My Week as A Juror: The Jury Selection Process

Little did I know when I received the court summons for jury selection a month or so ago, how much would happen over the time that I served as a juror.  Since this is fresh in my mind from that last week, I'll blog for the next few days about my experience.  This may help someone else to know what to expect and to be prepared if you should get summoned.  I had never participated in a jury before so these things would have been good to know before I went.  Plus, it's therapeutic for me to collect my thoughts and put them down as well.

Once you get your letter in the mail, if you do not meet any of the exemptions, mark on your calendar the date you are to appear for selection and be sure to go.  I believe it is a misdemeanor to not show up.   You are assigned a number.  Be sure to memorize it.  I actually had it memorized but had not made a point to do so.  There were a  few instances during the week that I was spoken to by that number rather by my name, and was caught offguard.  I was so glad it was in the recesses of my mind.

When you enter the courthouse you will have to pass through a metal detector / X-ray scanner.  Over the past 6 days I was scanned at least 7x plus "wand-ed" (the deputy used a hand-held scanner on me after I had taken my shoes off).  I kept setting off the alarm with just my clothes and underwear on!  My own body is sensitive to these scanning devices so I will need to visit my holistic medical friend to get "un-scanned" for my body to not be affected negatively.  

Next you go into a large room--ours held 250 people--and you are asked a series of questions as a group.  If your answer is "yes" to any of them, you get in a line and are questioned individually by the clerk.  If you pass this series of questions, then you are divided into a few groups of about 30 each to go to separate jury rooms to be questioned for a jury.   In the jury rooms (in my case), 21 are seated in the jury box at a time and are asked all sorts of questions by the prosecuting attorney(s) and the defense attorney(s).  More eliminations are made, then the next group does the same thing and so on until the attorneys have chosen 14--12 jurors and 2 alternates.  I was in Group 2 of this process.   By the way, even if you are chosen in any of the selection times, you can still be "unchosen" for the final 14 (12 jurors; 2 alternates).  And, you can also be asked to go to another jury selection room to go through the process again there.

In my case also, this process did not end until lunchtime on  Day 2.  After lunch that 2nd day, the actual trial began.

Tomorrow:  The Jury Itself--Who Are These People?