What To Expect During Jury Duty in the Metropolitan Court in Albuquerque, New Mexico?

 

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING JURY DUTY IN THE METROPOLITAN COURT IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Feast your envious eyes on the certificate of service that I received for completing jury duty at the Metropolitan Courthouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico. No doubt you have already noted the certificate’s stunning appearance – dipped in a majestic tan, embroidered with the color of royalty, and emblazoned with a fierce yet refined eagle as its focal point.  This picturesque monument of civic duty can be yours for the small price of a two week stint in jury duty.

Today I finished serving as a juror for Metro Court.  Here are some of the highlights and what you should expect when serving as a juror for Metro Court.

J.  Expect to receive a Summons in the mail announcing that you have been chosen to serve on jury duty.

U.  The first day includes an orientation that lasts a little more than one hour – including an Oscar worthy introductory video that dives head first into the legal system.

R.  Jury duty lasts about two weeks – in my case from January 27 until February 9^th.

Y.  You are paid minimum wage plus travel expenses for your time.

D.  Parking is free.

U.  You are assigned to a group, and your group is asked to report roughly every other day at 8:30 a.m.

T.  On days that you report at 8:30 a.m. you sit in a waiting room, listening for your name to be called from the overall group.

Y.  If your name is not called you are usually free to leave between 11:30 and 12:00.

A.  If you are a criminal defense attorney you probably won’t hear your name called.

B.  There is an all you can drink buffet of bottled water, Folgers, and Coca-Cola products.

Q.  You are not permitted to bring cell-phones, or any other electronic device with an attached camera.  However, any electronic device without a camera is fine – i.e. laptops, Kindles, I-Pods, etc.

I also feel compelled to draw your attention to the fact that the bullet points above spell Jury Duty ABQ – mere numbers seemed like an anti-climatic end to the experience.

Most importantly, however, I learned during my time on jury duty that the experience is better than having your wisdom teeth pulled, but far less enjoyable than Pauly Shore’s triumphant experience in the cinematic masterwork – Jury Duty.