Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
The Sandwich I Would’ve Made Had I Been Called to Jury Duty
My jury duty consisted of making four phone calls. After the fourth call, the message thanked me for my service and said they wouldn’t ask me again for four years. By then, I will be in the netherworld of age. Or so I think now. When I get there, when I get that next jury summons, I’ll think, ‘Hey! 81 is the new 75!”
I was designated a reserve juror. I took this to be something like the second string for jurors. The way it works was I had to call the night before to see if I was needed the next morning, and if not, then call again at noon, and so on until the two days of service were up.
In my mind, I already had my sandwich made (they told us to bring a lunch) and a slim book picked out, one that would fit in the little canvas knapsack that I used to use when we canoed and now I use as a purse. I bought a new box of Altoids, the super intense mints, because they keep me awake and also make me not thirsty. I laid awake wondering what to wear.
I wasn’t obsessing about being on a jury. Just planning ahead.
Some of the people with names starting with letters before mine were told to go to Children’s Court and even though the parking would be way better, I prayed not to be sent there. I’ve been to Children’s Court many times. The whole place is heartbreak, just in different sizes and flavors.
The other assignment was adult court downtown in the Courthouse, the same place where a Milwaukee County judge was arrested in April for showing an undocumented immigrant the door to leave her courtroom. ICE, which was waiting in the hallway, promptly tailed him and arrested him outside. Both places seemed shrouded in unhappiness. Who is ever happy in court?
Everyone with last names starting N as in Nancy to Z (I’m quoting directly) was released from service today at noon. They never even got close to the W’s. I wonder if tomorrow they’ll start at Z and go backwards. That would seem fair. I will never know.
I could’ve made a heck of a sandwich.
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Photo by Matthew Moloney on Unsplash
4 Comments on “The Sandwich I Would’ve Made Had I Been Called to Jury Duty”
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Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
it’s kind of a roll of the dice –
Congrats. My only stint at jury duty totally disillusioned me about the whole judicial process.
I was also a reserve juror in the last part of the alphabet. I usually want to be a juror, but had other things to do this time. I did nothing to prepare, and just went online to check to see if I had to show up. Sunday, yesterday, and today at noon. And celebrated when I didn’t have to go, because I knew I would never get past voir dire and it would be a waste of time. I would have brought a protein drink and a bottle of water. My phone and a charger. Probably would have dressed like I did when friends and I walked an undocumented immigrant into and out of one of the courtroom’s at the county courthouse. I didn’t get to see what happened in the courtroom. I was waiting in the hall to see if ICE showed up. And when they didn’t, and she left the courtroom, we walked her to her ride, who was waiting in a car in the parking lot. At least I know where to park….
You’re a hero to me for the escort work. That’s a big deal.