Jury Duty

Well, this past week I was selected for jury duty. A few months ago I got a questionnaire in the mail, which I filled out and sent in. I just didn't know when I would be asked to come in. Then on Tuesday I got a letter in the mail letting me know that I needed to report to the courthouse on Friday. So I prepared substitute plans, asked our Special Ed teacher to cover for me, and I was ready - if not eager - to go.
It was my first time, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Of course, I've seen lots of court scenes in tv shows and movies, but I figured it would be a little different.
The letter instructed us to show up at the courthouse at 8:00 a.m., but I arrived a little early (having come straight from dropping Jeff off at work at 7:30), only to find that...it was locked. So there were several prospective jurors waiting around in the cold until they let us in. Fortunately, I brought a book to read, so I wasn't bored.
After being let inside, we waited in line to check in, just giving our names so they could mark off that we were there. I was surprised that they didn't ask for ID - anyone could have shown up and claimed to be me. We then waited some more, during which time I chatted a little with those sitting near me and graded some papers.
They then had us watch a pretty cheesy video about jury duty. The music was really bad, and the dialog wasn't much better. It was about what to expect when serving on a jury, which is fine, but it also had a lot of statements from past jurors about what an honor it was to serve, and how interested they were in the case, etc.
I decided that I wouldn't mind serving, if it was just for one day. But I kind of wondered what the case would be about, and what it would be like to serve on a jury.
After the video, they called us in to the court room one by one, seating us randomly throughout the room. We had to pass through a metal detector and let a guard briefly search our belongings. I ended up being the very last juror called in, so I was seated in the back.
One of the first things I noticed was that the defense and prosecuting sides sat so they were facing us, with their backs to the judge. I thought it was weird. But now that I look back on it, they probably sit that way during jury selection, and face the "regular way" during the trial.
The judge had everyone stand and introduce themselves by saying where they worked, where their spouse works, and where their adult children (if they had any) worked. She then proceeded to ask us a series of questions, where we would raise our hands if our answer was yes, and then she'd call on us individually to explain our answers.
Through the types of questions she asked, I learned that it was a DUI case. In response to one of her questions, I let them know that I'm morally opposed to drinking and driving. I think that was the nail in the coffin that sealed my fate - I was not selected to serve. (Only 4 were selected to serve on the jury - that's another thing I didn't expect.)
OH DARN! ;)
Well, for my 2 1/2 hours at the courthouse, I got $18.50 and an interesting story to tell.
I'd like to think that I still could have been impartial and ruled fairly. But another part of me wonders if I would have judged unfairly if I had learned that the defendent had drunk and then driven, even if it was below the legal limit. Guess I'll never know.