jury duty

I am shocked by how many people view jury duty not as a privilege, but as a nuisance, to the point where strategies to avoid serving are performed.   I just want to scream "Do you realize how lucky we are?!"  Of all the things we take for granted in our society/country... to complain about a system put in place to make sure that the common man can judge its own, providing for a more fair and equal system within our judicial process.  Granted, most cases that go before a jury are incredibly boring... but to the person who has something at stake, it is an important day with an important outcome.

Rant over.

Last week I served on a jury for a parental rights termination case.  It is pretty intense to think that eleven other jurors and I decided the trajectory of these children's lives (and in a sense, their parents).  We heard testimonies Monday-Thursday and closing arguments/deliberations on Friday... a long week of listening to dramatic life stories and events.  Being in the courtroom was really interesting - seeing the strategies of different attorneys (5 involved in this case), objections, evidence, etc.  Honestly... it was a lot like the movies. Overall, I just felt honored to be a part of the process.

I was happy to be summoned and even happier to be selected.  The content was not pleasant... but the process was really interesting and so very important to the civic standards of our community.