospective jurors randomly chosen.
After listening to each of eight prospective jurors answer the list of questions, the attorneys on each side had to agree upon which jurors to use. The attorneys were able to agree upon six of the eight prospective jurors in the first group called up.
I was one of the chosen six.
The process of signing in to jury selection took a lengthy two and a half hours.
What bothered me was NOT the fact that spending three days listening to the trial was inconvenient.
I would be lying if I did not admit that taking two full days and half a third day did not cause a disruption to my already hectic daily schedule. I haven't mastered being two places at once. As a result of two and a half days devoted to being a juror, I am quite behind.
There were also some other matters that were of tremendous concern. Thanks be to God, several wonderful friends were available and helped in fulfilling and completing those matters.
I must admit that long hours of paying attention to all the words spoken, body language expressed, and laws presented had no small impact in my exhaustion and mood.
What Shocked Me Were Two Things
1. How nasty adult quarrels/fights are and how costly the fights end up being.
Perhaps I should not at all be shocked or surprised by this. But I was impacted deeply by this. As much as I tried to put the matters out of my mind whilst not in session and at home for the night, I felt nauseated and uneasy.
Everyone fights, children and adults alike. But, adult quarrels can be quite nasty and costly.
2. Some attorneys reinforce the (sometime erroneous) reputation attorneys have for twisting and manipulating the truth.
One attorney in the case could easily be diagnosed as histrionic, with his boisterous yelling, wild hand gesturing, and sometimes jumping up and down and slamming his hand on the podium.
In between and throughout the trial, the same aforementioned attorney was blatantly throwing out fallacies of all sorts - red herrings, ad hominems, appeals to pity, and all kinds of other fun stuff - as 'evidence' of how the opposing side was wrong and should suffer penalties.
I am thankful all the fellow jury members were sensible and focused on what both parties accepted as facts, the exhibits, the testimonies, and applicable law. We were able to come to unanimous decisions with ease (and careful attention to details).
***
When all was said and done and the verdict was recorded in court, all the jurors, men and women alike, were ready to disappear and blend into the crowd. We were all a bit fearful for our safety.
Now that the case is over, I am ready for my decadent coffee.
And I am ready to jump in puddles, muddy or not.
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