http://www.datelinezero.com/2011/01/23/cat-is-summoned-for-jury-duty-in-boston-court-rejects-owners-appeal-to-disqualify-him/

Cat is summoned for jury duty in Boston; court rejects owners’ appeal to disqualify him

By Daniel La Ponsie, 23 January, 2011, No Comment

Boston resident Sal Esposito has been called to jury duty, but there’s one thing standing in the way of his ability to serve: He’s a cat. Massachusetts couple Anna and Guy Esposito received a jury duty summons for their feline friend this month.

According to the NY Daily News, they had listed as a household resident on the 2010 Census. “Sal is a member of the family so I listed him on the last Census form under pets but there has clearly been a mix-up,” Anna told local TV station WHDH. “I read the whole thing and I said, ‘Oh my God, how could he go, he’s a cat?’”

“I was shocked,” added Anna’s husband Guy, though he said Sal – a fan of crime shows – “knows right and wrong.”

Anna filed to have her pet disqualified from the service requirement on the grounds he is “unable to speak and understand English.” She even included a letter from her vet explaining that Sal is not a human being but a “domestic short-haired neutered feline,” WHDH reported.

The court rejected the request, and as things stand, Sal will have to report for duty to Suffolk Superior Crown Court in Boston on March 23.