Jury Duty Day 1

715a Left home for Clark County Regional Justice Center.

Metal Detector Line

750a Finally got to Fremont Experience Parking Garage on 4th Street. Four block walk to Clark County Regional Justice Center.

800a Stuck in metal detector line. Went quickly actually. Didn't have to remove my shoes but I did have to take off my belt. Huh? Note to self, don't wear a belt tomorrow.

810a Walked into the big jury services room late. Prob 300 people in here. Comfortable seats. Not too hot. Staffer went thru parking & brief on what's happening. Then showed a video going over procedure for selection. Best part was it was with Kim & Dana Wagner. I love those 2. Got parking validated. 

View from the 6th floor

845a First break. 

910a This is such a sham. We're watching a video about being a foster parent. Am I here for jury duty or to listen to sob stories about why I should be a better person? They're trying to recruit me. Ridiculous. Come up with a better system & stop wasting my time. "We're looking for men," she declares. Aren't we all sister. 

915a More sitting doing nothing. At the beginning I had an empty seat on either side of me. Now, because there is seating underneath the video screens I have a little man who sniffs a lot next to me. Bummer. It's kinda like being in coach and hoping, praying the person walking down the isle doesn't have the middle seat next to you. 

My (non-Mac)Book

930a I have a John Sanford book with me but I don't have the attention span at the moment to read it. Judging by the dog eared page I am half way thru it. Must have been left over from a flight a while ago. I started over with chapter 1. 

932a I'm starving. I was running late and didn't eat breakfast. Starting to get a headache, although I don't think it's from hunger. I think it's from the horrid cologne/perfume of someone sitting in the vicinity.

I can hear the person behind me tapping on a laptop. I should have brought my Air. 

935a It's gonna be a long morning. Three minutes since my last post. Might be time to put on Botti on the iShuffle.

940a My only saving grace is no one is trying to talk to me and aside from the couple sitting in front of me no one is really talking, period. How the hell did the two lovebirds get jury duty together anyhow? Don't tell me they met here.

Group 1 line-up

945a Line up not terribly efficient. Organizer just called the start and end number. We all have to line up numerically. Not complicated but there are 300 people in here. I think she said there are 65 people in the first group. Comical actually. I'm badge 220167. I'm seventh in line for the first group called. Hopefully I'll either get on a jury and my time will fly by or I'll get excused and I'll get to go home. 

950p Turn off your cel phones. Moving to elvators. Joe Downing is our marshall. He's jovial. Nice smile. Cracking jokes. "Hate this part," he remarks (waiting for elevator). Going to 10th floor. Going down first because elevator is so full. Trying to get 65 people up five flights in an elevator is kind of insipid. Being stuck in a packed elevator with strangers, not my idea of fun. When we were waiting for the elevator someone asked, "Should just take the stairs?" "Someone's liable to pass out halfay up," the marshall joked. 

View from 10th floor

955a View from the 10th floor courtroom lobby. Waiting for the other five elevators full of the first group to arrive. Twenty of us made it up five minutes before the next load dropped. 

1007a Everyone finally up. All lined up in front of courtroom 10c. It's like a firing squad going in to see Judge James Bixler in Department 24 District Court.

There's an older female attorney talking to her client. She looks like a scruffy Cathy Bates from that new Harry's Law tv show. Her client looks like a truck driver.

Courtroom 10C

1015a Marshall taking roll call again. Getting instructions. Walking into courtroom.

1015a Enter Juryroom.

1155p Break. Tried to get off jury. Judge indicated this could be a three week trial. I told the judge I have a trip scheduled on March 26. He said, "If we're still here I'll shoot myself."

1245p 40 minute break for lunch. Elevator is a joke so I walked down 10 flights of stairs. Paid $9 for a Capriatti's sub in the Justice Center. Not great food. Accidentally ate an onion. Note to self, bring a bag with lunch & gum tomorrow.

125p I took the elevator down to basement from first floor to take it back up to the tenth floor. Female lawyer commented, "Ya been here one day & you already know the tricks." 

Nice view

130p judge said be back by 125p. Marshall just let us back in. Round 2. We're only thru one person voir dire. Already went thru dismissal of a dozen people. I wasn't one of them. I'm middle row, 2nd seat from my left. I'm guessing that means I'm juror 7 but who knows.

535p Wrapped for the day. No preemptory strikes today. We still have two more out of twelve jurors to voir dire. 

600p Home.