I'll tell the short version of my grand jury story. I was summoned to the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria. The courthouse is a tall, modern building amongst similar tall buildings. I've lived in the area 23 years but with construction and not being in that particular area in a while, I had to circle around a little and then find a parking garage. Unlike my county courthouse, the agents at the security check point were polite and professional. The courtroom itself was traditional in appearance with lots of wood and the great seal of the United States behind the bench. Just like on TV.
We, all 66 of us, checked in with the jury administrator and then took a seat. I read and actually dozed, off and on. We were told to go one deck up to another courtroom. Three court employees were milling about and turning on headsets. A man from central casting came in and took a seat in a plexiglass seat I later came to know as the witness stand. Then a lady did the oyee aaa oyee aaa thing and called the court to order and announced the Honorable Judge. In walked a short LOL, Little Old Lady, with white hair and a stooped over gait. We were told to be seated and she read some legalese and told us what a grand jury is. She then asked us as a group if we had any alibies. Reasons we thought we could not serve. I could have stood and given a few but sat still. Several people said they had bad backs, young kids, was in college, and another several said they were retired LEO or currently in the federal government as an agent of some sort in their job title. She asked each one if they could hear evidence without prejudice and they all said yes. Many of them were chosen as jurors.
Then Her Honor said, OK let's try out these radio things. She, the federal prosecutor in the witness box, and the three ladies in the front put on the headsets and a static type of white noise was turned on in the courtroom. They were talking to each other and the judge was obviously scratching off names. The noise stopped and the headsets came off and the judge gave instructions on where the chosen jurors should go in the courtroom after the names were called. She first named the foreperson and deputy foreperson and swore them in. She then named, by name and juror number--I was juror 42--those chosen to be impaneled. They were not alphabetical or by number so I didn't know if I would be chosen until the last juror was called.
I was not. She swore them in and asked we who remained to stay seated while the Chosen Few were escorted to another room for the rest of the day for indoctrination. It was at that point I realized I really did not want to be on the grand jury. I have several theories why I wasn't chosen but there's no need to tell that here. The Alexandria court of the Eastern District of Virginia is famous for trying terrorists both foreign and domestic, white collar criminals, international drug dealers, and here soon, the January 6th suspects. That is the first grand jury impaneled since the shutdown. The just expired grand jury agreed to stay past one year until the virus got under control.