That’s Life: Jury duty a small act with larger purpose

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

After years of wistfully wishing I would get the letter so many loathe, I’d given up on ever receiving my summons to serve on a jury. It was, I felt, an opportunity to be part of something bigger – a little leaf on a big branch of government.

Each election season I mark my ballot and make my voice heard in the polls, making my little mark on the legislative and presidential branches. But other than a couple of college years working as a legal secretary, I haven’t had any impact on the judicial branch.

I’m thankful for that, but always felt that if someone I love ever needs the courts, I’d want them to have a good jury, not one where the only people left were the ones who hadn’t successfully ducked the duty.

As a self-employed freelance writer, I thought I’d be a good pick. I like learning new things, listening to people’s stories without bias, and weighing facts before making decisions – all qualities needed on juries. And with enough notice, I could rearrange my schedule much easier than the 9-to-5ers.

But year after year my mailbox stayed summons free. That is, right up until the week after I accepted a full-time position, trading my home office for a commute, colleagues and consistency.

It’s like the Murphy’s law of jury duty. You only get called when it isn’t convenient.

The first day I wasn’t sure what to expect. It started almost like a mini-vacation without the carry-on. The courthouse entrance is like an airport, only a lot prettier. The first step is standing in line to go through security. Please remove all coats and belts and place personal belongings in the bin. But it’s a lot faster because you don’t have to show ID or dump your drink, and you get to keep your shoes on.

After my shoes set off the metal detector and I passed the additional screening, I listened to a courthouse employee giving directions to several jury pool people in front of me.

“Take the elevator or the stairs to the third floor,” she said, gesturing toward the ornate sweep of steps. “At the top we have red wine for the jurors.”

I must have been hearing her in airplane mode, my security clearance triggering memories of complimentary in-flight drinks. Still, I thought it was a little early for alcohol.

It became clear at the top flight, where I paused to catch my breath. Instead of red wine, I found red signs for jurors, pointing the way to an overcrowded room. There were complimentary beverages, however. Coffee and lukewarm water.

Over the next days, I learned that jury duty is nothing like vacation but a lot like elementary school.

We lined up in order, walked single file through the halls, sat in assigned seats and spent our time sitting, listening and learning. This must be why the court has recess, though I never did find a jungle gym or swings during our breaks.

Though I have a sedentary job where I work at a computer screen, jury duty made me realize how often I actually move, whether it’s to get a cup of coffee, go to the bathroom or talk to a co-worker in their cube. During jury duty, you’re stuck in one spot.

This gave me a little insight and a lot of empathy for how my youngest son felt a few years ago when he went back to school after a physically active summer break. Sitting for so many hours made him antsy. Since he couldn’t get up, he’d bounce his legs up and down under the desk. It helps, though I tried to minimize my bouncing and stick with shifting in my seat and taking a lot of notes.

That part felt very familiar. I’ve spent a lot of time during the past decade asking questions and taking notes. Only this time I wasn’t the one asking questions, and I couldn’t interject to clarify a concept. We were, however, allowed to submit written questions when a witness was done.

Over the course of the trial I learned a lot. It was interesting observing the courtroom interactions between attorneys and seeing judicial rules and order in action. I learned even more about the people and the circumstances that brought them to trial.

You aren’t watching a courtroom drama on television for entertainment. You’re getting a glimpse of events and facts that were so significant it brought the people before you to court. For them, the stakes are often high, hung on the hope that the jury will hear their side and be persuaded.

After listening without discussion to all the witnesses and arguments, 12 minds must meet, discuss, compare perspectives and carefully consider everything, knowing that whatever they decide will impact real people.

It wasn’t easy. Perhaps that’s why they call it weighing the evidence. It’s a weighty task, one that made my heart heavy each day of jury duty. That must be the real reason so many people swear they’d rather not serve on a jury, not because it causes short-term inconvenience.

But this is a compelling reason to heed the summons and serve, without excuse. Jury duty may be a small leaf on a big branch of government, but it’s a big deal in the lives of those in that courtroom. It matters.

Jill Barville writes twice a month about families, life and everything else. She can be reached at jbarville@msn.com.