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My brief service as a juror was definitely an interesting experience.
Well, okay, that's a complete and total lie. I sat there in a room all day, save the two hour lunch break, until I was finally sent home because they didn't need me. I sat through 4 or 5 lists of names being called, and each time I breathed a sigh of relief when they went past my name (the names are read in alphabetical order).
Still, being in that huge room with the "representative sample of the American population" allowed for some great people-watching. There were people you could tell were just itching to get out of there. There were people who were happy to be there because they wanted their $10 at the end of the day. There were people on laptops and cellphones who just couldn't cut the cord with the outside world. There were people passed-out asleep. There were people playing cards and checkers, and people watching TV. Most of all, there were people reading.
Probably the most entertaining part was when the two judges came in for the people who wanted to leave to give their excuses to. It was almost like watching a bunch of middle schoolers asking their parents for permission to go to that big party at Johnny Cool's house. The judges would first shake the person's hand, then listen intently as the person spewed forth whatever reason they made up for needing to not serve. Most people were granted permission, and they were waved over to the secretary's desk for their paperwork. A few, however, weren't. Seeing those disappointed and frustrated people wallow back to their seats was classic. Adding to the scene was one of the judge's interns, a college kid in a suit just kissing up as much as he could.
Oh well, at least my $10.50 for my hard day's work covered my lunch....barely...