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Well, I called up the number on Friday, and, yes, they want me to come on over on Monday. And I suppose I'll have to get up early, since the courthouse is even further from here than my office, though admittedly not by much.
I really shouldn't complain. The Massachusetts state court system has probably the most humane jury-duty setup I've ever heard of; it's "one day or one trial", meaning that if you sit around at the courthouse for a whole day without getting selected, you're off the hook for three years, and if you actually get on a jury, when the trial is over you're off the hook for three years. This means that they have to spend more effort selecting and summoning people than in a system where your butt is owned for weeks on end, but they figure this is good for civic spirit since almost everybody gets called in sooner or later, and the motivation to get out of jury duty by any means necessary is reduced.
The only time I ever actually went in for jury duty, it was at the East Cambridge courthouse and I didn't come close to getting on a jury. The main thing I learned is that it's very important to bring a book, because no matter what, you're going to spend a lot of time waiting.
I really shouldn't complain. The Massachusetts state court system has probably the most humane jury-duty setup I've ever heard of; it's "one day or one trial", meaning that if you sit around at the courthouse for a whole day without getting selected, you're off the hook for three years, and if you actually get on a jury, when the trial is over you're off the hook for three years. This means that they have to spend more effort selecting and summoning people than in a system where your butt is owned for weeks on end, but they figure this is good for civic spirit since almost everybody gets called in sooner or later, and the motivation to get out of jury duty by any means necessary is reduced.
The only time I ever actually went in for jury duty, it was at the East Cambridge courthouse and I didn't come close to getting on a jury. The main thing I learned is that it's very important to bring a book, because no matter what, you're going to spend a lot of time waiting.