The Surprising Truth about Jury Duty in Arlington County
October 2nd, 2007 Categories: Arlington Dirt, Local News
Yes, I have been called upon to serve Jury Duty by Arlington County. At first – I think my first thought was, “I can’t serve Jury Duty now - I’ve got too much going on!” C’mon, let’s be truthful – isn’t that the most natural response?
So for a month, I’ve been preparing my strategies, listening to other wise souls tell stories of how they narrowly escaped, or what tactics I should use in order to be excused. So, as requested, Monday morning, October 1, I showed up to see what was in store for me. Oh, and by the way, the hardest part about being there yesterday morning was that we couldn’t have our cell phones… WHAT? No CELL PHONE??? Crazy – so after I got over that…
I looked around the room and saw folks from all walks of life enter that room; all ages, many interesting dress styles, etc… all reading the pamphlet the nice officer handed us in the hallway about what to expect during Jury Duty. We were all escorted to one of the 10th Floor Courtrooms to await Jury Orientation…. so far, so good. I’m preparing my speech which includes the fact that I’m self employed and if I don’t work, I don’t eat, etc…
Then, Mr. David Bell comes in – he’s the Clerk of the Court for Arlington County Circuit Court – a delightful man, along with Sheriff Beth Arthur – they both welcomed us and thanked us for doing our civic duties! Then Mr. Bell told stories and we all chuckled, and overall, he did a wonderful job of making all of us comfortable. Then something funny happened – I actually began to look forward to my time there with the Arlington County Circuit Court — looking forward to seeing justice in action, and being a part of it! So when he asked folks to come up (form a line) to discuss any issues (health issues, travel plans, etc..) that may prevent them from serving (and by the way, there is a long list of legitimate reasons why one can be relieved of their duty)… I just sat there – just sat there.
One thing Mr. Bell had told us during our orientation was that here in Arlington County they realize that people have lives – and from time to time, something prevents a juror from being able to serve on a particular day – so guess what – THEY EXCUSE YOU!!! How reasonable is that? So, all of a sudden, I was feeling much better. I got excused for the few occasions that I already had appointments and then looked forward to getting down to business.
I was called to be a juror in a case yesterday morning - right out of the gate… but was then excused by 1pm. I was called in to duty this morning, but was not called for the case – out by 11:30. I’m excused for the next 2 days for business reasons, and jury trials do not begin on Fridays. I also lucked out because Monday is a holiday. So I’ll report in for duty (if called) Tuesday morning… 
oh, and if you are called in for the day, you only need arrive by 9:50! Very civil, indeed!
So, fine residents of Arlington County, when you receive that notice in the mail – know that you will have some amount of flexibility, and you will be performing a civic duty to ensure someone’s constitutional right to a jury trial to determine their fate. I encourage you to embrace the opportunity to see the wheels of justice in motion! You might just enjoy it!
Happy Tuesday
Jennifer
Copyright © 2007 Arlington Dirt Real Estate Blog 
Wow- You describe it so well I feel like I was there! Way to serv your community- Ive always said..”LOCK ‘EM ALL UP”!!!! ha!
Good post. I’ve done my share of jury duty, and even sat on a grand jury for 3 months. I’m happy to do my civic duty, but what irritated me was that I was called 3 different times, and others I worked with were never summoned. I think once you are summoned, they should take your name out of the hat until everyone has had a turn, then throw all the names back in the hat. BTW, good luck with your blog. I like it a lot. I found you from the Tomato forum.