The mailman left me a nice little surprise today...a questionnaire to see if I am qualified for federal jury service! I am. So it looks like I'm in for another round of civic duty.
Last time I was a candidate to be a juror in federal court I went through the voir dire process for a case where a woman working at the San Onofre nuclear power plant developed a form of leukemia whose only well-described risk factor is exposure to ionizing radiation. The power plant apparently had a problem with "fuel fleas" making their way into the workers' area where the woman was supposed to have breathed them in and caused the leukemia.
I was the first potential juror to be thanked and excused from the case. The judge said as I was leaving that it was my shirt. I was wearing a pink polo shirt that day. I wore my pink polo shirt to my first day of jury duty last year but it wasn't till the second day that I got called into the jury box. I couldn't wear the same shirt two days in a row so my unlucky shirt couldn't help me that time. I'll try it again this time.
The fuel flea case was settled before the jurors got their chance to decide it and the settlement wasn't made public. According to this account of a similar suit, that was the second time the case was going to be tried and was settled before the trial was started.
At least the federal court is in downtown San Diego where there are things to do during the long lunch recesses. And they pay better and they cover parking. (They did last time. I hope they still do.) More fun is in store.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
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6 comments:
I've only been called for regular jury service, but never served on a jury. In Mass. we have the "One day or one trial" system. A bunch of potential jurors show up; some get picked for the pending trials; the leftovers are excused. Practically everybody at work has actually served on a jury, and they all say it's interesting and fun. If you do get picked, do not talk about the case on your blog .
I got called for Grand Jury selection and appeared in December. They excused me and I found out later, they dismissed everyone as there were no cases to hear. I got paid $13.10 for showing up!
(word verif: blert)
Should I blert that out?
If you're picked, I hope it's an interesting case.
Wow, the Feds! Cool! Good luck getting off, if that is what you want.
The only time I have ever been chosen is right after I have left the state.
I sat on a jury about four years ago as an alternate. I was dismissed before deliberations began, and the guy behind me, who slept during the testimony, was one of the people deliberating. Sheesh!
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