Day 1
I couldn't sleep very well last night. Whether it was over the anxiety of figuring out where to park and where to sign in, or the naivety of the entire process, or possibly just the frustration of missing work when there's so much to be done, I slept like crap. I tossed and turned and woke up every hour or so thinking I had overslept my alarm.
I've been to downtown St. Louis before, of course, but never on a Monday morning, so I wasn't sure what the traffic situation would be like. So, to be on the safe side, I was up at the crack of dawn to make the designated 8am registration time. I needn't have worried though. I made it downtown in a breeze, barely having any difficulty at all. I was also lucky enough to be one of the first people to park in the assigned lot of the Scottrade Center, and was just inside the entrance.
I made the short 4-5 block walk to the Civil Courts building in no time, arriving by 7:20. I thought surely I would be the first one there, but there were at least 25-30 people that had the same idea I did. Fortunately, it was only 66 degrees outside, so I sat on a bench to enjoy the breeze before the heat came to follow it. It was absolutely beautiful downtown at this time. Not a lot of noise yet, a cool breeze and a peacefulness I wasn't expecting. I assumed we wouldn't be allowed into the building until 8, but people started filing in around 7:45, so I followed suit.
We quickly went through security and the metal detectors, got our juror number badges and had a seat in the jury assembly room. And I pretty much had the same seat from then until the lunch break. I'm surprised there wasn't a butt imprint when I left. I watched person after person file into the room, while the minutes ticked away. 8:00 came and went and people were still filing into the room. So much for being there by 8. Two ladies tried to register, but they were turned away due to wearing shorts. The summons had clearly outlined that tank tops, t-shirts and shorts were forbidden in the courtroom. Neither one of those women were happy about it because they had to go home, change and then return for their duty. I don't feel a bit sorry for them. Stupid people.
9:00 finally rolled around and I was pretty much a zombie at that point. I was trying to stay awake, but in the process, my brain shut down completely. I was so effing tired and the monotony of sitting in this one spot was getting to me. I tried reading and working on my crosswords, but that just made me blurry-eyed. Fortunately, they played an "instructional" video showing us what we should expect today and the difference between a civil case and a criminal case. This only helped to alleviate the boredom for about 7 minutes.
I was feeling a bit full in the bladder region, but I was paranoid I might miss some important information. Like when the lunch break was. So, I sat and sat and sat until I couldn't take it anymore. I hurried to the bathroom hoping I wouldn't miss them saying "Heather Jones, if you're in the room, we have good news, you can go home. You're not needed here. But, if you're not in the room, you have to stay here for eternity." I'm assuming that was never said, but you just never know.
They called anyone to a separate room for the "hardship" defense. If you had any reason why you couldn't serve on the jury that day, you were to go and essentially plead your case to a judge. I swear a quarter of the room stood up. I believed about 3 of them. One lady was so pregnant I thought we may have an emergency situation on our hands. Another woman was using a cane and a bailiff to help her see around the room, and another man had a distinct walking disability and physical ailments and seemed to have difficulty sitting for long periods as well.
The good thing about all these people leaving the room was that we had a bit of breathing room around our seats. I wasn't stuck between two women eating smelly chips or softly snoring. Unfortunately, this left me with the old guy who kept dropping stuff on the ground. I do wish that was his only annoyance though. At one point he started clipping his fingernails. All of them. Onto the floor.
I kid you not, he was using fingernail clippers to trim every single one of his nails right there in the waiting room. They were flying all willy nilly around his chair and I prayed that one didn't land on me. I know there's not much to do in that room, but come on. That is just disgusting. I think next to the "No Firearms" sign they have posted, they should add "No Manicures". Blech.
I also had to listen to this old grizzled deadhead who looked kind of like Kris Kristofferson, talk about all of his conspiracy theories to this poor innocent young lady sitting next to him. She seemed to believe everything he said though. He was ranting on and on about how these things were all public record and everyone was going to find out all this information about us. Give it a rest, crazy.
Finally, around 10am, they started calling juror numbers into groups. Usually around 50 people per group. I avidly listened during the first group hoping my number would be called. Nope. I went back to my crossword puzzles, a leftover from my trip to Italy, and stared at the wall for awhile. Before they started calling numbers they had had the tv on, but it was too hard to hear over calling the numbers, so they turned it off.
Eventually, they had called four different groups in the span of an hour, and my number hadn't been called. The numbers all started to jumble together and my brain became mush. I was hoping I hadn't missed being called, but they always had another call for the few stragglers.
I hadn't heard anything about lunch at this point, and my stomach was getting pretty angry with me. I had eaten breakfast around 6:20, a good hour and a half earlier than I normally eat breakfast, and I was not doing so well. I was getting increasing cranky at the boredom, my completely numb arse, and the acrid smell wafting from someone's snack. At 11:30, they finally called lunch break, and we had until 1:15 to get back. Score!!
The good news was that my friend Sam now works downtown only a few blocks from where I was, so I didn't have to eat alone. We stopped at the Dubliner, an Irish bar/restaurant with pretty tasty food, and it was nice to have human interaction with a familiar face. Unfortunately, it couldn't last forever, and it was back to the jury room for me.
