[matthewb0051]

I have jury duty today. (Actually in it right now as I type) This is a first for me mainly because of being in the Army for so long that the only other time I received a summons I was out of the state. Another time after I retired I was a resident of Virginia but got a summons from Tennessee because I was on their rolls due to being executor of an estate in the county.

There is no exemption for attorneys in Texas, which I believe is pretty odd. I represent criminal defendants in every court in the county so I know the judges and ADAs fairly well. I also share office space with several plaintiff's attorneys. Pretty sure I'm not the juror either side would want, whether criminal or civil.

Today is just appear via Zoom. If you get selected then in person tomorrow. I believe voir dire is on Zoom as well. That should be a treat.

A couple of things that have struck me:

There are people on the Zoom that thus far I would not want deciding my fate nor that of any of my clients. Pretty sure one guy was driving a car/truck while appearing. Others looked like they just rolled out of bed. One woman didn't even know her address.

The best/worst/funniest thing that happened: Judge began swearing in all 400 people and shared screen the oath, telling everyone to raise their hands. At that moment a huge number of people raised their virtual hands and began actually reading the oath rather than raising their actual hand and letting the judge read the oath.