Cat Summoned to Jury Duty

It looks like Boston resident Sal Esposito will soon be raising his right paw as he takes the oath to serve as a juror in a Boston courthouse this March. Sal has been summoned to jury duty and the jury commissioner has refused a request to disqualify him from his obligation, despite the fact that Sal is a feline.

This may sound like something out of a Garfield the Cat comic strip, but it’s playing out in real life in Boston. Upon receipt of Sal’s jury duty notice his pet parent, Anna Esposito, requested that her cat be disqualified for jury duty. Surprisingly, the request was denied. Apparently, the fact that Sal doesn’t speak English, spends his days enjoying long cat naps and prefers a mouse that enjoys eating cheese over a mouse that points and clicks isn’t sufficient evidence for the justice system in Boston to relieve him of his duty to serve.

We constantly read how people are treating their pets more and more like humans, but this story takes it to the extreme. It's possible Sal will be deciding the guilt or innocence of some unlucky cat burglar. Perhaps since the law requires a trial by one’s peers, Sal’s call to jury duty is an early indication that some fearless feline is about to go on trial for dognapping. If that’s the case, then the defense may view Sal as the purrr-fect juror.