Monday, February 1, 2010

Passed by again

Do you suppose that they sit at the courthouse and play darts? This time they were to the left and right of me, both my niece and my nephew were called to jury duty.  Passed up again..they really must read my blog.  Possibly they don't want anyone as opinionated as me sitting on a jury..I really would like to be called just one time.  Maybe they are saving me for a really difficult case, one that will take days, and the jury will have to be sequestered, and I will have the opportunity to be locked up with eleven lucky strangers for days or even weeks.  


Last spring when Far Guy was called, he didn't have to go..apparently both of the cases he was called for were settled out of court.  He was not disappointed, as he has served before.  


I heard my niece was not very excited, she works and has three small children..so I am sure it is a pain, we live 30 miles from the County Seat so it is a bit of a drive.  


As a kid I remember being in awe of the huge old courthouse.  The halls were all shiny with huge slabs of  granite on the walls and floors.. your shoes made clicking noises on the floor..it echoed.  You spoke in whispers, the lady behind the bars took the money for your property taxes.  Somewhere in the building was a Judge and Lawyers..people who I never wanted to meet up close and personal. 

Last summer Far Guy and I needed a building permit for the sauna..so we went to the courthouse. This box was on display there.. I found it very interesting.  I have never seem one like it before. Have you??  I asked Far Guy if I should tell someone about the excess dust in the area, I thought it was disgraceful.. he said " How about we just get you out of here." :) 

21 comments:

  1. That is an interesting box and yuk, why so much dust, I wonder?

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  2. hahahaaa! Funny!
    That box is an antique for sure, and very interesting!
    It always amazes me who they pick for jurors and who they don't.
    I am a Registered Nurse. Sometimes they want a nurse on jury and sometimes they absolutely do NOT.
    Go figure!

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  3. I did my duty a year or so ago, and wouldn't mind doing it again. It was very interesting. I got in on a stolen car, etc. case. When we were at the court house a last week, it still wasn't dusted! We checked out the old plat book, flipping the huge pages to our township. I agree with you about the dust. Should we go volunteer our cleaning abilities!!!!!!!!!

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  4. I was called in to a Murder case one time that had already been tried once and found guilty and then brought back to court due to lack of representation on his lawyers part.

    I was not picked. Hummm, too opinionated maybe???

    Ya'll have a glorious day!!!

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  5. Last time I got called, they kicked me off during voir dire. They didn't say why, but I noticed every time I answered, "Sure," instead of "Yes," the prosecutor would give me this really mean look.

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  6. I got called once and sat around for two days before being questioned for a case. It was a case where a husband had started their house on fire with his wife and baby in it. I got the boot when they found out I'd been a victim of a crime myself.

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  7. Give me rag - that dust is awful! If I were there on jury duty I would be doing a bunch of cleaning as I deliberated. Might as well tidy up while sending criminals away at the same time.
    I've been called lots of times to serve in the past, but I worked in the ICU at the time and I was needed more to save lives than to send them away, so I got excused each time.

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  8. Love all the comments and the post.
    Patsy

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  9. Terry would LOVE to be called and to get to sit and 'judge', I've been called every other year for 30 years. I looks like he could take my place. (fum)

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/

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  10. You are a lucky one in my opinion,I have been called several times,even last year I was called to federal court in a near by county and had to send in an excuse as I am the babysitter in the family and if I had to serve it could have been for a 30 day period. They excused me and then I was called in my county but didn't have to go. I think I would have a hard time deciding guilty or not guilty anyway so it's best they leave me out,haha!!! Happy Valentines and God Bless

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  11. Surely a opinion won't sway them one way or the other. Not possible.....LOL.

    Jen

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  12. I've been summoned just too many times and don't want to do it anymore. I have a hard time walking now and its just too hard on me. I just got summoned again and had my doctor write a note stating why I could no longer do this. I hope they accept it and I won't have to do it anymore. Let someone else have a turn. I've often said...if they were picking names for winning money instead of jury duty, mine sure wouldn't be called. LOL

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  13. Very good post. I served once on a jury - - for a dumb criminal. Robbed the same house twice and buried the stuff in his own back yard. Amazing.

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  14. I've served jury duty twice. Just a word on being sequestered. It's not fun, you're treated worse than they treat the prisoner. We were brought to a hotel, then waited in the lobby in a double line, escorted to our room by guards, one at each end of the line. After our dinner, we went to our rooms and had to turn in our keys. No fun at all. I found it very demeaning.

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  15. I have never been called either...my husband and both my daughters have. I want to be called!!

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  16. I laughed at the image of you dusting that lovely ballot box!

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  17. Fun post. You're right the dust is disgraceful but I understand Far Guy hauling you out of there, Dirt would have done the same to me. I doon't mean to cause scenes, just tryin' to be helpful.

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  18. It was really interesting reading all the comments! I hope we treat our jurors better than some places! I served once--heard most of the case but it was dismissed after the big burly male "victim" claimed he wasn't afraid of his petite wife holding a knife (a necessary element to the crime of terroristic threatening in this state). It was pretty funny, really. I haven't been called since I moved in 2000 though. (Maybe that's the key: don't live too long in one place.)

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  19. I've been rejected every time I go. I think I am too honest when they ask questions.

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  20. The last time I was called for jury duty, the old courthouse had been condemned. One of the floors was coming through, so it took them a whole month, my month, to find an alternative building to create a courtroom.

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  21. Jury duty for me consisted of a Retired Hooker, a 16 year old boy , a Crack drug dealer, and the supposed rape of said retired hooker by the juvi and crack dealer.......

    honestly.....

    The jury did not consist of 'peers' of any of these folks.

    Jury duty....what a nightmare...the attorney of the defense actually brought a homemade crack pipe into the court room to show us how one is used. It was just.....bizarre.

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