Mine was the third name to be called. It was day one at the New York City Federal Court House and the time read 3:54pm. Most of us thought that we were in the clear. Only four more minutes until we were dismissed for the day and then Court Officer Robb approached the microphone. So we have a case. Listen for your name and proceed to the hallway for further instructions. I had a feeling my name was coming. Sure enough. I collected my belongings and climbed over my spared neighbors, hitting them with my large carry-on. This was my first time at Jury Duty and I wanted to be prepared with all of the necessities, just in case I was called in for trial and locked in the jury room for deliberations all night. I mean, not likely but I have seen one to many episodes of Law and Order: SVU. I needed to be ready. So here is what I packed: Laptop, Vanity Fair, work folders, bottled water, Purel, reading glasses, Advil, sunglasses, umbrella, unopened mail, opened mail, a New York Times, the elastic band that the physical therapist gave me for stretching, some almonds, Kleenex, gum, a large coffee cup and my makeup case which I planned to use on my way to to the court house but couldn't because of how weighed down I was from everything else. Putting mascara on while in a crowded Subway is not recommended by the Surgeon General. We followed Court Officer Robb down ten flights to the next waiting chamber where we sat for another hour until we were told to return the following day at 9:30am sharp. Room 538. Don't be late.
Day two. I walked into 538 at 9:48am. I am so very sorry Officer. The Subway was slow and I got caught in the rain and had to buy an umbrella and then the line at Starbucks took forever...She told me not to worry and to hold tight. I looked around at my fellow chosen 25 as we sat there waiting. We were ushered in to the Court Room at 10:34am. Glad I was running on Court time. All please rise...I was asked my name, my birthplace, my employer, my favorite food, my waist size, where I buy my clothes. Ok, maybe not the last three but they sure threw in some random questions. I made a joke at one point during my questioning, hoping to get a chuckle from the judge when he asked me about what kind of recruiting I did. I hunt heads, your Honor. He quickly moved on to Juror #17. Reminder to self, next jury duty - no jokes. Follow up questions came around. I thought for sure that the Prosecutor was going to be interested in my heroic version of when my family was robbed. But after asking Juror #3 about his extensive time in the military and Juror #19 about her medical malpractice suit and Juror #7 about her disgruntled roommate, I realized that I was so not interesting. I don't have a chance at being picked. I had worn a skirt, heels, blazer, my glasses, pearl studs, all the while lugging around my L.L.Bean tote bag (AKA, the Mary Poppins bag of tricks). Someone told me that that they didn't pick the preppy types. After a few hours of being escorted in and out, rising and sitting, I must have succeeded. Phew, I passed the test without perjuring myself. I was thanked for my service, given a lollipop and told to expect a $40 check in 6-8 weeks. Not everyone is paid. It's kind of a lottery system. But you won't get summoned for another six years. Lottery system? I sure hope that our legal system is a bit more efficient than that...the verdict is still out.
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