I never expected to get selected for jury duty. I packed my book and water bottle in anticipation of a boring day sitting in uncomfortable chairs. I had barely checked in when all the people surrounding me and I were directed to follow a bailiff to the 8th floor of the courthouse. I took it to mean I would be going through voir dire (questioning) for a case, then released early. See, my husband is a retired prosecutor, and my son is an attorney. Surely, they would expect me to be biased.

But lo and behold, this was a civil lawsuit that had made its way to trial. I recognized the judge, and she recognized my name, but that was it. After a full morning of 2 lawyers questioning 40 people about their opinions, beliefs, any potential biases, they picked 7 lucky individuals to serve. Just after noon, I found myself being sworn in to a jury panel for the first time. For an expected 3 -4-day trial. We all groaned a little when we heard that.

Now, I’m retired. The days were blocked on my calendar, just in case. I don’t have childcare issues. I’m lucky, as far as it goes for jurors. Others in the group faced all those challenges. The trial turned out to be shorter than expected. We mostly viewed the evidence presented in the same way, so our deliberations were relatively short.

But over the two full days we were together, we became a collegial bunch, with whom I was glad to spend my jury service. We shared a disrespect for those in the original 40 who said they just didn’t care about any of the process.

We all admitted that if we were on the other side of the table,

we would want good people willing to look at all evidence.

We also uncovered the random connections one often finds in Polk County. There was the young schoolteacher whose wife went to elementary through high school and played soccer with my daughter. And the nurse case manager who worked at my former place of employment (since my retirement). During breaks, we had interesting conversations about our professions, kids, tattoos, and more.

A few more observations from the experience:

  • When in an elevator crowded with prospective jurors, the Clerk of Courts has a good sense of humor. (I suspect she always does.)
  • Lawyers phrase questions in the negative too often. Even their own witnesses must think twice about the correct way to answer. Ex:
    • Is it not true that you never saw anyone there?
    • Would you not say that your staff could not have handled the situation better?
  • Court reporters have a tough job. Witnesses can be tough to hear, and accents are harder.
  • Our jury panel quickly learned to line up in order, a bit like preschoolers.
  • Thank goodness seats in the jury box are comfortable!

In hindsight, I’m grateful for the experience, the opportunity to serve, and the people I met. And while I expected I might lean one way in the case, the opposite was true.