Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of you earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.
How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.
If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 24th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.
This was originally posted on April 24, 2012 on my old blog.
Doing My Civic Duty
The seal of the State of California was visible behind the clear window on the upper left side of the envelope. To the right of the seal were the words, “Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.”
I didn’t have to open up the envelope to know that I had been summoned for jury duty. Are you kidding me? I just got my California driver’s license in October and only six months later I’m called for jury duty. Seriously?
The summons warned me that “Failure to respond to this summons will subject you to a fine, a jail term, or both.” Holy crap! That got my attention.
Get this. My jury service is for an entire week. It says right there on the summons. “YOU ARE ON CALL FOR THE ENTIRE WEEK.”
“You may be required to appear anytime during the week of your jury service. For information on when you are required to appear, call or visit the website every day for the duration of the one week of jury service and follow the instructions for each day.“
Okay, Superior Court of California, who writes that shit? “…call or visit the website….” Interesting. I’ve never before thought about picking up my phone and calling a website. Where can I find the website’s phone number?
But I digress. Being on call for the entire week pretty much means the whole freakin’ week will be shot. I won’t know until the night before if I need to show up the next day. Can’t really plan a whole lot when my jury duty is day-to-day.
There’s also a statement on the summons labeled “One-Day or One-Trial.” This means that a juror generally serves for either one day or for the duration of one trial.
Okay, maybe I’ll get called, go in for a day, and be done with it. That won’t be so bad.
But wait. What happens if I get stuck on the one trial thing? And if I do, what if that one trial lasts for more than a day? All week? Longer than a week?
What if it turns out to be a high-profile murder trial and the jury has to be sequestered at some sleazy hotel near the courthouse? That’s not exactly the greatest section of the city, you know.
What if I can’t bring my laptop with me? Or if I can, what if they won’t let me have internet access? What if I’m sequestered and am ordered to not discuss the details of the trial? What will become of my blog?
Well the good news is that my jury service doesn’t start for another two and a half weeks. I’ve got plenty of time to figure out how to get out of it.
Wait. What? No. I never said that.
This, That, and the Other 
Yup, I used to think along those same lines, but fortunately, it never happened. Still might, I suppose. I always worked on the basis that anybody smart would be able to think of some way to get out of it. Now, I’ve got an even better excuse.
There is a flip side here, though. You’d probably be a good judge so a defendant would have probably gotten a better trial with you in the jury.
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Yes, I could be judge, jury, and executioner!
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Or Judge Judy and executioner? 🤣
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So…don’t leave us hanging here. What was it for? Drive-by-shooting, an OJ-Simpson-like-case… Do tell please?
https://studiotionghan.com/2020/04/24/fandangos-friday-flashback-treasure-hunt/
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Your photos are really beautiful! I tried to leave a comment on your blog (three times) but it appears that WordPress ate it.
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This specific summons resulted in my not being called at all, but a year later, I was summoned for jury duty again and spent four days in the jury box.
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I see the value of an idea like you have got for your Friday flashbacks. I remembered I posted something on April 24, 2018. The link to it is here https://findingenvirons1.blog/2018/04/24/a-photo-of-harmony-do-you-agree/
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LOL at calling a website. 🙂
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Getting out of jury duty is one of the few good things about having a bunch of crap wrong with you. I had my doctor write a letter to the court on my behalf because my trying to do jury duty would not have gone well for numerous reasons.
I shared my post in a couple of places and don’t know which one will be easier for folks to interact with, so I’m providing both URL’s, provided that WordPress will allow me to post this!
https://www.publish0x.com/naughty-netherworld-press/friday-flashback-carnal-invasion-feature-meet-ulrich-von-bra-xxdwze
https://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com/2020/04/friday-flashback-meet-ulrich-von-brandt.html
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Sorry, this comment ended up in my spam folder and I just found and approved it,
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I’m one of those odd souls who’s never served but would love to. Go figure.
Her’s a post from a year ago: a reverie on the value of blogging to me ( with a link to a favorite early post) and an effort to help people who reported problems leaving comments. Alas, I just got another such query—and I understand that a number of other WP bloggers are reporting the same. So it’s back to the Happiness Engineers once again…
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Next time I get a jury duty summons, I’ll pass it on to you!
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The closest I came was to a judge asking me if I knew any of the parties involved. At that point, a voice called out: “She knows me, your honor.” It was the defense attorney, whom I hadn’t seen there, and did, in fact, know—though not well.
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The last time I was called up for Jury Duty I was asked about my job -my answer
I’m a Mortician’s Apprentice.
Question: So you embalm dead bodies.
Answer: Well. Doing that to live ones is frowned upon.
It was 10 years before I was called up again
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What a great and witty answer. Kudos to you!
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Here’s a peek into 2017: http://sparksfromacombustiblemind.com/2020/04/24/flashing-back-2/
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I got very close to being part of a trial about a year ago. I’m kinda glad I didn’t end up on the jury, though… although I had been willing ahead of time. I think I was too willing and participatory. (I didn’t have a blog to keep up.) During the portion of the morning when the attorneys ask questions of the larger group of possible jury members, I displayed thinking skills and leadership. Thus I was OUT. It’s just as well. Either outcome could’ve led to constant rethinking and potential regret for years to come. The defense attorney asked if there are always witnesses to a crime. I volunteered by raising my hand, which had already been indicated as welcome, rather than waiting to be randomly selected to answer, no.
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I was at the court house once, but didn’t get picked to be on the jury. Every other time my trial gets postponed or called off.
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Better late than never. This was the first installment of a series about Cinco de Mayo:
Was it an interesting case when you did get called for jury duty?
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It was a gang-related, drive-by shooting.
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Oh wow, sounds dangerous. Did you ever watch an episode of The Flintstones where Fred is on jury duty for a mobster’s trial? 😂
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I used to watch The Flinstones but I don’t recall that specific episode.
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