You are being summoned for the purpose of jury selection in accordance with the provisions of section 19 of the Juries Act...I received the summons back in January, and answered those summons today. Unbeknownst to me was that the minimum duration for jury selection is one week. I thought I'd just be sitting there today, waiting to be called, deemed fit/unfit for duty, and that would be that. Having gone through the process now, I can see why they keep you there for a week.
It. Is. Tedious.
The adherence to procedure borders on liturgical, and requires a lot of sitting, listening, and occasionally, some public speaking. Basically it's everything they train you to do in elementary school.
So you've been summoned. Here's what it's like:
Provided that you are eligible to serve jury duty, show up at the courthouse in your jurisdiction (your city of residence). It will be clearly marked on the summons what location, day, and time you are to arrive. Bring your summons notice with you.
Pro tip #1: go there 30 min. earlier than the request time. Courthouse entry is security screened (like the airport), so there will be a lineup to enter, especially on the first day when all the jury candidates show up for the same requested time.
Pro tip #2: bring something to occupy yourself because it is going to be a lot of sitting and waiting, followed by sitting and listening. Bring snacks while you're at it, and anything you'd need to stay awake, or stave off headaches/incontinence/diarrhea.
On your summons will be displayed your juror number, and panel number. Usually there are about 4 panels of jurors (groups). Each panel will be called up at some point during the day to attend a trial's juror selection process. This is repeated until you're either serving jury duty in a trial, or the week of selection is up. Even if you don't get selected, it will count as having served jury duty and you will be exempt for the next three years. Keep your summons as proof because sometimes they summon you again.
The selection process is the fun, but also tedious part. At the beginning of each selection process, the judge will dutifully describe each and every step for you, along with an introductory spiel about what an interesting and rewarding honour it is to perform your civic duty.
Juror numbers/names are drawn from the pool by the registrar of the trial. Selected jurors have a chance to state their reasons for exemption to the judge if they should require it. The judge and counsel decide relatively quickly whether or not the exemption is granted. The counsel teams get a chance to assess each juror candidate. If both counsellors declare they are content with this choice, that candidate becomes part of the jury. If either one of the counsellors declares a challenge, the candidate is vetoed out and is off the selection panel for that trial.
They repeat this process until they have the required number of jurors. Civil cases only require 6 jurors. Criminal cases require 12 jurors, and that process is subject to additional checks and balances. Juror candidates are first assessed by a miniature jury of their juror peers (also selected by random draw) to determine if they are acceptable for candidacy. Then the candidate faces the accused and the counsellors read that reaction to determine whether they are content, or would like to challenge the appointment.
Everyone I sat beside today got selected. I was eventually selected for candidacy in a criminal case today, but was rebuffed on the final opportunity by the defense attorney. Thanks! Four more days to go!
