What’s worse: waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or waiting in the jury selection room for hours on end?
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For some, getting a summons for jury duty is as depressing as having all but one lottery number correct. For others, it’s an excuse to get away from work for a few hours, or days, or weeks … or even months! And then you have celebrities. Celebrities are a special type of breed. They get free things, attend exciting events, and preferential treatment for things ordinary humans have to suffer through, like jury duty.
Recently, Brad Pitt was summoned to court to serve on a jury, but it was determined that he would be too much of a distraction to his fellow jurors. Like most ordinary citizens, Pitt sat in the waiting room, was interviewed by the attorneys, and ultimately let loose.
According to Santa Clarita, California, lawyer William R Lively, “You just can’t stick Brad Pitt in a jury box and expect 11 jurors to ignore him. It’s only natural that those jurors would be watching to see how Brad reacts to what’s being said and that they could be influenced by his opinions once the jury goes behind closed doors to render a verdict.”
In 2013, Tom Hanks was also summoned for jury duty, but unlike Pitt, he was actually selected to serve. Which actually proved to be a huge mistake! After a week of deliberation the trial ended abruptly after a member of the Los Angeles prosecutor’s office thanked Hanks for serving on the jury. It is unlawful for lawyers to speak to jurors on the grounds that it could lead to jury tampering.
Not only are they too distracting for the jury box but they can also be too distracting for the legal counsel as well. And to make matters worse, they can totally skip the line at the DMV!