Taylor Swift Reports for Nashville Jury Duty, Shakes Off VMAs

NASHVILLE, TN — Call it Swift justice. Pop star Taylor Swift missed the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night, and it turns out it's because she was compelled to participate in something even more tedious than listening to a Kanye West acceptance speech: jury duty.

Swift was called to potentially sit on a jury which will hear an aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping and domestic assault case.

The courthouse was abuzz Monday morning, as Swift, unlike most other potential jurors, brings along a full security detail. Other potential jurors snapped selfies with the celebrity as they waited:

Met @taylorswift13 today at jury duty. She is so nice. #civicduty pic.twitter.com/07rg0cYgW6
— Ƞ₳₮ĦȺ₦ ĦɄ฿Ƀ₳ɌÐ (@n8foo) August 29, 2016

The perfunctory nature of jury selection does lead to some unintentionally funny moments. Like all potential jurors, Swift was asked to give her occupation, prompting courtroom chuckles. She answered, "I'm a songwriter."

In a heavier moment, the prosecutor asked about any current involvement in the legal system, and Swift said she was currently involved in a sexual assault case — she is suing a former DJ for allegedly groping her during a 2013 meet-and-greet — but insisted she could be impartial in the matter at hand.

Swift, ultimately, was not selected for the jury, though she was in the last handful of potential jurors.

Image via Flickr user Paulo Villanueva, used under Creative Commons