These "instant" jury duty summonses was news to me, but I sort of chuckled, thinking to myself, "I wonder which one is less likely to happen, to be deputized or to be served a summons on the street for jury duty?" I figured that both would be one of those events you'd never see in your lifetime.

But funny thing, I just ran across this news article that describes exactly that scenario, with deputies handing out summonses at a Wal-Mart. The article says that less than half of people sent jury duty notices actually serve. Besides deliberate no-shows, that number includes those excused for various reasons, those ineligible, and for notices sent to old addresses. But it sounds like many jurisdictions do face a problem with a thin supply of jurors. Since I just did my jury duty a week ago (was on a jury panel but was excused during voir dire), it's a topic sort of near to my heart at the moment.