The longtime host of the Late Show with David Letterman found himself answering questions rather than asking them when a federal judge in New York City put the entertainer through an audition of sorts on Monday for a role as a juror, the AP reports. It was the serious setting of a cryptocurrency fraud trial when Judge P. Kevin Castel questioned "Juror 16" to determine who would be on a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates. The prospective jurors had already survived a general round of questioning in which individuals are dismissed for hardship reasons.
When Letterman made it to what could be the final round for admittance on the jury, the judge lobbed a softball: "Where do you live?" "Hartford," Letterman responded. "No, it's a joke," Letterman quickly told the judge. Hartford is in Connecticut, which would have disqualified him from the jury. "Nice try," the judge responded. After Letterman revealed his true residence—Westchester County—the pair began a volley of questions and answers totaling nearly three dozen exchanges. Along the way, the judge, lawyers, and three dozen or so prospective jurors learned a lot that the world already knows about Letterman:
- He was born in Indianapolis, obtained a degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and has a 20-year-old son in college in Massachusetts.
- Asked what he does for a living, Letterman said he's "working for a company called Netflix."
- "Spouse or significant other?" Castel asked. "I've had both. Currently I just have the spouse," Letterman responded.
- Asked how he gets his news, Letterman said: "Every morning I used to pick up the paper off the front porch. Now, I turn on the computer and it's an aggregation of news sources from all over the United States and around the world."
- Asked what he likes to watch, Letterman said, "I like sports." "I'm happy football is here. I'm happy it's this time in the baseball season. I like motor sports. I like pretty much what most Americans watch on TV," he said.
- "Ever called as a juror?" the judge asked. "Been called many times. Just couldn't make it happen," Letterman answered.
In the end, Letterman was ejected when a prosecutor exercised a "strike," which allows lawyers on either side to release a certain number of potential jurors for any reason. No reason was given.
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