Today, Tuesday I reported back to the jury Service 11th floor at LA Courthouse after two days off. I have no feel for what is the criteria the lawyers are looking for, but there is something specific because for whatever reason, I still occupy seat #8. There must have been 130 people that have come through this process for this trial and yet they keep calling out for new ones to fill vacating seats. Just as we arrived today at the prospected 10:30, they separated into a line the 11 who have a jury box seat, and told us to come back at 11:45am.... which only meant we'd be back in time to be excused for lunch, which is what basically happened.
So Helene and Maxine and I headed downstairs together as jurors in the box together at 10:45 for the cafeteria just to sit away from the juror room and the hard benches in the hallway. We had a nice conversation about our families, jobs, etc. and then mosied back upstairs for the next call to break for lunch, which did come 10 minutes after we got into the courtroom. The three of us headed back down to the cafeteria for lunch for an hour and twenty five where we shared alot of laughs about lifes stuff.. good times while you all are tortured with the slow scheme of things.
In the brief afternoon period, Helene and Maxine were both excused.. a brief wave and they are gone. I am one of two of the longest sitting 1st panel of jurors from day one to be still hanging around.
A sidenote of being in LA court system is that famous people are called to jury duty along with you.. She got herself excused by playing the "I have to fly to New York, Bulgaria and attend the Kennedy Center Awards with my husband" who is Antonio Banderas. She didn't look alot like the coifed Melanie Griffith in her ponytail and leggings with a coat jacket on, but she carried herself like an actress..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_Griffith
As will go with trials in the jury pick is that you have numerous side bars between jurors and their secrets and the judge/lawyers for why they should be excused. Or you have motions about jurors who one side just excused and they empty the courtroom to have there outloud discussion about it. So lots of sitting and lots of waiting... Today not much was accomplished and as we got to the "next" calling of juror #'s to be excused, the judge called it a day and we left at 4:00pm to come back another day.
Wednesday will be day 7 of jury selection overall and day 5 for me.
Tonight is election coverage and Greg kept flipping back to it from the show we were watching until I couldn't take it anymore. I headed upstairs to come back an I am now in my pj's and he went up to work on the computer for which I suggested to get away from the watching of the few states that had closed. Tomorrow is soon enough for me to know the outcome.
goodnight ya'll as juror S3944 is looking forward to sleeping in, walking the treadmill, and then heading back to LA.. bad day fishing beats a good day working is my thinking.
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