All Things Jen has been summoned to County Jury Duty. I am quite excited! I did get a number for Federal court right around the time of the Lackawanna Six trial, but I did not need to report. This will be my first time reporting!!! However I suspect my ultra passive, quiet, unopinionated, uneducated self might not be the prime candidate for a jury. (Just guessing, I did not take Trial technique, but I assume I might not be the, uh, easiest to sway. On the other hand, I would take my civic duty very seriously, and I would insist on being foreman. Ahem. : ) But anyhow, the day should provide good fodder for my blog. PLUS, I think this is a great excuse to get out of my annoying Family Law seminar where we discuss, oh, nothing for 3 hours…alas. Will they need me for more than a day? And does my compensation of $40 count towards a working day for unemployment purposes? We will see…we will see.Alas. I get to the court house, all kinds of excited…ready to do my duty to my county, country and God…I mean some higher entity, maybe. I heard horror stories from my baby, but I was ready, ready for the blog if nothing else!

9:00
400 some odd potential jurors assemble. A nice room actually, perfect temperature no one smelly, comfy seats. The movie was not *quite* working but we had a mini lecture about “trusting the jury system.” Fine. Fill out payment form. Wait.

9:15
Buffalo News read. Jen looks around and finds herself in awe of the perfect cross-section on Erie County. Not scary at all in fact! FAITH IN THE SYSTEM! : ) Life is good. Even without coffee.

9:30
Jen gets out the First Amendment textbook and covertly starts highlighting…a random number of names are called over the loud speaker…”these people need to report to the desk” but no one moves. I assume they are the ones now held in contempt for not showing up! We wait. No TV, no radio…just people waiting.

9:50
“All the cases that were scheduled for this week have been settled. We do not need any of you to report today, or for the rest of the week. Your service is complete for the next 8 years. Thank you for coming. If you need a certificate for your employer please come up to the desk.”

Alas. My only chance. Foiled! I think I was the only one who felt bittersweet…oh well.