This time when I went back through the security line, they asked me to take out my small digital camera. I had forgotten it was even in there. I always keep it in my purse for whenever an occasion strikes and someone's stupidity needs to be documented. I had to leave it with the security team for the duration of the day. What the hell? Who was the lazy one that morning that totally missed it?! I did feel like a fool for not taking it out of my purse though. They also asked me about a recording device and it took me a minute to realize they were talking about my mp3 player. Fortunately, they let me keep that.
I have to admit that I had my camera in the back of my mind the whole rest of the day. I was afraid they would be closed by the time my day ended and I wouldn't get it back. It's bad that I was more concerned with my damn camera than what was going on around me. I think sleep deprivation was kicking in in high gear.
A cheesy soap opera was on TV when I got back, but it didn't last long once they started calling numbers again. I also had the pleasure of sitting next to a woman who unbuttoned her pants to readjust something while sitting in plain sight. Why do I get the inappropriate people sitting next to me?! Three more groups were called and it was after 2. I held on to the slim chance that I wouldn't be needed today, and I would get to go home.
Nope. Not gonna happen. At 2:30, my number was finally called, number 51 out of 54 jurors. I nearly missed it because I had been zoning out again. We had our parking validated and were then led to the Carnahan Courthouse across the bloody street. Our deputy led us to our assigned floor, gave us a minute for a final potty break, and then escorted us into the courtroom.
It wasn't really what I was expecting. I always thought the lawyers sat facing the judge with the jurors to the side. This time the lawyers sat facing the juror box with the judge to their right. All of the potential jurors filled the room, from the box to the spectator seats. We were read the rules by the judge, explained what kind of case it was and what the charges were, and were sworn in.
For obvious reasons, I can't really go into detail here, but I can say that all that happened today was one lawyer started her interview process. She asked questions and then asked people to raise their hand that agreed, or disagreed in some cases, with the question. We had to stand and explain why. This lasted for close to two hours and we were nowhere near being finished. The first lawyer wasn't even finished, and we still had the second lawyer to go.
It was amazing though, how many people had been affected by a crime of some sort. They ask that on our questionnaires, but when people explained how they had been a victim or a close person had been affected, it amazed me. So many people have dealt with the unfairness of this world. It was a bit sickening and humbling at the same time.
Despite my weariness, I was able to focus on all the questions and what was going on around me, but I did have the time firmly on my mind at all times. It was getting closer and closer to 5 with no end in sight. I eventually realized I would have to come back the next day. The judge had assured us if we were selected, we would only be here this week, and not the next. Great. But, since the selection process is only partially over, I will have to spend at least another day here.
I don't necessarily mind doing my part as a juror, but I will admit that the subject matter in the case is not desirable for me to listen to. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
Oh, and even though I got out after 5, I was able to go back to the Civil Courts building and pick up my camera. You bet your ass that bad boy is staying at home tomorrow!
Day 2
I was able to sleep in until my normal hour since we didn't have to be at court until 9:15. I made it around 9am, after stopping to have my parking validated. More waiting ensued while I worked on yet another crossword puzzle. You'd really think I'd be done with that book by now. It wasn't until nearly 9:40 before we were even escorted into the courtroom. I should have known we wouldn't be on time.
The interview process continued with the first lawyer, and she finally finished around 10:35. Another break was allowed before the second lawyer started his line of questioning. He mainly wanted to clarify answers from certain people from the morning and day before. He did not call on me, but then again, I only answered two questions and I had been pretty explicit in those answers.
It was creeping closer and closer to noon, and I was getting increasingly disgruntled by the gurgling in my belly. I'm a creature of habit, and I really need to eat on a semi-regular basis. I don't do well if I haven't eaten, and I was outright starving at this point. Plus I was getting very aggravated at one potential juror who seemed to be using this interview process as his own personal venting session against the PO-lice (as he pronounced it) and the judicial system in general. We get it, buddy. You don't like cops. Now sit down and shut up.
The interview process was completed at 12:15, and the judge said the lawyers were ready to select the jury. He tossed around the idea of letting us all go to lunch and then choosing the jury, or keeping us for another 45 minutes to an hour while they deliberated. By now, I knew that nothing was ever on schedule, so I was about ready to hop out of my seat and demand we get our lunch, NOW!
Okay, not really. I was thinking it in my head, but I would never actually do that. Maybe the judge read my mind, because he decided to give us a quick lunch break. I hoofed it over 7 or 8 blocks to meet Sam again for a bite to eat. He had already eaten since he had to be ready for a meeting at work, so, I grabbed a quick sandwich at the grocery store and chatted with him while I scarfed it down. I'm not really sure what I ate, I was just trying to get food into me as quickly as I could.
Less than a half hour after I met up with Sam, we went our separate ways again, and I made the trek back to the courthouse. I don't think there were many dry spots left on my clothes by the time I got back. Heat indexes in the upper 90s to 100s don't really help with perspiration.
Again, we waited longer than we were told, but eventually we were all called back into the room. A little while later they chose the panel of jurors, and I was not called. Whew! I thought it was pretty funny that the woman who fell asleep during the interview process, called voir dire, ended up being chosen. That's what you get for not paying attention! We were allowed to go on our way, picking up our payment voucher in the process. I was then free to head home and do with my day whatever I pleased. There wasn't much time left to head all the way to work, so I just headed home to the sweet bliss of A/C.
I appreciate our justice system, and the fact that I'm allowed to serve as a juror in a trial. I just didn't like all the waiting involved with it. Oh well, I guess that's all part of the process. I'm sure I'll be right back in this spot in about 2-4 years! :)
