This post is a continuation of a previous post: Jury Duty (Part 1). If you haven’t read the first part, I suggest you do so now. Otherwise, the rest of the story may not make much sense.
As soon as I arrived at the courthouse on the first day of the trial, my attitude about having to serve on jury duty began to change. I was no longer dreading the situation; instead, I was starting to look forward to it. Just the simple acts of walking into the courthouse, going through security, being let into the juror’s lounge through a private entrance, and being prepped for the trial by the court officer gave me an entirely new perspective on the judicial system and the way the courts work.
It was at this point that I fully understood just how important the jury was. My decision would significantly affect someone’s life.
When you’re put in this position, you can’t help but take everything very seriously. When the judge says not to have any preconceived notions, you don’t. When you’re told not to jump to any conclusions before hearing all of the testimony and seeing all of the evidence, you don’t. And when you’re told not to discuss the case with the other jurors before deliberation officially begins, you don’t. The idea of breaking any of these rules suddenly seems like a life or death situation. You do not want to piss off the judge.
