33rd / 424th District Courts

So I got it for them. This jury is the most animated I've encountered. As is my custom, I'll tease with them some to loosen them up from the arduous task they face, but perhaps I've overdone it with this bunch. At about 2pm the following notes were handed to the bailiff, and thence to me, each from a different juror:

• We respectfully request that the court provide us with ice cream on our next break in order to help wake us up. (the testimony was indeed a bit dry)
• May I request an ice cream break!?
• Everyone screams for Ice Cream . (complete with a drawing of an ice cream cone)
• Is it possible for the court to provide an ice cream break?

Wishing to keep the  jury both awake and happy, I immediately dispatched the district clerk, with my credit card in hand (scary, now that I reflect upon that!), to the grocery store for ice cream and cones.

A break soon became appropriate whereupon I gave a rather stern instruction for the jury to step down and remain in the jury room. They quickly filed out with puzzled looks and the attorneys couldn't get to the bench quickly enough, concern written all over their faces, assuming some sort of misconduct had occurred.

No sooner had I explained the circumstance to them than the laughter was heard from the jury room as the ice cream was brought into them.

Unfortunately we had to return to the less-than-scintillating testimony. And there we remain.

glj