San Jacinto County Court

Who wants to get a jury summons in the mail?
Dealing with my most recent summons for jury duty proved to be not only interesting but an enjoyable experience. To begin with, the telephone service was excellent. Unlike jury service that I have performed in larger cities, there was actually someone to answer the phone when I called to see if it was still on, the evening before and the morning of.
Parking was fairly simple as there was enough free parking at the courthouse and within a block. Checking in was easy as the Bailiff was a friendly, professional and efficient man that helped everyone know where we could sit, gave us pens to fill out our paperwork, etc. He made us feel welcome and comfortable, and slinging a big ‘ol gun on his side, he also made us feel safe.
The building itself is absolutely beautiful, and historic. It was built in 1918, and is the county seat, with the current grand architectural beauty being a replacement of the original, following the destruction by fire of the original courthouse in 1915 at Old Town.
As court began, and we answered role call, it was obvious that it was a small town or community as a lot of people knew each other. Heck, one of my Mom’s sisters (my Aunt) was sitting next to me, and one of my cousins on the other side! Hehe. The judge was also very familiar with a large number of the people there, and their families. Judge Faulkner made everyone feel comfortable and welcome, while we did what we must as citizens.
On a final note, when the Judge came out, I immediately recognized him, but was not sure why. Later in the day I remembered why I knew him. After Hurricane Rita came through and caused a massive amount of damage to Coldspring and San Jacinto County, leaving many people with no water, food or electricity for weeks, this Judge signed an emergency order getting FEMA aid for our community. While I didn’t know him by sight back then, when working at a FEMA site as a volunteer, handing out water and food, Judge Faulkner was there as well, in blue jeans and a T-​Shirt, sweating and working his ass off just like everyone else. Everyone called him «Fritz», and while there was some mention that he was a judge, no one really cared as all they needed was food and water and ice.
While it took several years for me to meet him again, and realize that was the same guy, I can say that it was an honor to meet my jury duty obligation in his court.