U.S. judge called to be part of Texas jury

HOUSTON, June 30 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Texas will get a different view of the legal system when he responds this week to a county court jury summons.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner, who is known to be tough on people trying to shirk jury duty, has been called to report to the Harris County Courthouse for jury duty.

"I never even considered it. I always go to jury duty," Hittner told the Houston Chronicle when asked if he ever sought a way out of the obligation. Hittner once recessed a month-long trial so he could show up for jury duty, the Chronicle said.

With that kind of example, Hittner is tough on people who try to get out of jury duty in trials he's hearing. He offered one prospective juror the choice between 10 days in a jury room or 10 days in jail and he ordered an employer into court after a juror was fired during a trial.

An informal study by the Harris County District Clerk's office found that judges are very good about showing for jury duty, with about 8.5 percent not responding to summonses, the Chronicle said. The figure for the general public is 40 percent.