Monday, February 29, 2016
Happy Fourth Birthday to Happy in Hainesport
It's February 29th, and Happy in Hainesport gets to celebrate its fourth birthday on the real date. This year, or some reason, I started thinking of this annual milestone as an anniversary rather than a birthday. That lead to thinking about anniversary gifts. The traditional gift for a fourth anniversary is fruit or flowers. Writing can be flowery, and the subject matter can be fruity. Isn't that profound? Here's to another year of profound insights (probably not), craft projects, Mike's verbal faux pas, and fluff stuff.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Petit Jury Duty in Burlington County
I have been called for jury duty several times in the past. Sometimes I wasn't needed, and I was excused the night before. Other times I reported, but didn't get selected. That was all good with me because I didn't want to participate. I didn't have a valid reason to ask to be excused - no health problems, family problems, or legal problems. I would even receive my regular salary for as long as any trial might last because I was a public employee. Unless a case would be as as juicy and long lasting as the O. J. Simpson trial, I didn't want to be picked. I hated those summonses that appeared in my mailbox every few years, and I was pleased that after four or five calls over the span or a couple of decades, the notices stopped.
Then in early 2015, I got a jury duty summons. I was scheduled to serve during the last week of April 2015. We had a vacation scheduled for that week. We also had trips planned for August 2015 and December 2015 into January 2016. I sent back all the dates that I would be out of the area, and I hoped the powers that be might forget about me. Instead of being forgotten, I was put on notice that I should report to the Jury Management Office on February 8, 2016 - save the date eleven months hence.
In order to serve as a petit juror, one has to be a Burlington County resident and a United States citizen of at least eighteen years of age. Those selected must be physically and mentally able to perform the functions of a juror, be able to read and understand English, and they must not have been convicted of an indictable offense. Jury service consists of sitting around being on-call for two days. If during those two days, you are selected for a jury, you are on duty until the end of that trial. Once your service is complete, you are excused for three years. Jurors receive $5.00 per day for service. After three days, petit jurors receive $40.00 per day.
In the old days, I had to call the jury office after hours on the night before my reporting date to see if I would be needed. Nowadays, though you can still telephone, the information is online.
On Monday afternoon, I showed up with four hundred other people. We checked in, sat down, and watched HGTV. The jury room was equipped with men's and lady's lavatories. There was free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. There were dozens of magazines organized in racks along one of the walls. We had a refrigerator and microwave at our disposal. My God, they even had free WIFI. We received a pamphlet explaining court procedure (all those seasons of watching "The Good Wife" were truly informative) and we watched a DVD in which jury selection and court room procedure were demonstrated by actors (definitely not as entertaining as "The Good Wife"). The orientation over, we were surveyed to see who could, without hardship, show up for a trial that would last for the next three weeks. About one hundred people had to come back the next afternoon to see who would be picked for the jury.
The next day we sat around waiting for about two hours. Finally, the parties came to an agreement. There would be no jury trail, and we could all go home. I could expect a check for $10.00 to arrive in the mail in about three weeks.
So that was it. I should have been glad. However, I was a little disappointed. Maybe retirement has changed my attitude. I wouldn't mind going back. In fact, if the chairs were just a little more comfortable, I wouldn't even take the money.
Then in early 2015, I got a jury duty summons. I was scheduled to serve during the last week of April 2015. We had a vacation scheduled for that week. We also had trips planned for August 2015 and December 2015 into January 2016. I sent back all the dates that I would be out of the area, and I hoped the powers that be might forget about me. Instead of being forgotten, I was put on notice that I should report to the Jury Management Office on February 8, 2016 - save the date eleven months hence.
In order to serve as a petit juror, one has to be a Burlington County resident and a United States citizen of at least eighteen years of age. Those selected must be physically and mentally able to perform the functions of a juror, be able to read and understand English, and they must not have been convicted of an indictable offense. Jury service consists of sitting around being on-call for two days. If during those two days, you are selected for a jury, you are on duty until the end of that trial. Once your service is complete, you are excused for three years. Jurors receive $5.00 per day for service. After three days, petit jurors receive $40.00 per day.
In the old days, I had to call the jury office after hours on the night before my reporting date to see if I would be needed. Nowadays, though you can still telephone, the information is online.
On Monday afternoon, I showed up with four hundred other people. We checked in, sat down, and watched HGTV. The jury room was equipped with men's and lady's lavatories. There was free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. There were dozens of magazines organized in racks along one of the walls. We had a refrigerator and microwave at our disposal. My God, they even had free WIFI. We received a pamphlet explaining court procedure (all those seasons of watching "The Good Wife" were truly informative) and we watched a DVD in which jury selection and court room procedure were demonstrated by actors (definitely not as entertaining as "The Good Wife"). The orientation over, we were surveyed to see who could, without hardship, show up for a trial that would last for the next three weeks. About one hundred people had to come back the next afternoon to see who would be picked for the jury.
The next day we sat around waiting for about two hours. Finally, the parties came to an agreement. There would be no jury trail, and we could all go home. I could expect a check for $10.00 to arrive in the mail in about three weeks.
So that was it. I should have been glad. However, I was a little disappointed. Maybe retirement has changed my attitude. I wouldn't mind going back. In fact, if the chairs were just a little more comfortable, I wouldn't even take the money.
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