Territorial Bloggings
A Cogent Mélange of Lutheran & Pop-Culture Punditry
Many are called but few are chosen
Well, I didn’t get chosen to sit on a jury.
It wasn’t a total waste, as the State of Indiana will soon be sending me a $15 check for the trouble of my several hours of service.
In all, it was an interesting process, as the jury of 6 (plus 1 alternate) got selected from the available panel of 26 folks. It was a civil case that was estimated to last about 3 days. At contention was the amount of damages owed in the aftermath of an automobile accident back in December 2002 — medical bills, and compensation for ‘pain & suffering’ due to ‘diminished quality of life’ & whatnot.
I didn’t really get within sniffing distance of sitting on the jury, as the panel was initially divided into two groups, 14 folks “in the box” & the rest of us not. What that means is that 14 folks sat in the jury box, and were asked specific questions by the attorneys, while the rest of us sat in the gallery & watched/listened. After a good long while, the attorneys then gave their notes & preferences (i.e., out-of-hand disqualifications) to the judge. And then they had their jury, and the rest of us got to go home & not worry about getting another summons from the county for at least a year or two.
It was about as painless as it could’ve been, I get to do my civic duty, and I got a day away from work to boot! 
Not too shabby!
-ghp
