Girl Receives Jury Duty Letter Even Though She's Only 3 Years Old

Nov 16, 2021 by apost team

Jury duty is something that most adults dread. While it definitely can have its perks of getting out of work for the day and possibly even receiving a free meal, jury duty is usually pretty time-consuming and can sometimes last for days or even weeks depending on the case. This is something that most adults get called to do at some point in their life, but fortunately children don’t have to worry about that until they turn 18 at the earliest.

However, a 3-year-old girl from New Jersey was called in to register for jury duty in November in the city of Newark despite not even being old enough to be on the list of candidates. The little girl named Madison Behrmann would have to already be registered to vote in her area, meaning she would need to be at least 18 years old to do so. The toddler is known for being sassy and smart, but it’s safe to say that it’s definitely not her time yet to have to make tough decisions in a court of law.

Laura, the 3-year-old’s mother, was shocked to receive the letter administering her daughter for federal jury duty. It’s brought up many questions about how this could have happened in the first place, and if Madison’s information had somehow gotten into the wrong hands. Although there has been a lot of confusion surrounding the entire ordeal, the Behrmann family has been able to look on the brighter side. Read on to find out more about this incident of a 3-year-old being called in for jury duty.

Speaking with CBS2, Laura talked about how confused she was when she received a letter for federal jury duty addressed to her 3-year-old daughter. Madison received a letter from the U.S. District Court “asking her to fill out a questionnaire for federal jury duty in Newark,” her mother explained. The letter says that Madison was randomly selected from the voter’s registration list. However, the toddler is nowhere near old enough to vote yet, and Laura said that she never registered her daughter’s name. 

“It’s a total mess, and we still have no idea, nor can anybody tell me, how they got her name,” Laura said. “Did somebody steal her identity? Did somebody vote in her name? Is there somebody impersonating her out there, credit cards, taking out a loan in her name?”

According to CBS2, this could be a red flag for child identity theft, something that is happening more often than people may realize. Cyber security expert Ian Marlow gave parents advice on how to protect their children’s information. He said that parents should lock their kids’ credit, run regular free credit reports on themselves and their kids, and protect their social security number and birthdate information.

The Behrmanns have since filed a police report and are waiting for the results of their children’s credit reports. Fortunately, the family has been able to laugh a bit while navigating the serious situation. Speaking about Madison engaging in jury duty, Laura said, “She might be really good at it, I don’t know, but she will need an adult to take her to the bathroom, so you know.”

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Have you taken any steps to protect yourself and your children’s identities? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family members and friends, too.