Well dear readers, I've got myself a court date for January the 8th, 2007. However, I will not be up on charges, if all goes well till then! Your favorite blogger will be attending court as a potential juror.

I received my summons on Friday, and promptly replied to their demands. Legally, you have seven days to tell them you'll show up, or come up with a reason why you can't do it. I briefly considered trying to bail on the whole exercise, but I changed my mind. It should be an interesting experience, I'll probably learn a thing or two, and more importantly it is the only civic duty that's required of Canadians. It's also one of the more important rights under democracy.

Regardless, I'll be memorizing the phrase "I've been waiting for jury duty ever since my mom was raped by a Crown Attorney", just in case I feel like getting out of there. I may also stop reading the local papers, to prevent myself from reading anything that could disqualify me. That may be going overboard.

I must admit that I'm completely ignorant in regards to the process. Apparently everybody I know is equally ignorant. I have some questions regarding this process, and if any readers can answer these questions, I'll be very thankful.

1) What conditions need to be met for a trial to go to jury?
2) How many days of service am I looking at?
3) Are jurors allowed cigarette breaks, and if so, how often?
4) Are there any laws I could run afoul of as a juror (ie. blogging about the trial)?
5) Does the jury have any input in sentencing?
6) Does Canada have the Death Penalty yet?

The last question was a joke, kinda. But rest assured I will take this seriously. I would not throw an innocent man in jail. I would however, take great pleasure in throwing some dirty career-criminal in jail for a long time.

It'll be a trip, man.