Jury Duty on Inauguration Day 2009

January 20, 2009, I was summoned to jury duty. I really did not want to duty, preferring to watch the 44th President take the Oath of Office from the comfort of my family room. After all who holds court on Inauguration Day? Especially this Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009. After living in Washington, DC for so long, I was use to everything non- essential being closed down for a Presidential Inauguration. Now I am in Florida, and going to jury duty.

Court was not cancelled and I arrived at 0745 with a cup of coffee from Mickey D. There were a lot of other people called for duty. My number was G26 and the list went to Q40. I wondered if my braces were going to set off the metal detector. The lady in front aced me when she asked the officer if the titanium implant in her leg would set off the detector. When the officer said no, I knew I wasn't going home. It was my turn, and the officer took my coffee and placed it on top of the scanner. I took off shoes and jacket, and successfully passed through the detector. The officer handed me my cup as I went for my shoes. He said, "You can take a sip." I thought, Oh that's nice, but the coffee was really hot that's why I was still holding it. I said thanks, and was about to move on when he said, "No take a sip." I was like oh you really want me to drink some. So I tried sipping some really hot coffee, so the office would not think I was try to bring some terrorist-like liquid into the court house. It was a sign of the times in which we live. Yes I burned my tongue.

After checking in with court clerk, the pool of jurors was shown the 15 minute film, "Trial by Jury." It talked about how important the jury system is, and how honored we should be to serve. The next step was a judge who came into the Jury Room to qualify the potential jurors. I thought that was interesting. It's your last chance to get excused. I've been called to jury duty in other states, and once you report there were no last chances to get excused. The judge said she would ask a series of questions. The hint was the first set we were to answer yes, and the second no, unless of course you could not. The first set of questions you must be/have: citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age, resident of the County, and have sufficient understanding of the English language. The second set of questions you must not be/have: currently serving as a Grand Juror, under court appointed conservatorship, have been convicted of a felony or malfeasance in office and not had your civil rights restored or Peace Officer pursuant to Penal Code, the prospective juror has a personal obligation to provide care to another between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Comparable care is not economically practical; the prospective juror has served jury service within the preceding 12 months or the prospective juror is a practicing medical doctor or attorney. I was surprised by the judge being so specific about doctors and lawyers. In a town like DC where there are hundreds of lawyers working for government agencies, being an attorney is not an excuse, unless you work for particular agencies like Justice. After answering appropriately,we stood and the Oath for Jurors was administered.

The Judge went on to give a history lesson on trial by jury. She said jury trials were the result of the Magna Carta. The right to a speedy trial may be derived from a provision of Magna Carta and it was a right so interpreted by Coke [''We will sell to no man, we will not deny or defer to any man either justice or right.'' Ch. 40 of the 1215 Magna Carta, a portion of ch. 29 of the 1225 reissue. Klopfer v. North Carolina, 386 U.S. 213, 223 -24 (1967).] She stated that it is widely accepted that by the time the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights were drafted and ratified, the institution of trial by jury was almost universally revered, so revered that its history had been traced back to Magna Carta. Actually, historians no longer accept this attribution [Thayer, The Jury and Its Development, 5 Harv. L. Rev. 249, 265 (1892), and the Court has noted this. Duncan v. Louisiana, 391 U.S. 145, 151 n.16 (1968)]. The right was guaranteed in the constitutions of the original 13 States, was guaranteed in the body of the Constitution [In Art III, Sec. 2.], and in the Sixth Amendment, and the constitution of every State entering the Union thereafter in one form or another protected the right to jury trial in criminal cases [Duncan v. Louisiana, 391 U.S. 145, 153 (1968)].

I usually take a seat in the back of the room so that I can observe the people in the room. As I stated above, I found this jury duty experience different because of the Presidential Inauguration. I wondered how many others were interested in the events they were missing. Laptops were permitted, and there was wireless access. The internet was jammed and no one could get online. The Court Clerk finally turned C-Span on the overhead TV's about 10:00. I was so thankful I wasn't going to miss of the day's events. Three panels of jurors were selected to be screened for trials. I was safely not one. As the room emptied, I could clearly observe those interested and accepting of the Presidential Inauguration. Individuals took seats on the left or right side of the room. The right side of the room had the most TV monitors. Ladies took seat closes to the bathrooms, and telephones. Phones were free.

At 11:00 we were released for lunch until 1:00. The Court Clerk gave us the option of staying in the Jury Room if we wanted. Once lunch was announced, the left side of the room emptied pretty much. That was the side closes to the door, and vending machines. A middle aged gentleman felt compelled to sit next to me, moving from the left side of the room. After Rev. Rick Warren's Invocation, the man asked why the Rev. didn't just say Jesus. Rev. Warren is the pastor and founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., in 1980 with one family. Today, it is an evangelical congregation averaging 22,000 weekly attendees. There were mixed reviews on the prayer. I liked it and told him so. He excused himself to go to lunch.

The group finished watching the Presidential Inauguration, clapping and nodding along with the crowd on the Mall in DC. When the Chief Justice missed the wording for the Oath, there were audible noises heard. Remembering back to U.S. History class, the Oath of Office of the President of the United States is an oath or affirmation required by the United States Constitution before the President begins the execution of the office. The wording is specified in Article Two, Section One, Clause Eight): "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." The Oath is very precise and I believe the only oath in quotes in the Constitution. One could see Barack Obama knew the right Oath, and was trying to guide the Chief Justice. Article 2 of the United States Constitution prescribes that the President must take the oath "before he enters the Execution of his Office".(January 21, 2009 the Oath was administered again by the Chief Justice to President Obama at the White House.)

Before Obama was elected, we had this impression in our country that a black man would never become the President of the United States, a candidate who had an Arabic middle name, Hussein. During his inaugural address, President Obama told an exuberant crowd that the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" and called on the country to "begin the work of remaking America." There was a lot of positive reaction to the speech from both sides of the room.

Rev. Joseph Lowery Inaugural Benediction reflected his civil rights experiences. Outspoken civil rights activist the Reverend Joseph Lowery was born on October 6, 1921, in Huntsville, Alabama. Rev. Lowery is considered the dean of the civil rights movement. He attended Knoxville College, Payne College and Theological Seminary, and the Chicago Ecumenical Institute. Lowery earned his doctorate of divinity as well. Lowery and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Lowery was named vice president. In 1965, he was named chairman of the delegation to take demands of the Selma to Montgomery March to Alabama's governor at the time, George Wallace. "Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right."

This should be the closing for the article, but it's not! After everything that happened at jury duty in a Florida government building, I was shocked at this last action. When the National Anthem was played, only the right side of the room stood to give honor....

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode28/usc_sup_01_28_10_V_20_121.html

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/01/rick_warrens_in.html -Invocation transcript and video

http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2009/01/rev-lowery-inauguration-benedi.html

http://www.rickwarren.com/

http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=455&category=CivicMakers