A Kansas City bride-to-be has captured the internet’s attention after a jury duty summons arrived with an almost unbelievable conflict: it required her to report on the very day she was set to get married in Rome.
Katrina Badowski, 35, said she received the notice last month informing her that she was expected to serve for one week beginning Monday — the same day she was scheduled to marry her fiancé, 42-year-old Billie Rodriguez, more than 5,000 miles away.
“My jaw physically dropped like a cartoon,” Badowski told KSHB outside the Wyandotte County District Court, where she appeared in a white dress as she recounted getting the summons on Aug. 14.
“I was so shocked to see that date,” she said.
Later that week, Badowski posted the notice on TikTok, joking in the caption: “The odds of you getting summoned for jury duty on your wedding day are low, but never zero.”
“The government wants to be involved in my marriage SO BAD,” she captioned the video, which has amassed 1.4 million views.
Badowski was warned of the potential penalties if she skipped jury duty without informing the court.
Those who skip jury duty in Kansas could be slapped with a fine of $100 for each day they miss and it can lead to a contempt of court charge.
Badowski was caught between a rock and a hard place. She wanted to serve but it clashed with her nuptials.
“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.
“I’ve always thought it would be fascinating to experience that civic responsibility, particularly for a complex or high-profile case.
“[But] Because of the nature of our destination wedding, with all flights, venues, and vendors booked and paid for, it is entirely impossible for me to attend.”
Badowski emailed court officials and the situation was resolved. She also received a heartwarming message from the court.
“Received and excused you from jury duty,” the message said. “Thank you and congratulations.”
Social media users claimed they had a similar experience where jury duty clashed with a major milestone.
“Got called for jury duty on my 18th birthday,” one TikTokker said. “Told em [sic] I had a snowboarding trip and they let me off.”
“I got jury duty for the day I gave birth,” an Instagram user penned.
Others rushed to quip that the notice was “poetic,” while one suggested the jury should be invited to her foreign nuptials.