Taylor Swift Can't Be Impartial in Rape Case ... Says the Judge 
 
 Taylor Swift Dismissed From Jury Duty 
 
 Breaking News 
 
 Taylor Swift was just dismissed as a prospective juror in an aggravated rape/kidnapping case because she told the judge she has a pending civil case that also involves sexual assault. 
 
 Taylor was being questioned about possible bias in a case involving a man who allegedly penetrated a woman with a broom handle after holding her at bay. 
 
 The singer told the judge she has a case in Colorado in which a DJ allegedly fondled her backstage during a concert, so the judge didn't think she could be impartial. 
 
 Taylor was dismissed from the jury panel for cause. 

 Taylor Swift was notably absent from the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, and it seems that a jury-duty appearance in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday morning could be at least one reason she didn't make it to the award show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 
 
 Swift's fellow jurors expressed disbelief on social media with a string of photos and videos of the pop star on Monday morning when they spotted her doing her required public service. 
 
 While it is fascinating to see a huge star like Swift taking on the humble, everyday tasks of the average American citizen, there isn't exactly an "I'm a celebrity" loophole on jury-duty forms. 
 
 Celebrities have been identified showing up for jury duty before, though they don't always make it far. Madonna was reportedly excused after two hours because her presence would have been a "distraction." 
 
 UPDATE: A judge dismissed Swift from the trial on Monday, which involved an alleged "aggravated rape/kidnapping" charge, according to TMZ. The singer cited her own ongoing civil case of sexual assault against a Colorado DJ as grounds that she could not be an impartial juror in the Nashville case. 

 In this image provided by Bryan Merville, potential juror pop star Taylor Swift, right, poses for a photo with Bryan Merville in a courthouse waiting area in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. A... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image provided by Bryan Merville, potential juror pop star Taylor Swift, right, poses for a photo with Bryan Merville in a courthouse waiting area in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. A Nashville judge dismissed Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case. Merville... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image provided by Bryan Merville, potential juror pop star Taylor Swift, right, poses for a photo with Bryan Merville in a courthouse waiting area in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. A Nashville judge dismissed Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case. Merville... (Associated Press) In this image provided by Bryan Merville, potential juror pop star Taylor Swift, right, poses for a photo with Bryan Merville in a courthouse waiting area in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. A... (Associated Press) 
 
 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Nashville judge dismissed pop star Taylor Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case on Monday, Davidson County District Attorney General's Office spokesman Ken Whitehouse said. 
 
 "She asked to be left off out of concern for an upcoming trial in Denver where she was — she used the term 'groped' — by a fan at a meet-and-greet," Whitehouse said. 
 
 Swift told the judge she would be more than willing to serve on a jury in any other type of case, he said. 
 
 In the Denver case, Swift filed a counterclaim last year after a former radio host sued her. 
 
 David Mueller claimed he lost his job after a member of Swift's security team falsely accused him of grabbing the singer's buttocks backstage during a 2013 photo session. Muller claimed the person who assaulted Swift was actually one of his superiors. 
 
 Swift's counterclaim states, "Ms. Swift knows exactly who committed the assault." 
 
 Before Swift was dismissed from the jury pool on Monday, she took time to chat and take selfies with other potential jurors. 
 
 Bryan Merville, who owns a technology infrastructure company, said he took a photo with Swift for his daughters, who are huge fans. He said he was one of about 140 people waiting in a holding area Monday morning before they were called to separate courtrooms. About 15-20 asked Swift for a photo or autograph. 
 
 "She's about as famous as they come, but she couldn't have been nicer," Merville said. "She took the time to talk to every person who asked her for a picture."
– Celebrities are just like us: They skip the MTV Video Music Awards so that they can serve jury duty the following morning. Well, OK, we don't know for sure that's why Taylor Swift was absent from Sunday night's VMAs in New York, but that's what Business Insider figures. We do know for sure that Swift showed up at a Nashville courtroom Monday morning to do her civic duty. She ended up being dismissed as a prospective juror in a case involving rape, because the judge didn't think she could be impartial, considering she currently has a pending civil case involving a DJ who allegedly fondled her backstage during a concert, TMZ reports. "She asked to be left off out of concern for an upcoming trial in Denver where she was—she used the term 'groped'—by a fan at a meet-and-greet," a Davidson County District Attorney General's Office spokesman tells the AP, adding that Swift told the judge she'd be happy to serve on any other case. As the AP notes, "Before Swift was dismissed from the jury pool on Monday, she took time to chat and take selfies with other potential jurors."