My relationship with the California justice system is finally over, I hope
Wensday, January 8, 2003 - 13:04

I am a free woman now. I know y'all want to hear about my jury duty experience, so I'll start at the beginning, in September.

The day before school started I was called in for jury duty. It was one of those stupid things where they said that we were tentatively scheduled to go in at noon, but to call between 11 and 11:30 to make sure. So I did, and we were, so I went, and then they said that since school was starting the next day they'd let us students postpone it. So I did.

Then like a month later in October I had to go in again, and since I was still a student, I got to postpone it again.

Then I got another summons thing in December, but since I was going out of town for Christmas I called and got it postponed again.

Then this week I had to call in again. And Monday night the phone told me that I tentatively had to go in yesterday at noon, but to call back between 11 and 11:30 to make sure. So I assumed I'd have to go in, just like the first time, and I planned my day accordingly. But when I called yesterday morning, the phone said, "No, nevermind, call back tonight." So I did, and I had to go in this morning. So I did. And I didn't try to postpone it. It was for a three-day trial. We watched a heart-wrenching movie about how California is the greatest state in the Union and how the jury system is so great and it's fun and interesting and jurors become lifelong friends! It would have made me tear up if it weren't so cheesy and badly acted.

And then the jury duty ladies, who were actually in good moods today, came back and said we had to go over to the courthouse, but first we had to divide into two groups. And they read a list of names, and my name was on that list, and so me and fifty other people had to stay while the other group left. And after they'd left, the lady in charge freed us from our chains and we all left. It was very anticlimactic and stupid.

Hopefully they won't try to entrap me again for a year, but little do they know that I will be out of this godforsaken state with its steroid-laden jury system. Ha ha on them!