A Jury of My Peers
With perennial precision, swampthing is again called for jury duty. There was a time, when I was a lowly salaried employee, that serving the justice system was a welcome escape from the mundane regularity of a 9 to 5. Those days are long gone as being willfully self-unemployed has worked out really well.
Wheel of Just Us
Some of you may recall there was a time not long ago when the roll of prospective jurors was drawn from the list of registered voters. This seemed fair enough as with the privilege of voting came the responsibility to sit in judgment of your questionable neighbor. Our constitution makes it very clear that you are innocent until proven guilty by a jury of your peers, not some aristocratic bloated magistrate.
Down by the River
But proportionately few residents of the swamp exercise their right to vote compared to their right to drive. As the backlog of trivial cases grew, the justice mill had the forensic foresight and fiduciary fritters to make some quiet adjustments. With little fanfare the rules were changed. Today the list of prospective jurors is drawn from every citizen 18+ that has a drivers license. Bam! unlimited pool of prospectives for a bloated court system.
Lunchtime by the Courthouse
I have served on some very interesting cases and appreciate the opportunity to have a first hand view of the halls of justice from the providers side. All in all it is a worthwhile experience and not completely futile.
But why do they call every blinking year? Surely there must be a note in my dossier showing that the moment i open my mouth, all interest parties are quick to dismiss me with a congenial thanks and a xeroxed certificate.... till next year...$%^&@
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