Vacation Summons

I was midway through a week's vacation when I received another jury summons. It's the fourth time I've been called, and I wasn't particularly thrilled with the prospect; especially since they wanted me for four weeks or more this time. That's a big commitment to expect of someone, no matter how interested they might be. It can be a stunning disruption of our already complicated lives (not to mention work schedules). The people that don't want to hear my whining are usually those who have never done it before and would like an opportunity to serve. I'm all for giving them a chance.

Once a person's first jury duty is complete, they should be able to sign a waiver signalling whether they would like to do it again, along with the option of changing their mind later. That way others could be brought into the pool and those that wanted to could stay on the list if they felt so inclined. Maybe there could be a requirement that actually serving on a jury, instead of merely getting dismissed, would constitute fulfillment of your obligation.

It is true, however, that even though I never want to go through the process at first, I invariably find it fascinating once it gets going. The experience can be invaluable, and I do believe that having a jury of your peers is a superior way to argue a case. If you are a defendant, this ensures that you have the likelihood of a fair trial. I've been on cases where I wasn't so sure about the wisdom of this (humans can often be biased no matter how hard they try not to be), but overall I think the random juror system surpasses all alternatives.

There is a bit of a dilemma when it comes to long cases that burden all parties involved, but the only remedy is acceptance and perseverance. I have to admit that although I would probably readily sign a paper excusing me from all subsequent jury duty, by doing so I might be depriving myself of future opportunities to witness sometimes incredible courtroom dramas first-hand. A deeper understanding of the inner workings of the court can be obtained this way that can't be achieved otherwise. In light of this I plan to embrace the situation, and attempt to find justice, elusive as it may be.