My civic duty

Late this past January, I got a letter in the mail from the Minnehaha County Clerk of Courts. After first freaking out and thinking they didn't get the money and paperwork I sent in due to that little fender bender earlier that month, I opened the letter all but convinced that I had screwed up and they didn't get their items and now I was summoned to appear in court for my non -compliance. My overactive imagination went into overdrive. What if they issued a bench warrant for my arrest and now I was a wanted criminal? If I got pulled over for a traffic stop, would they take me to jail in handcuffs? Yes, a little on the dramatic and over the top side but thankfully if was only a few minutes of major panic and then quickly passed. I read the letter and gave a huge sigh of relief and then laughed....I had been selected for jury duty.

According to the letter, my term would began in April and I needed to fill out this included form and send it back ASAP or I would be contacted again. I filled out the form and mailed it back. A few weeks later I got a much more detailed form in the mail with instructions to answer every question and not to discuss anything with friends or family members. I was also instructed to mail this form back within a specified amount of time or I would again be contacted by the court. There were a ton of questions to answer and I really tried to answer as honestly as possible, even when there were a few I really wanted to give a sarcastic or less than serious response.

For those who don't know, prospective jurors in this county are required to be available for one month's period. We can be called any time during that month and there is payment for service, along with mileage reimbursement. The bad thing about jury duty for me is the not knowing when I will be needed. I had many sleepless nights worrying about what do with childcare and different bus schedules. I did make arrangements with a local daycare for drop-in placement for this month. I also contacted the Transportation department and asked if they would be willing to accommodate my schedule for the month of April and they said yes.

My first official "we need you" letter arrived towards the end of March. It was brief and to the point. I had been selected for a trial and needed to show up an day earlier than my official start date. I then received another letter a few days later containing a parking permit and instructions for my month of service.

The second letter gave me information on how to access the county web site and also contained a phone number to call. Every Friday for the rest of the month I either log onto the web site or call the number and find out if my jury panel is needed. If it is, then I will be given days and times. I also have to call in the night before I am to show up to see if the trial is still scheduled. Many times both sides come to an agreement before going to trial so the trial scheduled is cancelled and the jury selected for that trial is not needed. A lot of people I know who have had to do jury duty have this happen to them and they spend their whole jury term calling in on a regular basis only to be told they are not needed.

Childcare taken care of and bus scheduled arraigned, I waited for my month of jury service to begin....and boy did it begin. But that is a totally different post.