Jury Duty: Half Day Today, More Later

[canyonwalker]

When I was summoned to the court today for jury duty, things unfolded a bit differently than last time. Today we did not have voir dire but instead received a briefing about a trial, were asked to complete a written questionnaire, and were sent home for the day. We prospective jurors are due back in court in a few weeks for voir dire to determine who's impaneled on the jury.

Per the judge's instructions I will not discuss details of this case until my involvement in it is over. That includes the names of the defendants and the charges being tried. Please don't ask.

Comments

[kjn]

Does that mean you're off any other cases in the interim?

[canyonwalker]

Correct, I'm off other cases in the interim. I'll return in a few weeks to continue with this one. Even then, the chances are roughly 2/3 I won't be seated on the jury. That's because there are approximately 50 of us in the juror pool attached to this case, for a jury that will be composed of 12 jurors plus 3 alternates. If I'm not seated then my jury service is complete at that point. Otherwise, if I am seated on the jury, then my service is the remainder of the trial.