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Today, I was called up for jury duty. My first call in 4 years. I left the house a bit late, little worried due to my misconception that if you are late, they’ll put you on the jury. I pulled into the parking structure well past 9:00am. Of course, there was a line of cars.

I parked the car and hurriedly walked to the courthouse only to see a big sign up front saying to enter in the back of the building. I walked around the corner and saw about 200 people in line trying to get into the courthouse. I knew right away that most of the people in line were prospective jurors like myself. Sigh of relief!

I went through security check. The sign says, “No blades, no knives or any sharp object allowed.” I saw one guy toss his pocket blade outside. I went through the security area without any hitches. I went upstairs and into the jury assembly room where 150 people were already in the room watching a video of the jury selection process.

There were no seats available, then I heard on the PA there were additional seats upstairs. I went up the stairs and the room was about half full. I found an empty sofa all to myself. I sat down and fell asleep. I woke up when I heard a snore.

A couple of people were chuckling. I looked at one guy and I asked, “Was it me?” He pointed towards the back of the room. I’m glad it wasn’t me. Then, an announcement. The lady called up 60 people to proceed to room 520. Unluckily for me, my name was called. I went to room 520.

I sat down. After what seemed like 15 minutes or so, the judge came out. I knew it was a civil case right away because I saw a book on the table with the word “CIVIL CASE” from one of the attorneys. I heard the details of the case. It’s about one person claiming damages, pain and suffering as a result of a car accident against another.

Finally, 18 people were called up to sit in the jury seats. I’m glad I was not called. The judge interviewed each potential juror one by one about their background, experiences and beliefs, mostly questions relevant to the case. We took a break at 12:00 noon.

I went to a cafeteria across the street. I ordered a salad. You’ll never guess who sat down in front of me on the same table. The defendant’s attorney. Cute. What seemed like minutes, I could no longer stand the silence on the table, so I finally said something stupid like, “I’m not allowed to talk to you at all, right?”

I’m just trying to confirm what I already know. Duh! She replied, “Oh, you were in the court room?” I answered, “Yes, I’m a potential juror.” She said, “No!” I finally said, “Just pretend I’m not here!” After about 10 minutes, I finished my meal and got up. The attorney apologetically said, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to be rude.” I quickly replied, “No worries, I totally understand.”

I don’t know if that quick conversation disqualified me to be a juror, but I was never called after the recess. Out of the original 18 potential jurors, 3 were excused by the judge and 5 were thrown out by both attorneys with no explanations required. Each time a prospective juror was thrown out, I squirmed a little knowing my name maybe called up next. Finally, 12 jurors were selected. What a sigh of relief!

$15 a day. That’s how much they pay you to be a juror. If you take out $2.50 parking, it comes down to $12.50. My lunch was $7.00, then we are talking about $5.50 a day. What about gas? They’ll pay you $0.34 cents per mile one way. That’s ONE WAY! I guess they don’t pay you to come home.

By the way, no prospective juror was paid on the first day since the trial hasn’t started yet. Only the 12 jurors selected will be paid starting tomorrow. Yipee! Well, that’s my day in court. I’m glad it’s only one day!