I know most employed people probably jump at the chance for a couple of weeks off to go and sit in judgement in the courts, but the prospect of not being able to work for two weeks isn't quite as attractive when you're self-employed and won't be earning any money... Having said that, I must admit to a very real curiosity about how the whole thing works.
While we're left in the jury common room awaiting our first case, the first thing preying on my mind is whether or not I'm going to swear by Almighty God (or an alternative god of my choice) or not. They say that we can opt to make a non-religious assertion if we prefer, and that it carries just the same weight as swearing an oath. But if that's really true then why doesn't everyone just do the assertion? Why is god even involved here? If I'm lying then my chosen all-seeing god'll surely know anyway, whether or not I've sworn on a bible...
They make no excuses for the fact that jury service is basically a waiting game. 50 of us in a holding area with ancient copies of Reader's Digest to thumb through. There are no current newspapers allowed for obvious reasons, and no current magazines simply because there's no budget for them.
Did I just turn 65, or have 2-year-old Reader's Digests always been this good? Or maybe it's just that the Digest is preferable to staring at my feet for six hours... Beetroot soup with potato gratin... can't tear the pages out but I'm trying to commit the recipe to memory... I can pick up the ingredients from Waitrose on the way home...
Samwell's Blog entries 2 - 11 of 13 
Jury Service... 4 comments
Comment by Rob on Thursday, 8th June 2006, 8:38pm
poor sam, just as it gets hot out there too!
Comment by JustinK on Friday, 9th June 2006, 11:01am
I did jury service three years ago, and it was so boring. I fell asleep during the proceedings, and I was voted the foreman too! dont recommend it. LOL
Comment by Doug on Friday, 7th July 2006, 2:29pm
You should always have done what my housemate did at college.... turn up wearing Sid Viscious "Nobody is Innocent!" tee-shirt. You soooo wont get chosen :-)
Comment by Scottish on Saturday, 15th July 2006, 6:11pm
Gawd - I remember when I did my Jury Service.
read morethe most entertaining bit of the whole thing. Oh and one of the witnesses using the word consumed, when he was more likely to use pissed!!! Come to think of it, he probably doesn't know how to spell consumed!!!
2 weeks off work and I was actually in court about 2 days. I had to read the verdict aswell. It was all dramatised of course. I did the pause, looked at the defendent, looked at the judge, paused for a while. Then said not guilty!!!
That was probably ...
Jury Service... 4 comments