Jury Duty
About seven weeks ago I was summoned for jury duty in Newton County and I was eager to serve. I have only served on an actual jury once, and that was in Florida. As a Jasper resident I had been summoned several times but never picked and often opted out of serving due to the nature of my job.
Covering the court beat and sometimes crime, more likely than not, I hear bits and pieces about many of the cases long before the trial and though I think I can be impartial as a juror of my peers perhaps in the moment hearing the details would trigger some hearsay flashback.
Nonetheless I was excited to get my summons and made plans to serve my civic duty. Having covered jury trials before I knew the maximum amount of time I might have to serve was three days unless it was a huge controversial case. Thus I notified Kathy that I planned to do my civic duty and to put my absence on the calendar.
Fast forward to February 4, 2019—-jury day. It was the day after the Super Bowl was played in Atlanta where I and my kids had partaken in several weekend downtown activities. So I set all the proper alarms necessary not to be tardy and incur the wrath of the court, in addition to making plans for my kids to be picked up on time from school.
I had coordinated a business casual outfit with comfy shoes in preparation for what could be a long day. It’s a good thing I did too because unlike some of my female counterparts in the jury pool I didn’t have to remove my fancy shoes for the metal detector. But to be fair I saw several men removing their shoes as well because their Stacy Adams and steel toe boots set off the detector.
As I made my way through the metal detector, manned by several sheriff employees, I saw a familiar face. It was Officer Major formerly of the Monticello Police Department. He smiled and greeted me with “they got you this time.” It didn’t sound encouraging as I thought about it.
Now it’s no secret that though many don’t mind serving on a jury they would rather not, particularly for the time involved and the pay for that time. But having not served in awhile, I didn’t care how long it took or how low the pay. I am a courtroom tv show junkie—a longtime fan of Law & Order: SVU and my new addiction to Bull where a trial scientist helps pick jurors for cases.
As I and some 198 others gathered in the jury holding room for instructions by the Clerk of Courts and eventually the judge there were several rumbling about how long the process might take. After about 30 minutes the clerk greeted us with some details about the day and organized us by order in which we will be called for questioning. She then took questions from us and I expected most of the questions to be about the process and how long it might take for questioning by the attorneys or if selected when the trial would begin.
However each and every question posed to the clerk was about pay—how much we would get paid, when we get paid and how we would get paid. I knew everyone was not all enamored with serving but a couple jurors seemed a little obsessed with their $25 a day (which I learned it is $20 in Jasper).
After our session with the clerk she instructed us to take bathroom breaks or partake in some of the complimentary coffee as we waited on the judge to appear. By that time we had been gathered for an hour or so as it was mid-morning and it took another hour for the judge to appear, so we got pretty cozy among ourselves. I had developed an eye infection in the days prior so I took the down time to rest my eyes.
I was seated as #42 which meant I would be called relatively early as compared to being # 187. With no phones allowed, some had remembered to bring reading materials while others settled for small talk and some like the guy sitting directly in front of me opted for a nap complete with snoring and head nodding—my guess is that his Super Bowl festivities had gotten the best of him. It was during this time that I began to hear some questioning why they had turned in their juror card or did not try to get out of serving.
At about 11 a.m. Judge James Benton appeared before us. He introduced himself, apologized for the wait and begin to explain the process before us. He told us that there were currently three criminal cases for which juries were being sought and at this point they were trying to streamline the process which would mean a bit more waiting for us before we were called back into groups for questioning.
Judge Benton, on first appearance, came off as a laid back, patient and wise individual. He entertained us with his court knowledge and even a bit of comedic relief. He thanked us for our willingness to serve and that showing up was worth so much more than the pay we would receive. After about 15 minutes with us he adjourned to the courtroom and we were left to sit and wait again.
To Be Continued
Next Week, Same Spot