I got my jury duty notice today.
Despite the fact that I’ve been called for jury duty at least 5 times and had to sit in the waiting room at least twice (wasting an entire day in the process) I have never learned anything about the judicial process. I haven’t even been questioned by a lawyer or see the inside of a courtroom. I imagine them as a magical place where law gets done. Or made. Or whatever you do with law.
It strikes me that this is a missed opportunity to educate the general population on civics. When you have my undivided attention for an entire day you could:
- Take me on a tour of the courthouse, explaining why I’m there
- Have a question/answer session with a judge or clerk about the process
- Get a visit from a city council member (when else do you get a representative sample of the city together in one place without sample bias?)
- Have someone from the mayor’s office talk about the projects the city is working on
- Educated me about the 2,500 propositions on the ballot in the upcoming election
It’s also a prime opportunity to get some volunteer work accomplished. Rather than sitting there reading a book, I’d happily write letters to soldiers or make holiday cards for the homeless. If I’m willing to take a few hours out of the week to help why not let me give the time you’re already taking?
This is, of course, wishful thinking.
There may be a lot of great ways to spend the time but I have no doubt that I’ll spend it just like I’ve spent every other time: Sitting around and reading a book all day. Yay.
