Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. Former president George W. Bush. Fool-pitier Mr. T. All have fulfilled their civic obligation and reported for jury duty when called. But perhaps none are as famous as Taylor Swift.
But that didn’t stop the worldwide pop star from reporting to Nashville’s criminal courthouse this week for jury duty. And as quick as Taylor Swift, criminal jurist, appeared, she was gone again, dismissed over an overlap with her own legal case.
(Didn’t) Shake It Off
According to the Tennessean, Swift was kind and cordial with other potential jurors and staff, posing for pictures and videos. “She’s really a nice girl,” fellow juror Michael Washington told the paper. “She didn’t have a problem with taking pictures. If she didn’t want to be there, she didn’t act like it. She was just doing her civic duty. Very sweet.”
This wasn’t the first time Swift has been summoned for jury duty in Tennessee — she deferred her service in December, probably because she was on tour in Australia at the time.
Out of the Woods
Had she been selected as a juror, Swift would’ve sat on a domestic violence case involving charges of kidnapping and aggravated rape. But Ken Whitehouse, spokesman for the Davidson County prosecutor’s office, told the Associated Press asked to be excused “out of concern for an upcoming trial in Denver where she was — she used the term ‘groped’ — by a fan at a meet-and-greet.” In that case, Swift is counter-suing a radio host for suing her after he lost his job amid her claims that he grabbed her butt during an event in 2013.
Swift, herself no stranger to the courtroom, has also been active in Kesha’s campaign to exit her contract after the fellow performer accused producer Dr. Luke of sexual assault. Perhaps next time around the case won’t hit so close to home for Swift, who told the judge she’d be happy to serve on any other kind of case. That’s the spirit, T-Swift, I knew you weren’t trouble.
Related Resources:
- Taylor Swift Does Her (Jury) Duty in Nashville but Gets a Pass Because of Her Own Pending Case (Los Angeles Times)
- German Shepherd Gets Jury Duty Summons in N.J. (FindLaw’s Legal Grounds)
- Man Avoids Jury Duty by Wearing Prisoner Costume (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
- Want to Get Out of Jury Duty? Mention Jeffrey Dahmer Friendship (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)