juror juror on the wall

so after being on-call for jury duty for nearly two weeks, i finally had to report for duty. at precisely 6:30 am, i headed out nearly 40 miles to the us district courthouse- eastern district in downtown detroit.

aside from leaving my kids, i was the most concerned with what to wear. did i wear the artsy floral skirt with ballet flats, hoping to look young and i don't know, liberal? pinstripes with a fushia top, which would be very professional, but is it good to stand out? blue silk flowey blouse and black crops to look articulate and fashionable? i decided on the smart blue blouse, crops and peep-toe kitten heels. i figured i'd out-dress the lawyers, and perhaps fly under the radar. little did i know that others would not adhere to the "strictly enforced" dress code, and would show up in blue jeans. the lawyers were both in outdated colored suits (green... really???) oh well, at least i looked good.

i arrived early after my first solo trip on the lodge. i made it, paid for parking and went it. and waited and waited and waited. finally we were going into the court room to select the jury. they called up eight people, questioned them, and replaced two. then they replaced another. aside from a jewely saleswoman, they were replacing all of the teachers. i had this one in the bag, and was totally set to have my chance in the box. however, after 12 jurors, the rest of the panel was dismissed, myself included. free from reporting for the duration of the week.

so, i was back home by 11, and will receive my fat $90 check in a few weeks. and aside from being grateful that i do not have to find childcare for my babies while i sat on a trial, i'm also grateful that i do not have to make decisions about other peoples lives. in this case, it was simply insurance and contract law, but it still isn't right. i don't care if this is our historical system of judgement, i do not believe that other people have the right to judge others, take away their rights as humans, nor be truly free from our own personal agendas and biases.

even without your "experience" mrs k. i still have been jaded by the system. and i'll jump on a civil rights soapbox whenever i feel like it, just for the hell of it, just because i can. because, i suppose, that is american justice.