Your Civic Duty

"It's your civic duty." That's what they keep telling me about this Jury Duty business. Just like voting. But that's about all the two things share in common. Voting is very non-intrusive. It's held behind closed doors (or curtains), you don't have to reveal which side you went towards, and besides the line that you sit in to get to the booth, you're in, out, and on your way.

Jury Duty is a nightmare. Frankly, I think the system is an inexcusable mess, especially federal jury duty, which I'm currently in the midst of serving. Your "sentence," as I like to call it, is for two weeks, no matter what. That is unless you're selected to a jury on a case, then you're really fucked. But as I learned yesterday, I could sit on a panel and subsequently be released from that particular panel, and still have to call in every night after 5pm, to see if you're scheduled to come in the following day. It's disorganized, and very inconvenient. It's also highly invasive.

When seated on the pannel, potential jurors are asked a whole slew of general personal questions, and then depending on what the case is about, an additional set of intrusive queries. Things like occupation (or lack thereof and if you were fired or resigned), marital status, level of schooling, where you live, if you have children and whether or not they live with you and, what their occupations are, age, disabilities you may have, etc. I think you get my point. They look to explore the ins and outs of your personal life, right there in front of 50 other potential jurors. For some people, it is understandably jarring.

Fortunately, it's not everyday. You have to call in after 5pm every night for two weeks to see if you need to report the next day, but you won't be selected everyday. If you're selected to a jury though, well, then you're screwed. You could wind up sitting on that jury for over a month. For some people, this can be highly detrimental to their careers, especially those who earn hourly wages. The only compensation the courts give you is $40/day. $40 a day, no internet, and a crowded room of pissed off New Yorkers. That sounds more dangerous than being held up in a Harlem bodega. And they have the nerve to call this your civil duty.