10:47 p.m. | 2004-10-20 I Got Kicked To The Curb. I was really excited about performing my civic duty as a member of a jury. The excitement built as I was promptly selected from the jury assembly room and assigned to a particular case. Then, get this, I was immediately selected to be in the special group of the first 18 potential jurors. I didn�t get a seat in the jury box, but I was in the row in front of the jury box. Color me happy. This is the first time I�ve even come close to a courtroom and I managed to be in the first 18 out of, um, maybe 60 people. (I�m a bad guesstimater of such things.) Let�s just say, there were a lot of people who weren�t in the first 18. Okay, I have to admit that I was questioned a lot. And, rightfully so. I knew that they�d consider my law degree and my occupation, but I didn�t know that they�d ask me about crimes committed against me or my loved ones or about those that I know and love being arrested for offenses they committed against other people. Yeah, not enough space on the form for all that. Just so you know, that includes things like DUIs � driving while under the influence of anything. I�ve not had a DUI arrest but many, many people I know and love have been arrested. That actually was probably the least of what I listed. I suddenly realized that there�s been a lot of crime in my life. That�s interesting. I don�t think that�s unusual for someone my age, but they probably thought I was younger than I actually am. In addition, I think when the �victim� list is as long as the �offender� list, one cancels the other. It�s a game called Life. At least to me. Yeah, not so much to the judge and attorneys. The attorneys on the case, I mean, not the two on the potential jury. I�m excluding myself since I�m not an attorney. But, I do have a law degree so most people � apparently including officers of the court � put myself and attorneys in the same class. Here�s some of all that. (Judge:) Does anyone, beside the attorneys (they knew each other, so they were questioned earlier) have any training or particular knowledge in or of the law. For example, is anyone a paralegal or something like that or is close to anyone like that. (I had to raise my hand.) Yes, CI? (CI:) Yes. I have a JD from ThisSchool. (Judge:) Let�s talk about your work. What do you do at work? (CI:) I�m an analyst. (Judge:) What do you analyze? (CI:) Stuff. (I�m paraphrasing.) (Judge:) For who? (CI:) Um, for HeadHoncho. (That�s not NewBoss; that�s the BigBoss because that�s the truest answer.) (Judge:) Oh. Good for you. (Translation: A pat on the back; or You Go Girl. Whichever you prefer.) The Stuff you analyze, what is it about? (CI:) Um, ThisAndThat. (Judge:) So you know all about this that and the other thing? (CI:) Yes. (Judge:) I see here that you work at NewWorkPlace and you worked at OldWorkPlace. Does NewWorkPlace even exist anymore? (CI:) Yes. NewWorkPlace exists. However, OldWorkPlace was abolished. (Judge:) Oh, I had it backwards. It went on and on. The questioning. The chance of me serving on the jury got slimmer and slimmer along the way. Yet, I was still optimistic because I think I can be a fair and impartial jury member. The law degree? A huge strike against me. My job? Twenty strikes against me. I tried to be as down low as possible, but it wasn�t happening. I was also questioned by both attorneys. Not a good sign. A worse sign? This: (Attorney:) I don�t know who this question applies to outside of Ms. CI, but (blah, blah blah). Yeah, not good. I got dismissed without cause. That means they felt I could be a competent juror but they dismissed me for other reasons. It�s the secret dismissal � they don�t have to say why they dismissed you. Usually, it�s due to some perceived inherent bias. Which, for the record, I don�t have. Personally. My job suggests otherwise and my law degree will always stand in the way of my civic duty to be a jury member. Yes, the two attorneys were also dismissed. I was disappointed. The jury duty pamphlet indicates that you shouldn�t take that type of dismissal personally and the judge reiterated that fact. However, I did. A little. So many people don�t want to serve and I do. I�ll probably always be excluded though. Alas, I�m an outcast. Not a peer. You should all cry a little for me. I took my dismissal like a champ though. Or, a normal person. I mean, I gathered my things and left immediately. Like they do on reality shows. I hid my pain. I took comfort in the fact that the judge seemed to understand that I really wanted to serve on the jury, as futile as that goal was. Here�s my reality show after-interview: (CI:) (Walking out the courthouse) I (sniffle) really, really wanted to be on (sniffle; reflex wipe) this jury. I CAN be IMPARTIAL and FAIR. (Dissolving into tears.) I can, DAMMIT! I can. (Looking away and hiding my face to cry.) This is SOOO WRONG. So wrong. It�s just not fair. Here�s an odd detail. I can remember the defendant�s name because it�s a name shared by, well probably many folks, but two came immediately to my mind. One is that of a long deceased cult leader and the other is that of a high school classmate that committed suicide in his late twenties. See, that alone probably could�ve gotten me kicked off because I�m pretty sure I flinched the few times that they actually said his first and last names together. I definitely flinched when the court clerk shouted it down the hallway and the defendant himself flinched. Overall though, as much as I wanted to serve, it was probably for my own good that I was dismissed. It�s gonna be a complicated trial and probably very difficult deliberations. Maybe, in the future, I�ll be summoned for a different kind of case. One that I can actually serve on. Once again, I have to rely on Hope. Truly and Shirley. your thoughts? seed flower