Hooray for Unprepared Defense Attorneys!

Lightning strikes the same familiar way...

6 years ago, LMNOB was a babe and I got summoned 2 times for jury duty. I managed to get them posponed, since I was nursing exclusively at the time. The 3rd time I got summoned that year, I HAD to go in. We prospective jurors got all checked in,watched the little Colorado Juror DVD, sat and squirmed a good long while before the jury commissioner came in to say a last minute new piece of evidence was admitted and the defense attorney had not been notified. Thus, since the trial would not go that day, and because CO has a one day [for check in]/one trial policy, our duty had been fulfilled for the year. Or, in my case for the next 6.

Today, I went in, dreading the potential to actually be selected once screened. Not because I didn't want to be part of the American process, but rather, my current to do list is as follows:

• Schedule LMNOB's placement testing with the school...SOMETIME THIS WEEK
• Schedule LMNOB's 504 plan meeting...SOMETIME THIS WEEK
• Cancel therapy session scheduled for tomorrow...TODAY (uhm, not my choice...that other person's - more on that later)
• Reading assignment for Democracy and the Policy Process...WOULD LIKE TO FINISH TONIGHT
• Create discussion post responses for said reading...BY FRIDAY

Fine print says - I am under the freaking gun. Oh and then I also have to work - wherein I must needs finish a few projects, housecleaning, OT, pay bills, and all that other stuff that is my life. Now, if I were sequestered away for 8 hours per day for who knows how many days...well, yeah I was not thrilled at the catching up prospect.

So....when the very ticked off judge came in to say that the defense attorney was not prepared, and he could not in good conscience proceed with the trial today, as the defendant is entitled to a fair process, and because CO is a one day/one trial state, we were free to go, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Angry judge did ice the cake of relief a bit more, probably for us types who would grumble about the wasted time all for nothing (like he doesn't know that part better than anyone else, I'm sure), when he informed us we had all avoided being assigned to a 5 day sexual assault trial, which would have been really emotionally difficult for anyone to sit through the testimonies the case would bring forth.

Hence, my celebratory title. I don't think I would have made it through that without need for more therapy.