Jury duty

Last month I got that dreaded summons for jury duty. Doubly dreaded for me because as long time readers of this blog know, I am not a morning person. I had to get up at 6:00 AM just to get to there on time. I guzzled one cup of good coffee at home and another cup of bad coffee at the court house in an effort to be at least half awake when my name was called. In short, I was a bit cranky. Then, since caffeine is a proven diuretic, I had to "hold it" until we were given a break. 8:(

Having said all that; I wasn't chosen, and I rather wish I had been. It wasn't a criminal case in which I would have been asked to decide whether someone should be imprisoned. My faith tells me to minister to the imprisoned, not to judge whether someone should be imprisoned. Rather it was a lawsuit involving a high speed car accident. No one died, and I would have been comfortable rendering a judgment in that case as best as I was able in an objective way. I know that jurors are selected randomly for a jury pool, but I wonder what happens after that. Do the lawyers have the right to screen potential jurors? If so, was I excluded because I work in health care and may have known some of the docs involved in the case? The next time that dreaded summons comes, I'll have to ask that question during orientation. I'm actually kind of looking forward to the opportunity. For now, good night.