Swimming in the jury pool

I have had jury duty for the past two days and although I hate getting up early and having to wear clothes that need to be ironed, I must say I am enjoying a good bit of it. Downtown Birmingham is happening place to be during the day and I have always wanted to see the legal system in action and get a better look at the Jefferson County Courthouse with the luxury of not being involved in a trial (knock on Formica).

Yesterday morning at 8:30 I was due in the jury summoning room which is a massive space the size of a basketball court with auditorium seating. There were hundreds of put out looking people there of all ages and colors. The attendants/clerks remind of the same folks at the DMV that love a bureaucratic runaround like a primate loves to scratch its ass. They didn't let me go because of school so there I sat all morning. I needed to be studying physiology anyway, especially since I will be missing lecture all week, so it was no time lost for me.

Our "briefing" as potential jurors included a judge telling us that we couldn't wear shorts. cut offs or sweat pants into the courtroom (bummer). I was selected as a potential juror after lunch, that wasn't provided, and was more than thrilled to not be selected for a civil case involving an insurance law suit. I asked a fellow candidate if it was considered contempt of court to fall asleep during pre-trial hearings. Time stood still, but I did enjoy getting to see the inside of the courtroom. The recently restored Jefferson County Courthouse is a beautiful example of art deco architecture down to every fixture and clock.

Today I went back and sat in the back room of the jury area that is more like a lounge with its vending machines, tables and television. This time I was sick of keeping to myself so I made some friends with my deck of cards and the team consisting of myself, "Smiley" with James as an alternate beat Walter and Artez soundly in spades in multiple rounds. We joked that it would be funny to get busted gambling in the courthouse, but no money came into play and that was a good thing considering I was accused of using a trick deck and hiding cards by my opposing team. Ironically the entertainment was heightened by the Judge Joe Brown show when the plaintiff pulled a promissary note out of her BRA! The jury lounge erupted in hoots and hollers, "Ooooh, that was GHET-TOW!" and one lady joked that she thought she would try that trick if she was picked to sit on a jury.

My name was called at 2:00 along with about 30 others. We were told to be back at the courthouse tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. for further jury consideration. This time its a criminal trial so I am more excited about the potential for drama. Yesterday jurors were selected from the pool I sat in for a high profile drug-related quadriple murder trial that the News covered in today's paper. We were discussing it in jury lounge during lunch break and a woman got up from the next table and said she couldn't listen to our conversation because she was a potential juror. Maybe I have watched too many John Grisham movies, but I love every bit of it. Since I am required by law to be there, I might as well enjoy what is there that can be filed under the entertainment category. I am sorry for the people whose real life situations are our potential judgments to make, but hey that's the legal system -- might as well soak it up and blog away about all the unclassified goods.