A Kansas City bride has gone viral after receiving a jury duty summons for the same day as her wedding in Rome, more than 5,000 miles away.
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Katrina Badowski, 35, received the summons on August 14, requiring her to report for a week of jury duty starting Monday — the day she was due to marry her fiancé, Billie Rodriguez, 42, in Italy.
“My jaw physically dropped like a cartoon,” Badowski told KSHB outside the Wyandotte County District Court, recalling her reaction to seeing the date on the summons.
Badowski, who said she had not been summoned for jury duty in more than a decade, shared a video of the notice on social media. Her post quickly went viral, drawing more than a million views on Instagram and TikTok.
“The odds of you getting summoned for jury duty on your wedding day are low, but never zero,” she wrote, joking that “the government wants to be involved in my marriage SO BAD”.
The summons initially left Badowski in a difficult situation. Kansas law allows courts to penalise people who fail to appear for jury duty without informing officials, with fines of up to USD 100 for each day missed and possible contempt of court charges.
Despite the clash, Badowski said she would normally welcome the chance to serve on a jury.
“I find it deeply ironic that I haven’t been summoned for jury duty in over a decade, as I would genuinely welcome the opportunity,” she told People.
However, with flights, venues and vendors for the destination wedding already booked and paid for, attending jury duty was not possible.
Badowski contacted court officials by email and was eventually excused from service. The court's response also included a congratulatory message: “Received and excused you from jury duty. Thank you and congratulations.”
The unusual situation resonated with social media users, with several people sharing stories of jury duty coinciding with major life events.
Badowski said she still hopes to fulfil her “jury duty dreams” someday. For now, her focus is on getting married in Italy.
