For many in Baltimore, serving jury duty is about as much fun as going to the dentist, thanks to long waits to be called and, more specifically, the crowded and sometimes noisy conditions in the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse’s waiting rooms.
But this year, officials are taking steps to make jury duty more bearable.
Next Tuesday, Mayor Catherine Pugh, Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, Administrative Judge Michel Pierson and others will cut the ribbon on a new jury assembly room supplementing the ones that have been in use for decades.
The upgraded version–the new “quiet” waiting room–is more like a college library than a bus station. It seats up to 56 and has been in service for about two weeks. Jurors can eat and drink beverages in the room. The main rule is that people are asked not to talk on cell phones, and otherwise must keep talking to a whisper.
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