I had to knock on wood when one of my colleagues was summoned for Jury Duty. It dawned on me that I had never been selected and deep down I knew my time was coming...Just a few months later a summons arrived and I made my way to the Dallas Courthouse along with over 1,000 other individuals. We were shown a film and learned that Dallas was one of the first to establish a "one day system" in which the jurors are selected in one day. There are about 300 individuals per trial but the first 32 in each room are the most important. A jury consists of 12 peers and both the District Attorny and the Defense Attorney are able to eliminate up to 10 people. I was number 9.
We filled out questionnaires and the judge asked each row about different scenarios after reading the facts regarding the case. I never considered that I would be hesitant to make a judgement regarding sentencing. This particular crime was 5 to Life and I felt not only responsible for the person who was the victim and their sense of justice but equally concerned for the alleged criminal and if I would be willing to accept a 5 (which could end up as time served and probation) OR up to 99 years in prison. That is a BIG range! I realized that I did not know how to quantify criminal activity any more than the system but as they released us for lunch, I had to take solace in my belief that I am a fair person and was willing to serve as a juror.
My heart was heavy with responsibility as I stepped off of the elevator to return to the courtroom. One foot was planted on the ground and it took a moment to realize that fluid was filling my shoe. Before I could stabilize myself or even see the water on the floor, people were pushing past me and I soared like I was on a water ride, landing belly down. The depth of the water added some cushion and my left arm naturally moved under my jaw ultimately protecting my head.
I was soaked quite literally from head to toe but I was not in any immediate pain, just stunned and embarrassed. With all of the commotion, I headed straight to the Ladies Room only to find that there were no paper towels. I was wearing an all black ensemble. The material hid but aslo held the disgusting waters. There were medics already there because of the flooding and other falls but I was told that I needed to report to court. One of the Officers was kind enough to take me into another area and provide me with tons of paper towels. Because I was wearing all black, I don't think they realized just how dripping wet I was. One touch with a half a roll of paper and it was soaked! He was kind enough to do his best to get me out of jury duty. It was so cold already and I was shivering at this point but due to the fact that I was one of the first 32 jurors, both the DA and the Defense had to agree that I should be eliminated. The Judge had to put my situation on the record and I assured him that I was fine.....
But the final question after I had been relieved from jury duty was, "Are you certain you are OK Ms. Chapman?" I responded with, "Yes, Your Honor, I am just glad I wasn't wearing white today...OOH LA LA!"
Everyone laughed. That was on the Record!
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