Vaping in the Federal court house.

[sofarsogood]

May be this story, told for your edification and enjoyment, goes under the catagory of, My Excellent vaping Adventure.

Last Teusday I finished a week as a juror in the Federal court in Detroit. For 5 days they started us at 8:15 in the morning and we usually walked out about 5:00 pm. We were at it for 5 days. So what's a vaper to do? Vape on brotha'!

First you have to get into the building through airport style security. You have to leave your cell phone in the car. You show picture ID, empty your pockets, take off your belt etc. Everytime a different guard asked, what's this? An electronic cigarette. Most of them are retired military. I think that helped. I learned to enter through the employee only entrance with a "juror" sticker discretely behind the shirt pocket fabric of a white dress shirt.

The hallways were mostly deserted. I took some hallway puffs but as the days went on that wasn't necessary. We reported to a jury assembly area every morning. It was a very LONG room. At the opposite end from the staff were some computers for us to play on. I could hide behind the monitor and take discrete puffs. I was selected as a jurer, a process that took half a day.

It turns out jurors are gold. They are vital to the process. If too many are lost the tiral has to start over. The 8 of us began to sense the deference that flows from that and got a bit rowdy at times (outside the court room of course). There were always breaks in the morning and afternoon sessions. The jury retires to it's own room. I could vape freely there so long as I took care not to set off the fire alarm. The other jurors didn't care. May be the court staff figured out what I was doing but jurors are so important they aren't going to fuss about the small stuff. I almost got a chance to take a puff in the court room. I cut through it during lunch break to get to the jury room and forgot to capitalize. Oh well, may be next time. Getting technical, there were no signs about vaping in the building and no Michigan law about vaping in indoor spaces.

BTW the jury did a good job. My schooling was philosopy where you search for the truth with logic, common sense, fair play, honor, honesty, ingrity etc. (all stuff public health people don't have a clue about). I warned them we wouldn't be adjourning until we did the job right.

We were paid $40 a day. I'm going to use the money to buy more nic and mods for my stash (ironic sigh).

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

I looked at my jury duty as a Kharmic event.

I figured I'd do my Very Best. That way, if *I* ever needed a jury, maybe they wouldn't have to pull mine away from that days Jerry Springer show.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

[Earthtograce]

You rebel! Cool story


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[Chuck64]

He'll yea, I'd do it to. I just wouldn't tell everyone about it.

 

[sofarsogood]

He'll yea, I'd do it to. I just wouldn't tell everyone about it.

It's a fun story. The Feds are on our minds right now, not in the most favorable light. Let's cut them down to size a little. A Federal Court house needs a lot of rules to deal with terrorists. Too many rules about too many things and they get stretched thin. Then, anything you can do, or not do, to help jurors rise to that responsibility is important to consider. There's no doubt I was a better juror because I could take a few puffs through the day. If the court wants quality they need to bend where they can. All's well that ends well.

 

[Grimwald]

$40 for a full time day...not exactly wages of the 1%.

 

[Earthtograce]

$40 for a full time day...not exactly wages of the 1%.

That's probably for the whole 5 days. Here in Baltimore they barely give you enough to buy lunch lol


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[Frenchfry1942]

Here in Arizona it is $12 a day, but you have to attend the hanging Saturday at high noon.

 

[KYBLUE]

I served on a federal Grand Jury in Kentucky and we were told of the designated smoking area on day one. I did have to field the inevitable "what is this" questions on entry the first few months but overall it was surprisingly trouble free.

 

[jseah]

$40 for a full time day...not exactly wages of the 1%.

That's probably for the whole 5 days. Here in Baltimore they barely give you enough to buy lunch lol


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It depends on the court. When I lived in California and had to do jury duty for the municipal court, the pay was $15 a day plus one way mileage of 10 or 15 cents a mile. I was once also called for jury duty in the federal district court and the pay was $40 a day plus round trip mileage at the federal mileage rate (which at the time was around 40 cents a mile). Also, because the federal district court area was so large, if you lived more than 80 miles one way from the courthouse (I lived around 50 miles) then you were paid $80 a day per diem for lodging and meals.

Living in NY now, the courts here are much stingier. They don't reimburse you for mileage and while they also pay you $15 a day for jury duty, you only get paid if you do not get paid leave from work for jury duty. If your employer still pays you while you are on jury duty, then you get nothing.

 

[Jorychi]

My oldest son got a jury duty summons three days after he turned 18, got 6 bucks for it.

 

[WillyZee]

so ... what was the dude charged with?

 

[Eskie]

Living in NY now, the courts here are much stingier. They don't reimburse you for mileage and while they also pay you $15 a day for jury duty, you only get paid if you do not get paid leave from work for jury duty. If your employer still pays you while you are on jury duty, then you get nothing.

I had to do NY State jury duty last fall, and I got $40 for the day. You got jipped. But they had a nice smoking area in a little plaza right outside the jury room on the ground floor.

 

[sofarsogood]

so ... what was the dude charged with?

It was a civil case, a dispute between a landlord and insurance company over a claim.

 

[jseah]

I had to do NY State jury duty last fall, and I got $40 for the day. You got jipped. But they had a nice smoking area in a little plaza right outside the jury room on the ground floor.

If your jury duty was in state court, that might be the difference. My jury duty was in county court.

 

[jdrewry]

I had to vape outside when I did Jury Duty; no way they let you vape indoors in NJ...

 

[tony46113]

Regardless of what jury duty pays, you still get paid your normal wage by your employer, correct? That was my experience in Indiana. I got paid like normal from my employer, plus whatever small amount I got from jury duty.

 

[kross8]

i had 2 days of jury selection last year. i was a smoker at the time. break was called and we all went wherever. i went to the smoking area i had found early the 1st morning. i was all alone. i watched this guy across the street with a camera ,, after a awhile i noticed he had crossed the street and was rushing up to me. when he got to me,, he said he had taken my picture several times from across the street,, and wanted to know if he could take another one up closer........'uh, yeah sure' he took my pic,, thanked me and told me he was shooting tourism pic for the state. but my pic was for some photo art comp.......and to 'look for it someday'.......i wish i had gotten his name.

i wasnt picked for the jury,, on the 2nd day of telling us the laws, that we must follow the laws,, and listening to the state and the defense atty's,,, we were asked if anyone simply could not follow the law.....4 of us spoke up.......off to the judges chambers to have a chat. i said since the guy had already had a grand jury place him in our lap,, and i have 0 tolerance for child molesters i just assume we hang him and save everyone some time and money......the next 2 guys were cops and they said 'ditto... and that they spend their careers looking for this kind of scum.....the 4th was a woman,,,,,,,,who the 2 atty's and judge kept asking questions to the point that she changed her answer............she was then picked for jury duty.

it paid $45 day

 

[Earthtograce]

Regardless of what jury duty pays, you still get paid your normal wage by your employer, correct? That was my experience in Indiana. I got paid like normal from my employer, plus whatever small amount I got from jury duty.

My last job did not. My current job will pay you for the day but you have to give them the notice and the 10 dollars or however much , it's been a few years lol ..


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[jseah]

Regardless of what jury duty pays, you still get paid your normal wage by your employer, correct? That was my experience in Indiana. I got paid like normal from my employer, plus whatever small amount I got from jury duty.

The local court here doesn't pay you if you get your normal salary from your employer when you are on jury duty. They only pay you if you don't get paid leave.