16th Judicial Circuit Court

I’m in here a lot for work and the place gets crazy packed. The guys at the front who scan the items for metal are pretty fast and it makes your life easier, and all the courtrooms are labeled pretty well so first-​timers know where they are going. The court sessions sometimes take longer than you’d like, but that’s pretty much any court anywhere. It is what it is. That whole Main Street area in the Clem is getting remodeled, including a new parking lot.
Just a tip: you can park at a restaurant nearby, such as Three Blind Mice two blocks down, and walk. Then, you don’t have to worry about parking right off Main Street or being more susceptible to parking tickets.

Ah, jury duty. That most wonderful time when you get to take (at least) a day off from work in order to hopefully go pass judgement on someone.
In my case, I didn’t get picked, so I basically sat there most of the day playing games on my phone and listening to the prior night’s podcast to kill the time.
As far as facilities go, decent enough. Coffee shop, cafeteria, the meters use Parkmobile (which is always a bonus in my view), and the security folks have a decent enough sense of humor when dealing with people stumbling and bumbling through the doors for whatever reason.
The prep video they show you as you’re sitting in the main jury room was done in the late 70s or early 80s, and, honestly, they could just ask «Have you seen at least three episodes of the original Law & Order? You have? Good, you’re done then.» and be done with it.

The security staff upon entry is very nice they have a place for you to get coffee downstairs as well as lunch 90% of people going here it is not going to be a situation that people would want to write anything more than one star. My reason for the one star is the complete lack of blind judgement that was used in a matter I will not speak of a perticular judges name that had my case but as a judge you are supposed to go in blind with no judgement and uphold the respect and if I refer to your as your honor and you treat me in a manner that was no way honorable shame on you. For any judge in Macomb County that read this remember just because you’re tired and want to go to lunch these are peoples lifes you are dealing with and they are in your hands. And should not be dealt with in any manner other than the respectful honorable way that you’re description describes you.

I was recently selected to do my duty as a citizen — jury duty. Today was my day to serve.
Things to remember as you arrive between 0815 and 0830 — enter only through the main entrance facing Main Street. You will be subject to 100% screening immediately upon entering the building — so leave weapons, mace, and any other questionable items behind — it’s empty your pockets time, folks!
Knowing that they have convenient metered parking in front of the courthouse, I learned once inside the jury room that you’d better feed those meters or be subject to a $ 10 fine. Paid parking is available next door in the parking structure. Free parking is also available in the city lot on North River Road, with convenient free shuttle service to the courthouse provided.
I indeed parked on the street, but I was able to avoid any consideration of monetary notions, as I parked on the other side of the river where there are no meters at all. OK, truth be told, I parked in front of my house the night before, and walked the whole way — 3 blocks in all, uphill, no hitch-​hiking.
The jury room is on the 5^th floor and they have 4 elevators to accommodate lazy Americans (yes, I took the elevator). Once inside the jury room, a quick check in with the clerk. Then select a seat in the large waiting room, or you might sit at a table toward the back reserved for quiet reading, knitting, puzzles and the like. Electrical outlets are sparsely located around the room for those who need to be tethered to technology.
Speaking of technology, free wifi is available in the jury room and each of the court rooms. Laptops, tablets and smartphones were all in use as I looked around the room.
The room was comfortable for my stay, although the sun was shining in the windows and warmed up the area around them. Seating was adequate, the floor was carpeted. Pleasant décor all around.
Books can be ordered ahead of time online and delivered via the Michigan library system. Magazines are also available for reading. Sodas and snacks are located in vending machines near the restroom facilities in the back.
One of the judges of the court stepped in to make a presentation about jury duty and how it works. I won’t mention any names, because I am impartial when it comes to politics, but the judge did a good job of explaining everything.
On a side note: kudos to Mrs. Switalski for giving birth to a baby boy 44 years ago!
So how does this all work? How did I get selected for jury duty? Contrary to suspicions of the past, potential jurors are randomly selected from a list provided by the Michigan Secretary of State, the list compiled from a mix of persons holding driver’s licenses and state issued IDs.
I wasn’t selected to sit in on a jury today. Now before you go pointing fingers and wondering why, I will tell you that nobody was selected today. It’s just the luck of the draw. The bad part — I have to wait up to 3 weeks to get paid. With mileage added in, it will come in time to help my Christmas shopping — a hefty $ 12.50 for the half-​day of service.
An informative webpage was developed to answer any questions about jury duty.
It can be found at: