Jury Duty

Our local independent weekly newspaper has a column called "WTF" that attempts to answer questions about local weirdness (e.g. "what the heck is that weird building down on the southern end of Dorset Street?").   This week's WTF question was "WTF: Why Are Some People Called for Jury Duty While Others Never Are?"

I'm 51 and have never served as a juror.

I registered to vote when I turned 18. I was a freshman in college down in Georgia when I received a jury summons for service back in my home county in Virginia. I filled out the response form with "off at college, kthxbye" and that was that.  Never received a peep since.

Carole's never been called at all, in any way, shape, or form.

I'm 51, and she's 48.  Between the two of us, zip, zilch, nada in terms of juror service.  Neither of us has ever not been registered to vote, so you'd think our number would come up now and then, right?

But hey, probability says situations like ours must exist (as the WTF article linked above explains).   Knowing that doesn't stop me from feeling kind of ... I dunno, left out.

Admittedly, it would be kind of a headache if I did get called because my work involves very frequent travel scheduled far in advance, but at the same time, it'd be an interesting experience... for some definition of "interesting".   It'd be nice just to see what goes on.

On the other hand, I understand that it's not uncommon to get empaneled, make arrangements to have time off and get day care and stuff, only to have the case in question get plea bargained.  Everything gets plea bargained these days, or so I understand.

Still.  Even if I got called to be a juror for a case involving jaywalking in a blizzard at 2 am on a Sunday and it got pled down to fourth degree mopery and dopery, at least then I could puff out my chest and say "I've done my civic duty."