The importance of a jury of our peers

Back in June, around the date of summer’s official start, I received a jury summons in the mail from Kootenai County. It had been a couple of decades since I was last called to serve. While I’ve always considered jury duty not to be a duty but a privilege of citizenship, I was like, “Seriously, July 22 to 26 in the middle of our too-short summer!” Why not in January, February or March when cabin fever has set in? But alas, the justice system functions 12 months out of the year, even on beautiful sunshiny summer days.

Jurors for District Court are selected from a pool of names of registered voters and driver’s license holders. There are 89,161 registered voters in Kootenai County so what are the odds that my good friend, Pam Houser, had also been summoned to jury duty the same week? We’ll never know if we’d have been selected for the same trial since notification that we were excused arrived via email and text this past Friday.

“Juror, you do not need to report. Your service is completed and/or canceled. You are exempt from jury duty for two years. Thank you,” the text message read. My reaction was an equal amount of relief and disappointment.

Everyone accused of a crime or involved in a civil dispute has a constitutional right to have a jury decide their case. Jurors swear an oath to be fair and impartial to both the prosecution and defense and the ability to listen to the facts of the case, not their feelings.

I genuinely hope it’s not another two decades before my next jury summons, even if it comes in the summer months.

To learn more about juries, go to kcgov.us and search for Jury Service.

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An observation, not a complaint, re: The several days of triple-digit temperatures here ... I didn’t know it was possible to sweat while floating in the pool but it is. I was on the edge of crankiness by Monday, which was a surprise since I do love hot, sunny summer weather.

On Monday, the overnight lows made for a blessedly bearable 60 degrees when I woke up Tuesday morning. We turned off the ceiling and box fans and the window air-conditioner. Quiet. That’s what I’d been missing. Oppressive heat is noisy.

Enjoying the patio and grilling dinner were impossible. So welcome back normal North Idaho summer temperatures, I missed you! Now I’m feeling a sense of urgency to cram summer enjoyment into a few weeks while summer seems to be flying by at breakneck speed. Lake time, river time, pool time, vacation time, sitting quietly on the porch or patio in the morning and evening ... the seasonal clock is ticking, loudly.

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Happy birthday today to Marie Price, Tom Taggart, Karen Youman, Mark Hunsaker, Karen Prosser, Doug Miller, Shelby Stone, Anthony “A-Train” King and Srinivas Gundari. Tomorrow, Larry Schwenke, Robin Schlotthauer, Alenna Blakeslee, Rich Nicolson and Karen King will blow out their candles. Celebrating Friday are Doreen Mack, Marla Giese, Deb Miller, Marlo Gerber, Nick Epstein, Kelsey Wood and Lois Johnson. On Saturday, my brother-in-law, Rick Scharf (70!), Ann Beutler, Larry Trosper, Gail Everson, Brady Campbell, Shelly Zollman, Rich May and Brian Thormahlen put on their party hats. Taking another trip around the sun Sunday are Jan Nelson, Bekah Manderscheid, Cathy Werner, Zack White, Hank Wayman, John Hensley, Debra Wunderlich, Norm Loftin, Darrell Rickard and Karen Englestad. Starting the week with birthdays Monday are Tanya Peugh, Mark Anthony and Alisa Loftin-Ward. July 30 birthdays for Sharmon Schmitt, Dianne Ansbaugh, William Disney, Jacob Hester, Nicole Coquette, Terra Karl, Kalie Bell, Brenna Meehan and Peggy Coleman.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email rkthor52@aol.com.