Well, that was relatively painless

I love it since they made the jury duty service easier. I'm free for another year!

I received my original summons a few months ago. Between getting through all of our pre-election recommendation interviews with candidates, working on the special Vision section for Measure C and the usual daily workload of our department, it just wasn't a good time. So I took advantage of the option that allows you to defer your service (once) to a later date within a year of the original summons date.

I picked this week because it was after the election and before a colleague's vacation next week. Friday I began checking the Fresno Superior Court Web site to see if I would have to report Monday morning. Success! "Your service will not be needed Monday. However, you will need to check this automated system again on Monday evening, anytime after 5:00 p.m. for further reporting information."

Same thing happened Monday afternoon. I did not get so lucky last night. The message on the Web site said my service might be needed this afternoon and that I would need to check back at 11:30 a.m. I also got a voicemail reminder from someone at the court, saying to be sure to check today if I would be needed or not.

At about 11:35, I saw the wonderful message: "You do not have to report for jury duty. Your service is satisfied for 1 year."

Sure, I put in some extra hours this week, trying to get ahead at work in case I did have to serve. But it is so nice that the court system has simplified the process so that people can check in via phone or computer, without having to lose a day of work or make special child-care arrangements. It makes it so much easier to fulfill that portion of our civic duty.