Duty Free

Back in March, I was trying to recall when I got my letter asking me some questions on jury duty eligibility.  After receiving a letter telling me to report for Jury Selection at the Toronto courthouse, May 22nd.

I'd been through this once before, like 15 yrs ago.  Your employer has to allow you to go, and pay you for the time taken.  Jury selection is a multi-day process.  There are usually several trials ready to go, and they need jurors.  The letter will indicate for you to expect 5 days sitting around waiting to be considered for a trial.  And then one by one, each potential juror will go up to the front chair by the judge and be interviewed.  Then prosecutor and defence teams will decide whether they want you or reject you.

I vaguely remember the last time I went through this, as it was so long back.   This time the entire group of 200+ people were brought into a large courtroom.  They pulled name cards and called your Juror Number and Occupation, like it was a raffle.  They did not call your name, for security reasons.  They were creating 3 groups of 20 people from which they would select 14 jurors and 2 alternates.

Typically it's maximum 12, plus 2 alternates.  But this trial was a murder trial.  The first juror they called was way at the back and had to call his number 3x.  He was also old and took him 10 mins to get to the front to line up.  This was a slow and painful process, we'll be doing this all day, I thought.  They got their first group of 20 potentials and off they went to a room to wait to be interviewed for further selection.

The second group was formed,  and off they went to a separate room to wait until they were called for interviews.  The last group was being formed.  And they called me!  I was the first of Group C.   They would likely form most of their jury from the first 40, but there was a very high probability they would select me for interview to be an alternate.  Our group was marched off to another floor to be sequestered and wait until they had gone through interviewing groups A & B.

We waited all day, it was a dreary and rainy day too.  But it was nice and air-conditioned in the courthouse.  Our group was mostly quiet.  With a few chatterboxes and one particular fellow who was not interested in becoming a juror for the next 5-6 weeks.   He was asking all sorts of questions like - "Do alternates have to come to the trial?", which they do.  They need to be there for the full course to hear and see evidence presented and testimonies.   It only makes sense.   They wouldn't replay everything if they needed an alternate to step in, that would be a waste of time.   Why waste everyone's time when you can just waste the alternate jurors.  That's more efficient.

It wasn't all a waste of a day for me.  I did get in some work.  I was able to hotspot my phone and connect to docs that I needed to update.  It helped to pass the time.  I also got to have lunch at Village By the Grange.  I had not been there in at least 15yrs, when I was working at Sun Micro downtown.  The Caribbean Island roti place was no longer there.  But there was another Jamaican food place so I had that the first day for lunch.  It was good.  I noticed prices were much higher and food portions a bit smaller.  But that's okay for my waistline.

Back to waiting at the courthouse.  We were kept until 530pm.  They were halfway through B at the end of day 1 and had 11 jurors selected.  The bailiff told me judges don't work over the summer or Christmas.  So this trial will be done by end of June.  We were told to come back the next day.

The next morning, I had forgotten my jury selection papers and had to call Kieran to bring them to me at the subway station.  I was supposed to be at the courthouse for 930am.  I was over 45mins late.   And they interview potentials in the order they were selected in their group.  I was "C-1".

I arrived to the room, and noticed it was not as full as yesterday. The bailiff in the room asked me which number I was.  I said I was C-1, he got on his phone and notified someone that C-1 had arrived.  A few mins later the door opened and the bailiff called out for C-1 and took me down a floor to the courtroom to where the other half of our group was waiting to be interviewed.   She told me that I didn't need that paper. They would have just looked at my ID.  Then I took my seat that was right next to the court room door.

Apparently they had selected 14 jurors, and were looking for their 2 alternates.  The chatty fellow as C-3, and he was saying how some people got excused because they were feeling ill.  He asked if he came in drunk would they kick him out and excuse him from the trial.

The door opened.  I was called in and sat down in the chair beside the judge's bench.  It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.  Both the prosecutor and defence and defendant were present.  But I could not see them as there was something blocking my view.

The judge read my questionnaire.  He asked me a few questions, related to the case being tried.  Once he was satisfied with my responses, they made the decision and said I was excused from this trial.  Phew!  I was escorted out of the courtroom and I passed by my other C-group members and said I was excused.  They replied - are you free now?  I said I was told to head back down the main room to wait for further instructions.

There were several other trials looking to get a jury, and they were going and coming.  About 15mins later, the rest of my group came down to the corral to wait like I was instructed.  They selected C-2, and the chatty trying to get out of jury duty - C-3!  We all had a chuckle.  As karma got him.  He was so bent on getting excused.  Next time he should not speak so loudly in the court house, the court gods heard him and made him an alternate for the next 5-6wks.  lol :-)

We all waited in a row by the window, waiting for further instructions.  The 2nd half of group B was also there that didn't get selected.  We all chatted about what questions they were asked.  Mostly they were about the trial.

It was Friday, and at 330pm - they told us not to come back on Monday.  We were free from jury duty selection for the next 3yrs!