Published: September 20, 2008 11:03 pm            

Laura Wilson 09-21-08

I always thought people dressed up when they had been called for jury duty — at least until I saw a jury being selected.

Now, I didn’t expect the mean to wear suits and ties and the women to wear dresses and heels for jury duty, but I did expect something at least dressy casual — khaki pants, loafers, tucked-in shirts.

Some of the people I saw show up for jury duty were dressed as if they were going to work. Some probably did go to work after they were excused from jury duty. Some weren’t excused but were still in work clothes.

Others surprised me with their casualness in shorts and T-shirts. (The shorts also surprised me after the first day because it was cold in the courtroom.)

Perhaps the impression of dressed-up juries comes from television. After all, most juries I’ve seen on TV are dressed fairly nicely. Of course, they’re dressed by costumers with a full costuming department, and not only do they not have to buy their own clothes, they’re getting paid to dress up a little.

But also, court seems like a serious occasion, even if you’re not the one on trial. The jury isn’t there to look good, of course, but to decide guilt or innocence, which is more important than what they wear. Still, it surprised me.

Laura Wilson can be reached at 372-5000, Ext. 230, or .

        

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