I got a notice in March that I would be on call for jury duty at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis sometime in the future. Well, sure enough in July, I was called up! And not only did I have to report for service to see if I'd get picked... I got picked. And I am glad I did (though sad I missed Crow River ladies golf invite, my days in Chisago for my mom's bday and golfing with Sofia and my Aunt Judy). Still, jury duty was an experience I am glad to have had now, though emotional and difficult at times, it was very educational and I did feel proud to have taken part in this civic duty.
Tuesday the 22nd was the day I had to report and the day they interviewed all the potential jurors. The judge did all the questioning and about 5 hours later after breaks and lunch, the lawyers got their vetos and 14 of us had to stay. Including me. The trial started that afternoon with opening statements and one witness.
Thankfully the case wouldn't be super long... we were deliberating by Friday and SUPER thankfully, it wasn't a murder or violent case. It was a criminal case having to do with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. One bank in Hutchinson was even hit. Essentially the defendant was the driver of a car that came from Atlanta, GA, stole checks from mail and found homeless men with ID's to cash the checks at the businesses banks. It was really interesting to see the courtroom process live and not all tv Law & Order style.
Deliberation was tough. Before starting, a lot of us would have thought the defendant Not Guilty because of reasonable doubt and not a lot of evidence tying him to the actual bank scenes and homeless witnesses ID'ing him. But after instructions of the law from the judge, reasonable doubt was defined more clearly and explanations of if the defendant thought criminal activity was going on and tried to turn a blind eye to it, he should be found guilty. After about 5 hours, we did end up with a unanimous verdict of guilty. I didn't watch the emotions of lawyers and defendant while the judge read the verdict. But fellow jurors who did said everyone was very poker faced and the defendant's lawyer just nodded slightly.
The judge invited us back to his chambers afterwards to thank us, give us a certificate and answer lots of our questions. We were back their over 40 minutes and it was very informational and kind of him to do. He explained what else may be happening with this crime ring, told us we'd be informed of sentencing and invited back to it if we want.
I ended up having a great time in Minneapolis during my lunches and evenings as well. I got to have lunch with an old middle school and high school friend Azure, eat dinner at the Melting Pot with my sister and hang out, try Punch Pizza and walk around St. Anthony Main with my cousin's Jayme and Josh! The nights alone in the hotel made me miss my baby but reading 2 books, swimming/hot tubing and sleeping in were some major extra birthday treats!
