civic duty

I was summoned for jury duty. It was the first time I've received jury notice, so I was kind of excited about the prospect of "Law & Order" in my life. As I read the summons, I thought back to civics classes... the right to a trial by jury of one's peers... the responsibility to serve impartially... the call to participate in ensuring justice for somebody else, because someday you might need them to decide your fate. Truthfully, I sort of wanted to serve, mostly for that last reason. Mothers can be pretty good at sorting through conflicting information.

This is all to say I was ready to go. However, I quickly realized that answering the call of jury duty was more complicated than just showing up.

I stay at home with my boys. Blessing as this is, it also means that I don't have alternative childcare for the day(s) I might be on a jury. While it's pretty rare to have a trial last more than a couple days, there are always the possibilities of many weeks or even months. It's extremely rare to be sequestered, but who knows. And then there's the beautiful issue of sleep in our house, which makes it very difficult for me to be at a courthouse by 8 AM.

I scanned the summons for reasons to be excused. Our state law requires that citizens over 70 years old and nursing mothers are excused without question. I'm neither.

So, I called and asked for advice from the jury coordinator. I told her I was willing to serve, but I wasn't sure what to do if they chose me for a multi-day trial. The kind woman on the other end offered complete grace. "I completely understand. If they'd have called me when my children were little, I would have had no options. Don't worry - you're excused from service."

And that was it. I'm released from jury service. Perhaps - hopefully - I'll be called again someday.