Greetings. Cookie has been hereby notified that he is to report to Baltimore City (County) Jury Duty in downtown Baltimore.
Ugh.
When you live in the city of Baltimore, which is both a city, and its own county, you get called to jury duty just about every other year. And they do it so fucked up here.
In Ohio, you get called for a two week period, Monday through Friday. You report each day at 8am. If you aren't called, you go to lunch at noon, return at one, and if you still aren't called, they send you home by 3PM. On your second week, if you aren't called by Thursday, you have done your civic duty, you get a get out of Jury Duty for three year certificate and your life
You serve for one day in the pool. If you are not chosen for a jury, you can get called again next year. In other words they can call you every freaking year and disrupt your life.
UPDATE
Looks like I dodged a bullet. My number was not called. So I can still receive ANOTHER summons this year. UGH.
Maybe it will be after Labor Day and I can freak the defendant out by wearing white shoes after the holiday. "Fashion has changed." You know...
I served on juries while living in Sacramento, San Francisco and Miami, but the greatest of all was jury duty here in Camden, South Carolina last year.
ReplyDeleteAbout eighty of us in the room, and as each person stood, and the players--lawyers and defendant--were introduced. One by one, people would acknowledge that they knew the lawyer, the defendant, one of the witnesses.
That's the easiest way to get out of it, and in a small town, it's darn near impossible NOT to know somebody involved in the trial!
In Columbus it was so easy. "Do you know any attorneys?" "Yes, my father, my half brother, my childhood friend, who I worked once..." was always met with a CHALLENGE. I do think that it is a public duty, and had I been called, I would have gone with a smile. Its not the being on the jury that sucks, its the waiting, and not knowing, and being called for the voir dire that sucks.
Delete"Oh, Baltimore
ReplyDeleteAin't it hard just to live?"
Jx
Sister, let me tell ya...
Deletein all my 10,000 years on this planet,
ReplyDeletei've never ever been summoned for jury duty.
If you are registered to vote, watch that mailbox sweetie because you just alerted the Jury Pool gods to your status.
DeleteI had jury duty yesterday. One day only in Broward County Florida. When asked by the judge if I was married. I said "marriage is not legal for me in Florida, YET." I said it proud and clear! But am hurt I wasn't selected to be on the jury. A marahooch case. I love the smell of pot.
ReplyDeleteI was asked if I was married once in jury selection and I said "No, but my boyfriend and I live with each other." "So," says the attorney, "you live with a roomate." "No, my boyfriend and I live together." CHALLENGE
Delete