Marilyn Smith

One of the more interesting diversions during the holidays was Freida’s summons for jury duty.

This is the second one she’s received since her move to Albany. The first came from Lane County Circuit Court a week or so after the move. Dealing with that one was simple: “I no longer live in Lane County.” Sign, seal, mail. Next?

This one came from Linn County Circuit Court. The brief questionnaire carried the tantalizing statement that a juror is eligible to be excused if they are over 70. Period. I’d like to make an argument here against agism and in favor of cognitive alertness and loop back to the post I did months ago about the juror described as “elderly” when she was a 50-something with white hair.

Though I haven’t asked the state courts, I’ve worked for government long enough to know that you can’t ask a person’s age on job applications or in most other instances unless age is relevant to the subject at hand. If you can be excused from jury duty just because you are 70 or older, do you think it would maybe be a time- and postage-saving thing to check the date of birth of the registered voter or licensed driver before you send the summons? My mother-in-law is on both lists. Just asking.

Freida’s mail comes to our address. When we got the summons, I filled out the questionnaire and Freida signed it this weekend. The court should receive it on Monday. I explained, as simply as I could, that Freida is 86, deaf, partially blind from macular degeneration, has short -term memory loss, can’t drive, and uses a walker. When I took her the summons to sign, she laughed out loud and said “I can’t hear anything!” I told her, “All you have to be is 70; the rest is just extra.” She laughed again, signed the paper, and I slipped it into the mail.

Told Mom about it and she was a little bit jealous. Mom would love to serve on a jury (hint hint). She can hear. She can drive. She loves courtroom drama. And she’s still smarting from when she and I served on separate juries in Harrisburg within a few months in the spring of 1975. She was on a Municipal Court case and was paid $5; I served on the Justice Court jury (illegal lane change on the freeway — guilty!) and got $10.

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