So I Wasn’t Selected For Grand Jury Service

Yesterday the names of 102 New York County voters were placed into a drum in the courthouse in downtown Manhattan for grand jury service selection. Mine was not one of the 92 names randomly pulled to form four 23-person grand juries. As I mentioned on Facebook yesterday afternoon, when I left with the nine other dismissed “leftovers,” I felt a combination of elation and shame, the latter mostly because I was awed at how many of the chosen jurors appeared to be relatively new citizens. (The court clerk worked very hard to say everybody’s names correctly.) From what I could tell, about 70 summoned voters did not show up for the selection process, which carries a potential penalty of 30 days in jail and a $1000 fine. Anyway, I’m off the hook for the next six years. Your ham sandwiches are safe.