Day in the Life

Jury Duty

Last spring I received an envelope from the Cumberland County Clerk of Courts. I must admit that I was a tad apprehensive about opening it as I had a suspicion of what it would entail. As expected, I had been selected for possible Jury Duty. The envelope contained a qualification questionnaire to complete and return to the court. I understand that jury duty is my civic responsibility. If chosen, it will involve serving on a jury in a legal proceeding, listening to testimony, reviewing evidence, and making decisions in criminal and civil trials. Everyone deserves a fair trial by a jury of their peers. I would want that if I was in that position as a defendant. However, with the uncertainty of what hours/days of being called to jury duty and for how long a time commitment, if being honest, jury duty, at that time, did not seem appealing. But, I knew it was MY civic duty and I will serve.  

Courts randomly select qualified citizens from voter lists. In Maine, you must be at least 18 years old, a US citizen, and a resident of Maine. You must be able to read, speak, and understand English, unless you have a physical disability. Did you know that some people are exempt from jury duty, including the Governor, active duty military, and certain election officials? Length of service for jury duty can last 1–2 days for jury selection, plus 2–3 days for each trial. As for pay and reimbursement, in Maine, jurors receive $15 per day plus $.45 per mile for travel. 

I waited all spring through the fall with no response from the Clerk of Courts. I was optimistically thinking that I had escaped the call to duty. Then a second letter arrived in late December instructing me to be in attendance at Superior Court on January 31st for a jury pre-selection orientation. I arrived well before the 8:30am deadline and cleared security with bag check and metal detectors. I walked down the marble and terrazzo flooring with geometric designs to the assigned courtroom and was ushered inside. The courtroom was covered in beautifully carved wood paneling and trim, coffered ceiling with grid-like recessed panels, all of which added depth, dimension, and a sense of architectural elegance to the room. A wall of portraits, representing past and current judges, presided over the courtroom, appearing to watch over the group that was assembled before them. As I surveyed the room, I noticed an equal amount of men and women and that our ages seemed to be evenly distributed. It was interesting to note no one of color was represented, at least not in my 8:30am time slot. There were 3 other groups of possible jurors scheduled throughout the day. While waiting for the Judge to arrive, any conversation among the potential jurors was in hushed tones, being respectful of the room and the proceedings. 

We all rose when the Judge entered. She began by instructing the group on why we were there, how we were randomly chosen, and what our duty would entail, from Jury Pool to Jury Box. Being summoned for jury service does not mean that a person will end up serving on a jury. When a jury is needed for a trial, a group of qualified jurors who reported to court in response to the jury summons is taken to the courtroom where the trial will take place. The judge and attorneys ask the potential jurors questions, general or related to the specific case before them, to determine their suitability to serve on the jury. This process is called voir dire, (which I had only heard before in the comedy “My Cousin Vinny”; the story about an improbable lawyer with New Jersey accent winning his first case in a southern court of law). This typically results in some prospective jurors being excused, based on their answers, from serving in that trial. The attorneys also may exclude a certain number of jurors without giving a reason. 

At this pre-selection orientation, we were given several questionnaires to answer that had been prepared by the attorneys of several upcoming cases. It was obvious from those questions what type of cases would be involved. All questions were meant to gauge any possible bias of a potential juror. The questions were all answered under oath. Now we wait until February 10th to see if we are chosen for a jury pool. At that time, we could face 1-2 days of direct questioning from trial attorneys to ascertain if we are indeed going from jury pool to jury box. And then the trial begins. 

Serving on a jury and participating in our justice system is a fundamental civic responsibility. The right to a trial by jury is enshrined in our Constitution, which means that citizens have the right to be part of a jury that decides cases and that defendants have the right to a jury of their peers. I know I would want someone like me to be on the jury if in that position.