Courthouse Excitement

On the way to school every morning, I drive by the Federal Courthouse on Rusk. Usually you see a couple hurried-looking people walking briskly to or from the building, nothing too out of the ordinary. Today, however, I had to stop twice at the traffic light before the courthouse, because two of the four lanes of traffic on the courthouse block were full of news vans that were stopped, satellite dishes and antennae opened up and pointing to the sky. I saw scores of people holding news reporting items, cameras, microphones, clipboards, etc., all creating a perimeter from the corner to the entrance. As soon as I stopped at the red light at the end of the Courthouseblock, I saw a swell of activity, as all the news types stirred. Microphones lifted up higher, cameramen moved around for a better shot, and I heard dozens of reporter voices (you know what voice I mean) desparately trying to ask a question.

Today was the start of jury selection for the Enron trial, and verious people connected to the trial were at or on their way to the courthouse. I couldn't get a good look at the object of all the reporters' interest, but I could tell it wasn't Ken Lay. It might have been Jeff Skilling, perhaps, from my standpoint it looked vaguely like what I remember him looking like. Then again, it might have been the Shipley Do-Nut guy.

It was a nice bit of unexpected change from the boring commute routine.