News at 11:00
Monday August 22nd 2011, 11:08 pm
Filed under: Lupus,Politics

I’m willing to do my civic responsibility if I can. I woke up one day in the last few weeks with my blood pressure so low I couldn’t walk upright for the first little bit, much less drive a car. It threw me; I haven’t had the brainstem lupus flare up like that in quite awhile. But I had been exposed to a cold and that first day especially, my immune system was on the attack.

Jury duty, day one: instructions to check online at 11:00.

Instructions at 11:00: check for instructions at 5:00.

Instructions at 5:00: check for instructions at 11:00. (I’m sure a lot of you know the drill.)

They could require me to show up five cities away in the morning rush hour. Technically, though, I’m already out of there because I asked and was told parking at San Jose would be several city blocks’ walk in the sun and impossible to do in under two minutes. Exactly the thing that would set off inflammation in my brain, eyes, and heart.

I mentioned about the parking to my doctor and he offered me a note faster than I could request it.

The courts are underfunded like everything else and the paperwork appears not to have been processed yet. Part of me hopes, moreover, to be able to play my part in the process of granting someone their fair trial. And so I check my juror number, my pocket scissors already off my keychain.

And wait.


13 Comments so far
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Good luck getting someone to understand the doctor’s letter. I had my orthopedic surgeon write a letter to excuse me from jury duty for life because my double hip replacements and scoliosis prevented me from sitting on those hard wooden chairs for hours on end without being able to get up and move around regularly. The clerk who reviewed my letter insisted that I would be reinstated for jury duty after two years in case my health issues changed. What?! My hips will suddenly regenerate new bones I guess!!!

Comment by Jody 08.23.11 @ 4:47 am

No good deed goes unpunished. I sure hope you don’t have to go anywhere.

Comment by Channon 08.23.11 @ 6:41 am

Good luck. I loathe, detest and despise jury duty. I hate it, too. I was a legal secretary for 25 years, and was summoned every two years, and never, ever sat on a jury. I was laid off in the 90’s, explored a new path, was seated on a jury involving unlawful handling of human remains. Yuck. Legal again, summoned, and finally lost it when an arrogant, [expletive deleted] attorney made a fundamental error in voir dire — he assumed. I called him on it, cracked up the entire court, and was dismissed by the defense attorney who was holding his sides at the time. Haven’t had jury duty since. I think my picture is on the wall.

Comment by Patricia Day 08.23.11 @ 7:39 am

I have been asked to serve on jury duty as least twice, they have a permanent note from my doctor, stating that I have severe migraines.They understand that if I were to serve, I would need a ememis basin permanently attached. Not a pretty site.

Comment by kristy phipps 08.23.11 @ 8:44 am

I’ve been called several times, but have never served. The last two times a group of us waited in a room, and then were told the defendants had settled, or whatever. Haven’t heard since. I don’t know what my doctor told them; maybe that I was comatose.

Comment by Don Meyer 08.23.11 @ 9:07 am

My Dad LOVED his time on jury duty! The guy loves all those legal dramas. It was like a vacation from his rut. My mom, on the other hand, was completely messed over by her employer because they made her use her vacation time to serve. Seriously. Nurse in a private practice was NOT given paid leave. Or leave. It was her “vacation” and she did NOT enjoy it, or the lack of a proper break one bit.

Comment by LynnM 08.23.11 @ 9:54 am

here in Colorado I was able to help my dad get excused for life because of his health issues — one would hope California is at least that advanced! It’s probably a case of finding the right office to go to

Comment by Bev 08.23.11 @ 10:25 am

Having visited the arena where I would serve, I realized there is not sufficient room for the wheelchair that reclines, and I can;t sit upright for that long without risking consequences to my health, without even adding in the extra risk and exposure to illnesses other people’s immune systems can fend off. I have a note, too. I fulfill my part of community service by knitting for charity. I would find jury duty interesting, but I owe my family and my husband to stay in as good health as I can. I am not at all judging you for your decision, just sharing my own decision on the same matter.

Comment by Diana Troldahl 08.23.11 @ 11:49 am

A few years ago, I would have cherished jury duty. Now, I am sure I would get out of it–sitting through a trial, without knitting? You have got to be kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Sherry in Idaho 08.23.11 @ 12:51 pm

The only time I was called to jury duty (and it was a capital case), I was 8 months pregnant. The judge took one look at me and told me to go home.

Comment by Abby 08.23.11 @ 1:36 pm

I got a notice – Jury Duty. But I had just done that about 7 months ago! No, you didn’t. Yes, I did (repeat a couple of times). Finally, they sent a copy of the time sheet from the school district that showed I had been signed out for Jury Duty. I got a curt note saying, okay, excused THIS time.

Twits.

Is everyone you know and love in Maryland okay with the earthquake?

Comment by afton 08.23.11 @ 1:48 pm

I received a jury summons a few days before my son was born. Called to explain why I couldn’t serve and was told that “excuse” had to have physical proof. So I had to appear in court about two weeks later. New mom. No sleep. Nope. Judge has to decide. So I sat there nearly 3 hours trying to keep my son quiet. I was too scared to try to nurse in public yet, so finally the bailiff said the crying was too much and we could leave. Craziness! Hope you’ve been excused by now.

Comment by DebbieR 08.23.11 @ 4:27 pm

‘S ok. Yesterday was primary day here. After the earthquake, right. DH had been sent home early. I called up to him, didn’t he want to go vote? Well, ok, if I insisted. I did. Actually, I wasn’t sure if our votes might not cancel each other out. There was very low turnout, we were told. As it turns out, the result is about 50.54 vs. 49.45 (or some such — call it super close) and maybe we didn’t cancel each other out because I was hoping for the one who got 50.54 (the latest news on line says she won by 1.1% — 43 votes). So I guess we did your civic duty on Tuesday.

Comment by sjanova 08.24.11 @ 6:33 pm



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