GETTING OUT OF JURY DUTY IS GRAND

[Mark Joel Lane]

The sales and marketing company I work  for encourages employees to do their civic duties.I work on a retail merchandising team. But when I was selected to serve as grand juror in Queens,NY for 2 days a week for 6 months was a bit much for my company and me. I actually had to sit on two cases the same day I foolishly let myself get sworn in. My team of co-workers would suffer during my absence and I would have no continuity in my projects at work. Plus the jurors had no parking provided for them and I'd be parking about a mile away in the winter if I could find a legal spot in a residential area. I knew I had to get out of this jury duty commitment and if I didn't go,I'd be in contempt of court. Yikes.!!!
The next day I went back to the courthouse and found a court officer who took me to see the judge. The judge did not want to "entertain"me,I was told. I didn't want to be entertained either.I just wanted to be unsworn .. I was told I had to write a letter explaining why it would be hard for me to be a grand juror,plus any supporting documents.
I was advised by a cousin who is a judge and lawyer that I would need a local councilman or government official to help get me off jury duty since I was sworn in. I could not get anyone to help. I went to my job the next day and my team coordinator wrote a letter in my behalf explaining how an absence of 2 days a week would be a burden on my co-workers since we have no support staff.
I had one more hope too that I thought might help. I went to see our family doctor telling him how I was nervous and could not sleep do to worrying about missing so much work...and pay. He wrote a letter stating that my blood pressure was high,(which it was),that I was pacing the floor at night,that I was extremely anxious,and he was prescribing Xanax for me and any type of jury duty should be postponed.
Armed with my arsenal of letters, I went back to the courthouse to see the judge the next day. The court officer took me to the courtroom where I stood in the back while the judge examined my papers.occasionally staring at me with an evil eye. I felt like I was on trial. I didn't do anything wrong. ..After a few moments, the court officer said I was no longer a grand juror. The judge apparently saw I was on medication,figured I was NUTS,and who needs another crazy person serving on a grand jury.
I was back at work the next day glad this nightmarish quagmire was over. But to think about the fact,that anyone can be forced to sit and listen to testimonies of some court case on the same day they are called in without any other notice seems absurd to me. There are plenty of people who are eager to participate in the judicial process. I'm all for it. Let them. Anyway, I won't be called for at least seven years as my one day of sitting in court just wanting to leave for the full day met my civic requirements.