Yes, indeed, I was number 2. Juror number 2, that is.
I reported to the Hall of Justice jury room (not so chic as the courthouse on McAllister) Monday and I arrived fully prepared: 2 books, 2 catalogs, pens, note cards for belated thank you notes, and my Rio loaded with a fresh, upbeat playlist. After about an hour into my wait time it was announced that hizzoner was coming in to personally address us. Turns out that there will be an emergency need for a jury for a trial that has been scheduled for 2 weeks and 2 weeks only in mid-July. He gave us his spiel on hardships and how jury duty separates our trial system from other systems around the world, etc. etc. After 85% of the room left and tried to apply for a hardship excuse, the remaining 15% of us answered a questionnaire. I turned my questionnaire in, and was instructed to report back Tuesday am.
(Since I was somewhat downtown, I stopped at the Orpheum to pick up tickets to Wicked and shoes at Puma. Sometimes, I just can’t help myself.)
Tuesday morning, I reported directly to the Hon. Moscone’s (relative, descendant of George, I’m sure) courtroom. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t the “Law & Order†type courtroom I had hoped it would be. Small, outdated, and I’m sure there was asbestos lurking above that ceiling. Before I knew it, I had been named “Juror Number 2â€. I took my seat in the box. I have to admit it was all pretty surreal. What really creeped me out was that I caught a glimpse of a person in shackles and an orange jumpsuit. (It’s funny how television can numb a situation.) After a few rounds of questioning from the ADA and Defense atty, we took our lunch recess. It wasn’t looking good for me. All the things that needed to be taken care of at work were running through my mind. Yet, I was starting to think that jury duty isn’t so bad after all…this is kinda cool. (Plus, my company fully pays for jury duty absences.) But this being a criminal case, not a civil one, made it all that more exciting. 4 o’clock rolled around and I perked up when I heard the defense attorney say, “I would like to thank and excuse juror number 2.†I was relieved and disappointed at the same time. Relieved that I didn’t have to sit there for one more minute, but disappointed that I couldn’t stay to see how things panned out, who they actually chose to decide the defendant’s fate. But I’m glad I got to experience what I experienced and perhaps jury duty isn’t so bad after all.