The setting is a court room in Dona Ana District Court in Las Cruces. The gallery is full of reporters and the usual people who hang out in courtrooms. Don’t those people have jobs to go to? The jury is intently listening and watching the proceedings as Hamilton Burger, the prosecuting attorney, finishes with one witness.
The case has drug on for a few days now and appears that it will drag on a few more. Perry Mason, the famous and highly paid defense attorney from California approaches the witness stand where Jennifer Lopez is now seated and says, “Isn’t it true Ms. Lopez that instead of being at the park with your children the morning of the 14th as you testified earlier you were actually in the office of Hector Ramirez, with whom you have been carrying on an affair for the last year? Isn’t it also true that while you were there you had a fight and that during that fight you struck Hector Ramirez killing him? Isn’t that true Ms. Lopez? My client, Amanda Stewart, just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jennifer Lopez blurts out “No, it isn’t true? I didn’t kill Hector. I loved him.” Della, Perry’s faithful, efficient and beautiful assistant hands Perry a manila envelop as Perry once again approaches the witness. “The evidence I have here Ms. Lopez proves otherwise.” Hamilton Burger looks perplexed and a little annoyed. It seems that Perry Mason is once again up to something dramatic that could crack this case wide open.
I was contacted in May and informed that for four months I was on call to be a juror here in Dona Ana District Court. I had wanted to be on Jury Duty for years but had never been called up. While Cindy and others had all serve a time or even two I was never called. This was my opportunity to serve. The way it works here in Dona Ana County you are to be available for a period of 4 months. During your term you show up at the Court House for a two hour training session and get all your paperwork completed and are assigned a Juror number. Then when your number shows up on a calendar you are mailed you call the court and seeing if you need to come in the next day. I had my training and then I waited. I diligently called in when I needed to all the while wondering if this would be the day. There was nothing in June, nothing in July. Finally in August I called in and was told to be there the next morning at 8:15am. I was excited. I had to change my schedule around a bit since I could be there for hours, even days or weeks I thought.
The next morning I got up early and got ready and then drove to the Court House. There was a line of people there already waiting to go through security. I didn’t want to seem too eager nor did I want to seem like someone who didn’t know the ropes so I listened to my mp3 player and tried to look the part. I made it through security, put my belt back on and headed toward the court room.
Well the setting IS court room number 2 in Dona Ana District Court in Las Cruces. The gallery is full of people like myself who are there to serve on the jury if selected. This pool of people is intently listening and waiting to be told what to do next. Is that the judge over there? Who are those people conferring up front? We are to be quiet so no one knows anything. It has been over an hour and nothing is happening. I’m glad I have my pda so I can read a book. Finally the door to the Judge’s chamber opens up and some comes out and announces that both sides have come to an agreement and all of us are released. I was more than a bit disappointed.
It’s been three weeks since this happened and I still have over a month to “serve”. Maybe next time I’ll get called and I’ll serve. I didn’t get to see Perry and Hamilton spar after all.
I attended Federal Court in college for some long forgotten reason. I do know that it involved a land dispute. Man, it was boring. No drama, no raised voices or pointed fingers. No shackled prisoner leaping at the throat of his attorney. Instead it was simply people calmly talked about property issues.
Then the last time I was in court I was there to support a woman from our congregation who was seeking a divorce from her abusive husband and waiting to hear about the custody of her children and his visitation rights. She got the divorce and custody of her kids and her husband was in jail. That was a little bit more meaningful but there was little drama.
I guess that I’ll have to get my kicks watching bad behavior on “America’s Most Shocking” because it apparently happens very little here. I’ll let you know.
