4/13/16:
Had a great first-day jury selection experience. I showed up on time while others trickled in for almost an hour after me, but it's nice they weren't penalized since parking is kind of a nightmare: one free lot that's almost full by 8 in the morning. After that, youre on your own for metered parking on the street. Beware of 2-hr meters and look for 10-hr, or park for free several blocks away at the marina. It seems to make this civic duty as pleasant as possible they'd offer some sort of tag for cars who are parked on the street during jury duty so that the (potential) jurors don't have to pay for their spot all day. We were warned that the fines are written soon after your meter expires, and can be up to $30 for each ticket. Not fun.
Thankfully my early arrival got me a spot in the free lot. I went through a fast security line and x-ray machine with friendly officers keeping everything running smoothly. Then I found a seat in the juror waiting room which had lots of chairs, some tables with puzzles and other games, outlets for charging phones/computers, TVs that showed interesting shows, and even a little break room in the back with vending machines and a coffee machine. Fridge and microwave are also available for use for free if you want to bring your lunch from home.
There was a really long lunch period before my group was even called to go upstairs, but once we made it to the next step in the process, everyone from the bailiff to the judge was very nice and the entire process was a lot more pleasant than I anticipated. I get to return tomorrow for sure, and maybe even for a few weeks after that. I feel honored to finally get to participate as a potential juror and am thankful to live in a country where we have the right to trial by a jury of our peers.
All USA
4/13/16: Had a great first-day jury selection experience. I showed up on time while others trickled in for almost an hour after me, but it's nice they weren't penalized since parking is kind of a nightmare: one free lot that's almost full by 8 in the morning. After that, youre on your own for metered parking on the street. Beware of 2-hr meters and look for 10-hr, or park for free several blocks away at the marina. It seems to make this civic duty as pleasant as possible they'd offer some sort of tag for cars who are parked on the street during jury duty so that the (potential) jurors don't have to pay for their spot all day. We were warned that the fines are written soon after your meter expires, and can be up to $30 for each ticket. Not fun. Thankfully my early arrival got me a spot in the free lot. I went through a fast security line and x-ray machine with friendly officers keeping everything running smoothly. Then I found a seat in the juror waiting room which had lots of chairs, some tables with puzzles and other games, outlets for charging phones/computers, TVs that showed interesting shows, and even a little break room in the back with vending machines and a coffee machine. Fridge and microwave are also available for use for free if you want to bring your lunch from home. There was a really long lunch period before my group was even called to go upstairs, but once we made it to the next step in the process, everyone from the bailiff to the judge was very nice and the entire process was a lot more pleasant than I anticipated. I get to return tomorrow for sure, and maybe even for a few weeks after that. I feel honored to finally get to participate as a potential juror and am thankful to live in a country where we have the right to trial by a jury of our peers.