I have jury duty this month.  Most people don’t want jury duty.  They will try everything to get out of it.  Many people have told me that they were sure I could get out of it because I am a homeschooling mom, but I told my dh that I thought someone with a conscience should be on the jury sometime!  I got called in the first day.  I had to be there at 8am.  You have to go through security, like at the airport.  Several people had nail files thrown away.  I had taken one of the kids’ backpacks so I inadvertantly took a fork in with me.  She didn’t make me throw it away, but told me to leave it home next time.  I had to tear that backpack apart to find it!

Anyway, after you check in with the jury clerk, you have to fill out a juror questionairre.  It aske questions like your occupation, associations/groups you are a part of, how many kids you have, what ages they are, have you ever been part of a lawsuit, your list of employment, and lastly if you think police officers are more likely to tell the truth.  I thought that last question was interesting.  I answered it "Generally."

They also give you an "Alaska Trial Jury Handbook," which is a 25 page booklet which tries to answer any question you could possibly have about being a Juror.  There are five parts; General Information, Selecting Juries for Trials, The Trial, Deciding on a Verdict, and a Glossary.  It is very interesting!  I asked the jury clerk if I could take it home to my kids, and she said I could take as many as I wanted.  She also said that if they had any questions, they could call and ask her anything.  She also recommended that I bring the older ones in to watch a trial!  She suggested bringing them in for a DUI trial.  Her reason was, "They will never drink and drive if they sit through one of these!"  The judge also reiterated to us later that he likes it when people come watch the trials because it is so educational.  I am hoping to find a unit study that covers the court or justice system as my kids were very fascinated about it.  If anyone can recommend one, please let me know!

To make a long story short, I was selected to be on the jury, but the first morning before we were able to hear anything, the defendants pleaded to a lesser charge, thereby canceling the trial.  I learned so much through this experience, so I am hoping to post more of my experience in the next few days.  I have to be on-call all month though, so I could get called in again!

Oh, and things went great at home!  Dh was able to work from home, but the kids got their school done and did their chores before I got home!  The next day, I got home around noon, and they were already almost done with their school!  I told dh that maybe I should get a job, since they seem to do so much better when I am not there.  LOL!  He said emphatically, "No."  My second son said he liked it when I was gone, because he liked the responsibility.  That is just like him!

Off to try to find a unit study….