And Justice For All

In my gut, I knew the jig was up. The recorded message was definitive: the Lane County Circuit Court wanted numbers 1-300 to report for jury duty the next morning at 8:30 a.m. My number was 18.

Having received at least a half dozen notices from the court to call in over the last 30 years, I never had to actually show up for jury duty -- until now. I arrived at the Lane County Courthouse to find a line.

As I drew closer to the front, I could see the packed room of citizens waiting to hear their fate for the day. Would they be called upon to serve? Or would they be dismissed?

Arriving at the front of the line, I began to explain my case to the clerk. Her succinct reply was: “you’ll need to talk to the judge.” My fate had been sealed. I would finally have my day in court. The morning news droned on televisions scattered about the room.

The clerk played an orientation video and the key message was clear: a functioning legal system cannot provide “justice for all” without drawing jurors. Even those who may not be selected for a jury were important in that they provide a sufficient pool of applicants.

Afterwards, the clerk announced the first 40 candidates for a trial. As luck would have it, I again eluded selection. Ironically, Drew Carey, host of “The Price Is Right,” enthusiastically invited contestants to “come on down” on the ubiquitous televisions.

Later, the clerk listed the next 20 candidates. Not so lucky this time, they called my number. However, we had two hours for lunch and were told to come back at 1:30 p.m. Returning at the appointed time, we sat for another two hours before being dismissed.

My service was officially over. In a way, I was kind of disappointed because I had already spent most of my day at the courthouse. The good news? I knocked off about 200 pages in the book I’m reading.