Law and Order...and Jury Duty

When I got my jury duty summons in the mail, I wasn't surprised. This is my THIRD time being called to serve. (9 years ago I was called on Long Island and was chosen for a civil case but it settled out of court. 6 years ago I was called in for grand jury duty but deferred it since I was heading to Italy to study abroad). Without a good excuse, I decided not to postpone my jury duty and just get it over with. After all, it is a certainty that they would track me down (especially with my track record).

My first day of service was on 9/11 and it was eerie to be down town near ground zero in a room full of New Yorkers on such a significant day in NYC history. On a somber note, we watched an instructional video featuring Diane Sawyer. After a short announcement, the waiting began. A few juries were called and my name wasn't pulled from the ancient looking lottery ball. I had just settled into the idea of being one of those people who sits around the jury room and reads an entire novel in 2 days...Then a police officer announced that 70 names would be called for a criminal case and, of course, my name was among the first announced. All of us filed over to a building across the street to do some more waiting before we were called into the court room. The judge told us about the case and weeded out people that would not be able to be unbiased. The voir dire was serious and long - we were there for 2 whole days going through jury selection. I was among the last 11 unselected people in the court room. After the final round, the clerk called out my name - Juror Number 12, Toni Rosenbaum.

We filed into the jury box for the first day of trial and it felt a bit like Law and Order (without the fun sound effects and dramatic outbursts). The opening statements were compelling and I kept an open mind as the trial began. The situation was interesting and gory, scary and tedious. We heard testimony from many parties involved - all called by the prosecution. The prosecution rested and the defense didn't call anyone. After hearing the closing statements from both sides and some detailed instructions from the judge, it was time for us to deliberate.

Deliberation took a day and a half. It was so difficult to pass judgement on someone but in the end, we came to a unanimous decision and submitted our verdict. Each juror was different and most were outspoken and brought interesting points of view to the table. We took our time coming to what we deemed was the right decision. It was extremely emotional to watch the defendant (and his father who was present in the audience) cry as we convicted him of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, robbery in the first degree with a weapon, robbery in the first degree causing serious injury, and robbery in the second degree with an accomplice.

Although it seemed annoying being called for jury duty, seeing the defendant at the table and knowing that his future was partially in my hands felt like a huge responsibility. It was no longer about getting lunch in Chinatown, not being able to use my cell phone, and missing work, it was about justice.