The Jury is out

I touched on this a couple of weeks ago, but I just found it again in a pile of papers, so you are getting another dose.

Maggie received a jury summons a couple of weeks ago. She is supposed to report on Monday November 24 unless she has a legitimate reason to be excused. She does. One of the few legitimate excuses is if the prospective juror is deceased. One simply checks a box and one is excused.

Now I know my reaction may be extreme because of my situation, but I find this appalling. Obviously the City and County of San Francisco summons the deceased for jury duty often enough that has modified its summons form to make that an acceptable excuse. That is bizarre. Maybe it's time to rethink this.

Wouldn't it be more efficient to cross check a list of prospective jurors against a list of death certificates issued in the City?  Once it was set up, it would take no time at all, it would be an automatic check. Of course they wouldn't get everyone, but you would get a lot of people. The City and County could save the paper, the postage and a lot of heartache/angst for the family members of the deceased; it could do right by its citizens.

Part of me just wanted to toss the summons in the garbage.  I mean what are they going to do?  I wasn't summoned, I have no reason to do the City's job for them.  But then I realized if I didn't send it back in, the notices will keep coming every year or so forever, which is likely what happens to many, including those without a family living at the same address. That means I would get annoyed/hurt/angry every time I received one.  It's worth the trouble and the stamp to stop that.

 But it really better stop.

Maggie was summoned two years ago, and I found it rather charming. (Maggie World: Juror #5, what say you). The court had no reason to know Maggie could not serve as a juror. So I told them. I submitted medical information that she was severely and permanently disabled and had actually been conserved by the San Francisco Superior Court, the very same department that issues the summons, One would think her name would have been taken off the rolls at that time. Hence, I have my doubts that sending this back with notification that she is deceased will do any good at all

Could it possibly be that no one in City Hall actually reads anything?

Check a box  ___ Yes   ___No