jury Duty

No wonder people hate jury duty. After being told to report at 10:00AM, we had to wait an hour to be called to the courtroom for the trial to begin. The judge's instructions to the jury seemed to take forever. I was expecting a very brief trial especially after the judged divulged that the only witness would be the old woman who was the victim of the hit and run. The plaintiffs attorney and the defense attorney gave their opening statements. After being sworn in, the woman gave her testimony to her attorney. She was very soft spoken and the court reporter kept asking her to speak up so that she could properly record the testimony. The witness was then questioned by the attorney for the defense. This case seemed pretty clear cut to me, guess this will be over today and I could get back to my so-called life. Unfortunately the judge had other plans. After noting the time...12:39 PM we were instructed to take lunch and report back to the courtroom at 2:30PM.

I spent a leisurely lunch time reading my book on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and walking around the area. I returned to the courthouse and was escorted back to the jury room with the other seven jurors. More reading and waiting. Six of the jurors (myself included) fell asleep while waiting to be summoned. We could hear the attorneys and the judge speaking in the courtroom but I could not understand what they were saying. Finally at approximately 3:15 

we were summoned back to the courtroom.

The judge announced that a ruling in favor of the plaintiff had been reached. However, that is not the end of the trial. The amount of damages to be paid has to be determined. We have to return to the courtroom tomorrow morning at 9:45AM. What!!!!! Couldn't this portion of the proceedings be determined today? How long would it take? She asks for "x" amount and is awarded "y" amount. I'm sure the jury could figure it out by 5:00 PM. Why do we have to go through this another day? To make matters worse, I'm only an alternate. I have no say. This is so unfair. 

Jury duty sucks!