9:33am - No sooner have I written the last update as we're informed that they issued a continuance on the case, eliminated the need for a jury at this time and we're all back in the general jury pool again. That being the case, this might be a long and boring day today afterall. I can now say that the "very directed questions" on the supplemental jury questionnaire all related to history / experiences with child molestation with strong indications that a long trial might ensue. We'll see what new and improved cases are left on the docket today.
10:00am - And here we continue to sit. Oh the excitement. No announcement yet though just by nature of me saying that I'm sure we'll hear something in the next minute or so.
10:55am - The natives are getting restless. No new news since the break so we're all still sitting around. Though it is becoming a little more active around here. The gentlemen behind me are swapping old jury stories... just like swapping old war stories but with far less death and destruction. I proceeded to do as much work as I could from here, which mainly consisted of following up on email. I wish something would happen too. I left my laptop in the car this morning, expecting to at least be sitting in court all day. Perhaps I'll fetch it at lunch. My iPhone's battery may not hold up all afternoon anyway.
11:30am - Two cases left on the jury docket today. They thought they'd be ready to call juries before lunch, but now the wheels of justice have turned so slowly that's no longer the case. So we're out to lunch until 1:30pm. Fully expecting that at 1:30pm we'll have at least one jury list called, and hopefully I'm not selected. :)
12:30pm - Went across the street to get some lunch at Chipotle, stopped by my car and picked up the laptop bag, and now I'm relaxing in a very empty jury assembly room working. It is now I commentate on the privilege of excercising my civic duty. If only I weren't so busy, I would have no problem at all being on jury duty. In fact, usually I'm not so busy that I can't take a few days to do it every couple of years. But in fact, this time it's not the best time at work to not be there, and it's busy. But my being here is necessary to make sure the system works fairly and as it was designed to in the Constitution. If everyone who had to work avoided it, we'd have juries of the unemployed and retired deciding cases, and if I were the accused, that sure wouldn't sound like an impartial jury of my peers. But is it wrong of me to hope, just a little, that I don't get selected for a jury this time around? That my mere presence in the jury selection pool is upholding my Constitutional mandate? Is it indeed an honor NOT to be selected? We'll see.
1:35pm - Back from lunch, no news is good news? No announcements, save the lady sitting next to me repeatedly popping her gum and making noise with her little handheld sudoku game. Do these things not have sound-off switches?! I digress... waiting for more news of the final 2 jury panels. Oops, a bailiff just walked in delivering something, that's not a good sign. And here comes the jury clerk to make the announcement... 35 names this time. 5 names down, 10 names down, 15 names down, 25 names down, 30 down, 35 down! Not me! Dodged another one! One jury panel left to be called, "sometime this afternoon." All I need is for this to get delayed at least until tomorrow, and it becomes someone else's problem. Tick tick tick.
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