In February, I received my first ever jury summons. In Illinois, you have to call a hotline confirming availability; I did that, and a few weeks later I received a second letter giving me a specific day and time to arrive at Dirksen Federal Courthouse in the Loop. I filled out an online questionnaire and called the hotline again. I arrived Monday morning, April 21st surrounded by coverage of Pope Francis' passing, but also surrounded by over a hundred other possible jurors.
We filled out another questionnaire, watched two introductory videos, and after sitting around for an hour we were all escorted upstairs to a 17th floor courtroom. We were introduced to the judge and sat through the basic details of a federal trial. At 10:45, after the first 16 potential jurors were chosen for interview, the rest of us were told to come back in an hour. I had back to the second floor commons, where I had an outstanding cheeseburger for an early lunch. When I went back up to the 17th floor at 11:40, I was notified that the trial had been cancelled, and to call the hotline again after 5.
Lo and behold, I was summoned again. I arrived before 8:30 that Tuesday, sat around for an hour (again), and watch the same two videos as before. It was a smaller group this time, maybe 30 of us. Just after 9:30, we were escorted out to the hallway, then notified that we weren't needed at all today, and told to call the hotline again. At 5 PM that night, I was told I wasn't needed anymore. So much for lives in the balance; at least I only missed half a day of work.
If anything of value came from this experience, now I know where to find a good cheeseburger in the Loop.
Other notes:
+ This lapsed Catholic is relieved by the election of Robert Cardinal Provost to Pope Leo XIV. American Catholicism is steadily pivoting harder to the right, and Leo is both a Chicagoan *and* a progressive in the vein of Francis I. It's also a sideways rebuke of Trumpism, following liberal victories in (wary) US ally nations like Canada and Australia.
+ Where are those low gas prices?
+ With that said... this is my 750th blog entry. I stopped writing weekly in late 2012, but if I had the time and energy and kept it up, I'd be well past 1,000 by now. On top of that, next month marks 20 years of blogging, both here and on CNet. I've always had a modest number of regular readers, several of whom have come and gone, but I'm thankful regardless that you still check in.
Next time: my annual "mindset list."
(750)
