I was not selected for a trial, and they dismissed the remaining jurors this afternoon. I am now $15.80 richer, thanks to the state feeling like they have to pay me, so this doesn’t get misconstrued as slavery, or something like that. The good thing is, it wasn’t a lost day, since they had WiFi in the jury lounge and I was able to VPN into work while I waited for them to tell me they didn’t need me.
I think I can now safely say I have a good luck streak going with jury duty. First time I got called I was in college, and it was the feds calling. They kept deferring me until they finally got me after I graduated. It was two days or one trial. Narrowly missed being selected for one panel the judge said would probably take four days or more. Didn’t get selected in another, and was sent home after just one day. Second time I was called it was Delaware County, and I had just moved to Chester County two weeks ago. Easy out. This time I don’t even end up getting considered, and am sent home after a few hours.
I figure next time my luck will run out, and I’ll get stuck on some complex civil trial for weeks. But for at least the next three years, I don’t have to worry about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania bothering me again.
UPDATE: For those wondering, I did not check a firearm with the Sheriff. By law all courthouses in PA are required to have checking facilities for people who carry firearms. Court houses are one of the few places off limits in PA. Some Courts have a reputation of not dealing with this well, and it would have been a good activist of me to go and check a firearm just so they have to run through the process every once in a while, and remain used to the idea. But I had to be in Doylestown at 8:30, which means I needed to leave at 7:30, there was snow on the ground, and I just didn’t want to deal with getting delayed if they Sheriff wasn’t used to handling it.
Man, you’re lucky to be able to bring ANY electronic devices into the jury pool. Last time I had the duty, the only thing you could bring was a (paper) cup of coffee or printed reading material. All else was Verboten! No carryalls or backpacks either. No metal or plastic coffee or cold drink mugs.
Picture a large classroom with wall to wall 50 year old wooden chairs filled with people. The A/C couldn’t keep up. Had to sign out for lunch (to know who didn’t return in 30 minutes.)
I didn’t have to walk 30 blocks uphill both ways to get there but it surely seemed like it.
NJ county court may not pay well ($5/day for the first 4 days or something like that); but the only places electronics are banned is the courtroom itself (didn’t stop one juror from checking his crackberry in the middle of testimony – I would have applauded the judge for contempting his ass) and the jury room during deliberations. Free WiFi in the jury lounge.
I’m 2 for 2 in being empaneled when called up; though the first time I was unemployed, and the second time my employer will just pay me without even needing to get my $5 check signed over.
Interestingly enough, one of the filtering questions last time was “where do you get your news?” I was NOT voir dired off for stating “the internet alone”. (And, more interestingly, just about the entire jury pool admitted to enoying CSI and L&O…) I find the whole voir dire process to be *fascinating*.
My wife was SURE she was going to be bounced from jury duty last year. I’m an ex-Fed. She’s former Three Letter Agency. And who ended up on the jury? My wife, a retired FBI agent, a retired MPD officer … and the judge dismissed the case ’cause the idiot assistant Commonwealth Atty. filed the wrong charges. That why we voted against the incumbent CA. See how useful jury duty can be?