Jury duty offers inside look at the criminal justice system

Big things have happened in my life this fall, things I haven’t been able to talk about until now because I was under a judge’s order not to.

Starting in September, I spent 4½ weeks serving as a juror on a murder trial in Snohomish County. The crime happened close to home, the details were gruesome, the evidence was abundant, but sadly, the jury was hung 11-1, with one outlier unable to get past their 5% discomfort in rendering a guilty verdict. I won’t share details beyond this, because my hope is that the state will retry the case. If you end up serving on that future jury, I want you to be unbiased. I also want you know what a great privilege it was to perform my civic duty, even though it was a huge, gigantic pain in the neck.

The Snohomish County Government Campus in Everett, where the courthouse is located, is clean, well lit, beautiful and peaceful. Jurors park for free in the underground parking garage, accessed on Pacific Avenue. You ride the elevator up to the Plaza level, walk across an open space and enter the courthouse. Pro tip: Don’t wear a belt. That’ll slow you down as you go through the security checkpoint. After you’re through security, you walk upstairs to the jury assembly room (aka “the JAR”) where you check in and wait for instructions.

The JAR has free coffee, hot chocolate, tea and apple cider. There are microwaves to heat up your lunch as well as vending machines. Pro tip: the coffee in the giant percolator is really good, much better than the K Cups, but the percolator coffee is usually only available on Mondays and Tuesdays.

If your number is called, you get sent to a courtroom for voir dire, which means jury selection. At that point, many jurors are dismissed due to hardships such as previously scheduled medical appointments or vacations. If they are their family’s sole provider and their employers won’t pay them while on jury duty, that counts as a hardship too. After the lawyers comb through the hardships, they began questioning jurors for bias. In my case, 14 jurors were selected. The two extras were alternates, but nobody knew who the alternates were until the end of the trial when their numbers were drawn by lots.

Once you’re assigned to a case, you’re not allowed to talk about it at all, not with your family, and not with your fellow jurors until the judge instructs you to deliberate. You’re not allowed to look up newspaper articles about the alleged crime, visit the scene, or do any outside research. Your mind is to be pure. The only evidence you consider is that which the lawyers present. Pro tip: Dress in layers because the courtroom can be chilly.

Being assigned to a case is an upgrade in a way, because instead of being one of the masses in the JAR, you get a private room to hang out in with the other 13 jurors. Our room had a view of Mount Baker and the eternal flame glowing in the plaza. There were two private restrooms and a tiny kitchenette, as well as a large conference table. Pro tip: listen for the joyful music the First Presbyterian Church bells play at noon.

I’ve wanted to serve on a jury ever since I was 9 years old and my grandma took me to work with her one day. She was the assistant jury commissioner for San Diego. I had the honor of sitting in the San Diego JAR and listening to my grandma welcome jurors to service. Her passionate speech about how the very fiber of American democracy relied on jurors was so powerful that it brought tears to many people’s eyes. She made a horrendous inconvenience seem like a heroic opportunity to stand by Lady Liberty and ensure that justice prevailed. That’s what jury service has meant to me ever since.

Now, it means something more. The professionalism and expertise of the state’s lawyers, as well as the public defenders, was so impressive that I left this experience having new respect for the people who work in our court system. The lawyers on both sides deserve a standing ovation. I also have a renewed sense of faith in the people of Snohomish County. My fellow jurors represented multiple cities, professions, income levels and life experiences. It was a pleasure to work with all of them — even the outlier who caused us so much grief.

Pro tip: if you get summoned to serve, remember what my grandma said. The very fiber of American democracy relies on ordinary people like you and me.

Jennifer Bardsley is the author of “Sweet Bliss,” “Good Catch” and more. Find her online on Instagram @jenniferbardsleyauthor, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as Jennifer Bardsley Author. Email her at teachingmybabytoread@gmail.com.