Imagine the shock and horror I had when it was discovered that I had been summoned for Hennepin County Jury Duty a second time around! I had already served on a case (a criminal sexual misconduct case) some years ago when the kids were in high school, and it never crossed my mind that I would be asked to serve again. Hennepin County is huge, and I would think that there would be plenty of other people that could be summoned. Huh.
The original summons arrived in December, scheduled to start at the beginning of January, but I was able to get that postponed until the beginning of May. At least the weather would be easier to navigate in May, but still.
And, one big difference this time around was that instead of having to wait in person at the Government Center, jurors were instructed to call in twice a day at 5 pm and 12 noon to see if their jury group numbers were chosen. They said to just go about your day in between calls, but that's a tricky thing to do when you live a ways outside of the city, and need more time to make that trip downtown. Especially if you're planning on taking the bus, which only goes hourly from Ridgedale Mall.
So everyday at noon, Bruce and I would make the drive to Ridgedale Mall (me dressed in appropriate jury duty clothes 😂) and call in to see if my jury group number of 123 was summoned. The plan was then to hop on the 12:10 bus if needed, and make it there by 1:15. I did this every day for two weeks and to my relief, group number 123 was never included. Group numbers 100-117 were called in, but then the following week, numbers started in the 200's.
I learned quite a bit on this journey. My anxiety slowly decreased as time passed, and every time my number wasn't summoned, it was like a little gift given to me. Riding the bus was a solid, reliable option, and much less stress than driving downtown and trying to find parking and navigate all the traffic. I learned how to use the Metro Transit app, loading tickets, which were only $2 round trip for Seniors. Nick, who lives downtown, offered to help me navigate the Skyways, and find my bus stop home if needed. I'm glad he didn't have to do that, but I love him for offering. 💕
My final call in included my dismissal. "You have now completed your service and have met your obligation as a juror in the State of Minnesota for the next four years". I will also now add that since I will be 70 years old at the end of four years, I should never have to go in again. 😌
