Survivor Number 6...

I got picked for jury duty today. I get to the local courthouse a bit early and since I was the 6th person to arrive, I ended up being juror number 6 in the first big jury pool of the morning. After filling out the juror questionnaire, we headed up to a waiting area and watched the obligatory video describing how to fill out the form we already filled out. By the way, Mayor Nutter has done away with coffee and donuts for jurors, so, if you get picked, be sure to have breakfast before you arrive.

The first big jury pool of the day contained 100 members. The first phase of selection was to turn in the jury questionnaires, so, that the prosecution and defense can review the forms and excuse perspective jurors sight-unseen. After sitting for a while waiting for a lengthy review, several of the perspective jurors were excused -- I wasn't one of the excused.

After the first round of cuts to the perspective juror pool, the survivors were ushered into an actual court room where we got our first look at the defense and prosecution and met the judge. The judge introduced herself and gave us a rundown on why we were there and what was expected of us. After a number of questions to the jury pool like are you a U.S. citizen, the judge asked if anyone had a hardship and all of a sudden, most of the jury pool decided that they didn't want to be there. Well, the judge looked at all those hands and said, I know that some of you are lying about hardship and when I interview each of you, one on one, I'll find out for sure which one. A few people felt their hands getting heavier all of a sudden. After a few more questions, the judge invited us to wait in the waiting area once again.

In the waiting area, a number of the perspective jurors were asked to leave -- I had survived, yet again. Afterwards, the surviving members of the juror pool were asked to fill out a second questionnaire regarding our ability to render a fair and impartial verdict. Then, it was time for lunch.

After lunch, the surviving members of the jury pool met again in the waiting area and several of us where excused -- again, I was one of the survivors. There were now fifteen of us left. The judge would interview each of us one by one, the defense and prosecution would also ask questions and they would decide who would stay. During the second round of questioning, earlier in the day, I noticed a couple of police officers in the back of the court room on one side and a couple of other people -- presumably the family of the defendant -- on the other side in the back.

During this, the third round of questioning, I sat in the empty jury box, next to the judge, the prosecution was near me and the defense was further away. There was a crowd of people in the gallery -- I'm not sure whether they were family, reporters, spectators, or all of the above. The judge asked if I knew anyone convicted of a crime and, of course, I do. So, I mentioned that my younger brother in currently serving a life sentence for second degree murder. Then, the judge wanted to know if I knew someone who was a witness to a crime. So, yet again, I explained that Mom witnessed a murder back when Arlen Specter was a DA and had provided testimony against the suspect -- the suspect later tried to kill Mom. Obviously, he didn't succeed. Then, the judge wanted to know if I had ever been the victim of a crime and yet again, the answer was yes. A while back my house had been robbed -- the thief stole a pair of shoes and a gallon of milk. Police later shot the thief to death -- I didn't miss him.

After the interview, I was ushered out into the hall and became one of the excused. I was really hoping to get picked, but, it seems there was just a bit too much drama in my life for anyone's liking. They didn't say anything in the court room that would indicate that I wasn't picked, but, apparently there must have been some kind of secret signal to the guard who escorted us to and from the waiting area, because he new instantly that I was rejected. But, I guess I should have known that I just wasn't meant to be.