Almost a Constitutional Officer

    Late this summer, I received a letter summoning me for Federal Jury Duty at the Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston.  My first thought was that this must be a mistake - I live on an island!  But after reading the four pages of fine print, I learned that yes, indeed, they did want me.  Distance, expense, other obligations didn't matter; I belonged to a pool of jurors that encompassed any citizen over 18 who lives in the eastern part of Massachusetts.  Oh, if I were a convicted felon, or had the sole care of an infant or invalid, that would automatically excuse me.  Being over 70 was also an out, but I had become intrigued by the possibility of spending some time in Boston in September (my favorite season).  So I returned the questionnaire and said that I was willing to serve.  I would be paid $40 a day plus 56 cents a mile for travel.  Luckily, I have a son to provide a bed close by, because there was no way the ferry schedule would allow me to be there at 8AM and there was no hotel in the Boston area that could be had for $40 a night.

    Through a series of "conversations" with an automated phone system, I was told to present myself at the courthouse  on a Monday morning.  So, I spent my entire daily allotment on a taxi and arrived early enough to scope out the brand new courthouse.  The front facade is a somewhat dreary block of iconic Boston red brick; but the back of the building is a sparkling cascade of glass which overlooks Boston Harbor.  It was breathtaking that bright, cool morning, with sailboats bobbing in the chop and commuter ferries shuttling back and forth.  Workers scurried by with their briefcases and travel cups and dog walkers cruised the Harbor Walk.

    Entering the building involved the usual security procedures: show your summons and id, surrender your electronic devices, go through a metal detector, send your bag through the x-ray. Along with 50 to 60 other potential jurors, I filed into an assembly hall and, after filling out more paperwork and watching a short film, I listened to a judge describe what an important role I was being asked to fill.  The US government does business with a very limited number of persons who are called Constitutional Officers.  The President and Vice President, any member of Congress and the Supreme Court Justices are Constitutional Officers; and the only other people in this select group are members of juries.  The judge lecturing us was not a Constitutional Officer, but, if I were chosen for a jury, I would be.  By this time, I was willing to jump up and down like a game show participant saying "pick me! pick me!".  No one ever accused me of being modest, shy and retiring;  I was so ready to serve...

    Next, we were lined up in a specific numerical order (not alphabetical, maybe the order our names were drawn from the jury pool?).  We were seated in a courtroom in the same order, very conscious of the etiquette lesson we had received about proper behavior.  The presiding judge introduced himself and reiterated our importance to Justice; he then introduced us to the person bringing the charges, with his legal team, and the defendants and their team.  The judge summarized the case, which involved a man who alleged that the Boston Police Department had violated his civil rights. We were asked about twenty questions relating to our ability to be impartial in this case.  Did we have a prejudice against tattoos? Were we related to anyone in the BPD?  Potential jurors were also given the chance to be dismissed for other reasons.  After speaking to the judge and lawyers, at least 10 people were allowed to leave the courtroom.

    Then, using the same order, ten people were seated in the jury box.  Individually, they had to stand up and state their name, hometown, occupation and spouse's occupation.  Based on their self-description, several other people were dismissed and people took their place in the jury box.  A few more left the courtroom and I was four people away from walking to the jury box - my chance to be a Constitutional Officer!

   Unfortunately, the judge and lawyers were happy with the ten jurors already in the box, they didn't need me... But I was so interested now!  So this is my sad story of flirting with Constitutional greatness.  I retrieved my cell phone and walked out out of the courthouse - a free and disappointed woman/