Civic duty

I am on jury duty this week.

The last time I got a jury summons, I showed up like a good little citizen, book in hand, prepared to be bored out of my mind. It wasn't long until my group number was called to report to a courtroom. Potential juror interviews began, potential jurors were struck, and all that potential juror furer (sp??) started in earnest. Next thing I know, I'm called, seated in the jury box, and being interviewed by the judge. Damned if I wasn't freakin' picked to be on the jury! And it's not like I was really even seated on the jury; I was an alternate. The SECOND alternate, no less! Which is really a bigger pain in the ass, because as an alternate you have all the responsibility for going to court and being there to see it all unfold; but you really don't get a vote. You're just THERE. In my case, I was really hosed since I was the second layer of back-up. It was not a real joyful blissful expereince.

Day two rolls around, and I report to court like a good jury alternate. We go in, sit in the jury box, and get the rundown on the rest of what to expect. A murder trial. Fan-fucking-tastic. But after a short time, we are excused and told to return the following morning.

Day three. Yep, back at court, bright and early, earning my $3 a day (which doesn't cover even an hour of parking), having to pay agency rates for community interpreters to cover my shifts at work. After nearly an hour of waiting, we are allowed into the courtroom, seated in our little (uncomfortable!!) chairs, and told...that's right!... to come back again the next day. I'm a bit miffed; this is more of a hassle than it really needs to be.

Day four. Back at court. At least this time we get in and sit down fairly quickly. Next thing I know, we are being addressed by the judge who is thanking us for our service; due to some detail or other, the case has been declared a mistrial and we are excused. Thank God!

That is my one and only expereince on jury duty. Until now. I had to call in over the weekend (Memorial day weekend) to see if I needed to report. I didn't. Which is great. However it's costing my workplace a freakin' fortune in community rate interpreters to cover my shifts. I have a bunch of interpreters scheduled to cover me. I had one yesterday. Well I called over the weekend, and I wasn't needed yesterday. But by the time I found out it was too late to cancel the interpreter without paying them (which I get; I was a freelancer myself for many years after all). I have to call back tonight to see if I'm needed to report in or not; and of course that means I have no idea if I even need the other interpreters I have scheduled. With my luck, I'm not going to have to show, but by the time I find out it will be with less than 24 business hours notice, which means the freelancer is billable. This is a rediculously expensive civic duty.

In light of the California Supreme Courts fateful decision to uphold Prop "h8", I already have a plan when and if I have to report to the courtroom. I plan on telling the judge that I cannot in good conscience serve in the capacity of a juror, as a representative of the system that marginalized who I am as a citizen of the state of California. I realize that it won't be *this* judge's fault, but it's the fault of a broken system. (Yay, America!! I can bitch about the fact that our system sucks.) I have to show (if called) because I don't want a warrant for my arrest issued, so I will play by the rules established by the system. Thumb my nose from the inside. Tell it to go take a metaphorical flying fucking leap.

Because THAT is my civic duty.