Jury Duty Again

I wonder how many people have been summoned to jury duty nine times? I got my ninth summons last week and have to report on April 22. The last time I was called was last fall, but I didn't sit on a jury that time. I've been either a juror or an alternate on 10 or 12 cases, so my curiosity has been satisfied and I'm beginning to resent being called so many times.

Unlike Washington, where you are required to serve for two weeks at a time, Texas calls you for one day, unless you are picked for a jury and then you are required to serve on only that one trial. Because the pay is the princely sum of $5 a day, not many people could afford to stay away from work for long. Everyone dreads being picked for a long trial, since the pay doesn't even cover transportation costs. At least they provide a juror's parking lot.

I noticed one interesting fact the last time I was called. Though the Hispanic population of Smith County is about 25%, there were less than a half-dozen people with Hispanic surnames among the 150-200 people called. I guess that's a clue to how many illegals there are in the county.