Jury duty

Can you imagine my excitement when I opened a letter from the Sherriff's Department calling me for.... JURY DUTY!!! I was beside myself. Best piece of mail I've gotten all year, by far (sorry Country Road). I was instructed to make myself available for up to two weeks starting from today, and was more than happy to do so. Not just because I wanted to get out of work. In fact, that ranks very low in the factors that make me excited, but because I'm really interested in seeing the legal system from the point of a juror. Again. I've been on a jury in WA in the last few years - who could forget the matter of the threat to kill on the piggery (I'm totally serious - that was the jury I was on - it was a threat to kill case that took place at a piggery). I spend so long in court as just an observer, but to look at it all through the eyes of a juror will be totally different. Not that I don't give it my best crack as an amateur juror, whispering in the back of the court with the other journos whether we think someone is guilty or not. But I hardly do any trials that involve juries anyway, and any crime I cover is corporate crime, so no doubt if I get on a jury it will be very different.
I'm also thinking I could write a great magazine piece or something like that about it. Another journalist, ensconced in a long legal trial wrote a book about it . While I'm certainly not proposing to do that, it would be great fodder to write about. It's not looking good so far though. They didn't need my panel today, and they don't need me tomorrow. Fingers crossed for Wednesday. I have to keep calling every day until they need me or the two weeks is up. But needless to say, if I do get on, I'll be the first person putting their hand up to be Madame Forewoman.