The judge was an old buddy: when you're hot you're hot!

[MickinMD ★]

"Well when he took us into court I couldn't believe my eyes
The judge was a fishin' buddy that I recognized..." - Jerry Reed, When You're Hot, You're Hot

Today's Jury Duty adventure began with me driving, via a Garmin automobile GPS unit, toward the parking garage 1/2 mile from the courthouse where I was supposed to be able to catch a shuttlebus to the courthouse at 7:30 am and get there on time before the 8 am deadline. The GPS announced "Arriving at Park Place Garage," but I didn't see it.  It was too early in the morning, around 7:20 am, for me to think clearly and the GPS had sent me to a point where I was driving North on West Street when, in the past without GPS, I had always entered West Street at a different point and driven South to get downtown. I wasn't familiar with the section of it I was now on.  Worse, I had "driving south" in my head was looking on the wrong side of the street for the parking garage.  When the GPS had announced the arrival there was a $6 all-day garage right there so eventually there I parked: $4 more than the only-court-voucher-garage charges, but I didn't want to be late.

So now it was 7:27 am and I didn't see any shuttlebus stop so, knowing it was only about a 10 minute walk on a 42F but no-rain day to the Courthouse on Church Circle and that West Street ran uphill into the circle, I began walking uphill on West Street. Of course, being turned around I walked in the wrong direction - which was initially uphill! I walked several minutes and began to get the sinking feeling I was going the wrong way so I tried to find someone to ask directions, being too cheap to use my limited Tracfone minutes on Internet-assisted GPS. I mean, it's at the end of THIS road, right? It was too early in the morning for most businesses to be open but then I saw a Thai restaurant with a neon "OPEN" sign lit in its window. I crossed the street to it and a well dressed man with carryout was walking to his Mercedes.  "Is Church Circle this way?" "No, it's that way!" "Thanks! I've got jury duty, started walking from the garage, and have just enough time to walk there without being late." "Jury duty, huh? Hop in!"

So a Good Samaritan named Doug got me to the courthouse with 11 minutes to spare!  Later, after we left court for the day, two women jurors who had found the Park Place Garage because there are signs for it ONLY if you approach driving South - which they did, and I decided to walk (downhill!) to our garages - instead of waiting up to 30 min. for the shuttlebus.  They showed me the tiny sign for the garage and the fact you have to drive behind a building that doesn't look like a parking garage to enter it.  So I'm good if I have to go in again.

So, after Doug dropped me off, I showed up for Jury Duty today, Tuesday.  After orientation a bailiff walked in the jury room and said, "We need the following 35 jurors for the Voir Dire Panel (from which the final 6 jurors and 3 alternates would be picked for a civil trial) for Judge Silkworth's court."

I smiled. Ron Silkworth was a year ahead of me in high school and years later I played 1st base, he played 2nd, and 2 of his other 3 brothers played shortstop and 3rd on a men's Jaycees league softball team in our younger days. We spent time together in our 30's looking for women in bars. His twin brother got me into teaching. His youngest brother is a Facebook friend. But I hadn't seen him for years so I wondered if the connections mattered.

The jury selection for a civil trial, expected to run 10 days, claiming a doctor wrongly delivered a baby who developed a form of palsy went as usual: did anyone know the plaintiff, defendant, lawyers, etc. when His Honor said, "I am Judge Ronald Silkworth. Does anyone on the Panel know me personally?" and smiled at me.

I stood up and he asked me to approach the bench. After the how are you's I explained to the lawyers how I know the Judge and he added some things he thought relevant, pointed out my political activity and government commission positions occurred without his involvement, etc. I pointed out to the attorneys His Honor (I had to fight the urge to say "Ron") was a superb 2nd baseman: we were District Champs. He asked if our friendship would affect my ability to serve on the jury and reach a fair verdict, I said no, returned to my seat and wondered if that would eliminate or make it more likely I'd be selected.

But then Judge Ron asked, "Do any members of the panel know each other?" and one young woman stood up, pointed at me and said, "Mr. Cashen was my chemistry teacher at Old Mill High."

Then a middle aged woman stood up, pointed at me and said, "Mr. Cashen was my chemistry teacher at Brooklyn Park High."

Both had aged enough I only recognized them after they made their announcements. I was a surprised, but not by a lot considering there are thousands of such people in our county - one of my nephew Ryan's teachers this year is a former student of mine as well.

I had to stand up each time and affirm that my association with them would have no bearing on my ability to serve as juror.

I also had to report and affirm no bearing on the fact my sister is a cancer research nurse and that I had been Anne Arundel County Government's expert witness in a civil court case vs the State of Maryland and the U.S. Coast Guard over the handling of hazardous waste in our county (we lost the case but I was right: half a year later, the warming Spring arrived and the unlined steel drums began leaking as I predicted and it made me a local TV News star for a few weeks).

One of the other jurors on the panel turned to me and said, "You know everybody. You're out of here!"

She was right. I wasn't picked. Maybe Judge Ron did me a favor!

I didn't have to report for duty on Monday and I don't on Wednesday. Another set of juror group numbers is showing up for the first time Wednesday and yet another on Thursday. So there's a good chance I won't be called back: Jury Duty ends after Friday unless I'm picked for a trial.

[Johnny Come Lately Name]

Last time I got called, I didn’t get picked, but since my BIL was one of the arresting officers and I knew the star witness for the prosecution, I’m pretty sure I would have been booted.

Perks of living in a small town, for so long.

[donkpow]

Do they serve donuts and coffee to prospective juries where you live?

[shootingstar]

Hope I never get picked for jury duty. 

I worked for the courts...more specifically serving the judges in a province (not my present one) in the area of research for several years. 

The Chief judge/head honcho was an oil and acrylic painter to de-stress. Several paintings were hung in his office.  Real paintings (not prints) glow in their colours.. He was known in the legal world, to occasionally donate a painting as a fundraiser.  

Across the hall from our dept., another judge outfitted her office with all sorts of artwork she purchased.  She is now at the Supreme Court of Canada.  (Well, several judges from our province at the time I worked there, ended up at the Supreme Court of Canada.)

 

[MickinMD ★]

13 minutes ago, donkpow said:

Do they serve donuts and coffee to prospective juries where you live?

No. And you're not allowed to bring any liquids into the courthouse. They've become extremely cheap. In 1998 they did serve coffee when I served on a criminal trial jury in the same court.  In 2008 I don't think they did - but I only had to go in one day and didn't have a trial.  This time they added insult to injury: they still only pay $15, but they offer nothing, the cafeteria in the basement of the court building is now overpriced, and they give you a voucher for one parking lot 1/2 mile from the courthouse but you still have to pay $2 of the parking.

[donkpow]

22 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

No. And you're not allowed to bring any liquids into the courthouse. They've become extremely cheap. In 1998 they did serve coffee when I served on a criminal trial jury in the same court.  In 2008 I don't think they did - but I only had to go in one day and didn't have a trial.  This time they added insult to injury: they still only pay $15, but they offer nothing, the cafeteria in the basement of the court building is now overpriced, and they give you a voucher for one parking lot 1/2 mile from the courthouse but you still have to pay $2 of the parking.

Tsk. Disappointing.

[Scrapr ★]

Thank you for doing your service. It's a tribute to your life well lived that so many randomized people know you. Huzzah!