Monday of this week I had federal jury duty. Rain and possibly thunderstorms were in the forecast.
It is only about 10 miles from my house to the courthouse, so I decided to ride rather than borrow my wife's car.
Selecting a route wasn't a problem-- I ride downtown all the time on week-ends. I wasn't exactly sure where the building was, but I had an idea. I hoped that the Google map was accurate.
Clothing was a technical issue. The instructions I received specifically stated that jurors had to wear clothing that maintained the dignity of the court-- whatever that means. But, I had a suspicion that biking clothing probably wasn't acceptable courtroom attire-- I would have to either ride in my courtroom clothing or take it with me in my panniers. With rain in the forecast, I opted to take my clothing with me in a pannier.
I have some of those 'traveler's pants' that are made of some sort of synthetic stuff that can be crumpled up and then look unwrinkled after you wear them a few minutes. I also have a similar shirt. I took those. I wore lightweight hiking boots instead of bike shoes-- I have some of those 'campus' dual-purpose pedals that allow me to use non-cleated shoes for riding.
I got to the courthouse 25 minutes early. It had started raining so I found a concrete picnic table under some shelter and I chained my bike to it. It was 45 degrees--- I didn't think anyone would be eating lunch outside that day. I went through the metal detectors with my helmet and pannier. I then found a restroom where I changed into my jury clothing in a stall. I reported for duty without a hitch.
Luckily, I was selected as one of the first 12 jurors for a trial that morning. It was a criminal case alleging illegal possession of a firearm by a young fellow who had evidently been previously convicted of a felony. My past isn't perfect-- as a teen I was arrested for possessing an illegal weapon. I was thrown into the Atlanta City jail-- a very unpleasant place. I think for this and a few other reasons, I was excluded from serving on the jury-- that meant I was free to go home and I would not have to return again for jury duty. Hooray!
I changed back into my bike clothes and rode home.
I took a different route. I rode home via Madison. I was stunned-- only two cars passed me between downtown and midtown-- I felt like I was riding on a Sunday morning. Once I got to midtown, however, traffic thickened and resembled what you might expect for a workday.
It was especially fun riding home-- I was in a great mood because I had been dismissed from serving. I rode fast, enjoying the cool weather and the downtown environment.
So-- jury duty on a bike-- no big deal. I would do it again.
