Vol II: #84 Thanks Donna

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I knew I was in the clear when the facilitator started calling last names with the letter D. Her roster was in alphabetical order by last name and I sweated through the Cs. But, when she called for William Dibbs, that’s when I knew. I would not go into the hallway. I would not follow Cheri up the stairs to a court room. And, I would not serve on a jury, at least not today.

To be honest, if being a juror paid well, I’d demand to be on a jury. As in, I would beg them to let me stay. The justice system is fascinating and we citizens don’t take enough responsibility for our part in it. It’s an honor to be on a jury. It is one of the limited but direct opportunities we have to fight for the cause of justice- for victims or the wrongly accused. Aside from TV and movies, I have only been in a court room a few times: once on a middle school field trip and twice for adoption proceedings. I suppose that’s a good thing but I relish the moment when my name is called and I get to fulfill my obligation to my country.

The aforementioned facilitator- Donna- is well versed in the general apathy toward jury duty, and she did her best to crack jokes and relate to the general sense of dread in the jury assembly room. I thanked her on my way out for her upbeat attitude. Only after my exit did I consider offering to replace someone who did not want to be a juror. I admit when I got my summons I researched the compensation for jury duty and it sucks- $15 per day plus .34 cents a mile, one way. For me, that’s a grand total of $16.03. And, they don’t provide lunch. Now, if they paid $100 per day… “Hi, I’m Nik and I am a professional juror.” It was Donna who reminded me that jury duty matters. Someone’s life is at stake. Justice, one way or the other, is needed.

Thanks Donna.

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