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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Madonna turned up for jury duty Monday at a state courthouse in New York City. But she didn't have to stay for long.

The pop superstar had gotten excused from a jury service date in May. This time, she was finished within two hours and wasn't questioned for any case, spending the wait in a clerk's office instead of in the sprawling juror waiting room.

State court system spokesman David Bookstaver said officials cut Madonna loose because there were plenty of prospective jurors for the summer day's needs, and they didn't want her presence to a distraction in the jury selection process.

"The greater good here is that her appearance really goes to that everyone gets called," Bookstaver said. "The intent here was not to a distraction to other jurors or the business of the court."

Having the Material Girl hang out in the waiting room would likely have meant stationing extra court officers there, he noted.

Madonna's spokeswoman said only that the singer did her service. She's now excused from Manhattan state court jury duty for six years.

Manhattan has a star-studded jury pool by nature, and some notables do end up weighing cases. Former "Who's The Boss?" star Tony Danza was on a jury in a drug sale case last winter, political scion and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy served as a juror in a drug-dealing case last year, and Rudy Giuliani - while mayor - was the foreman on a personal injury civil jury in 1999.

Many other luminaries have showed up at Manhattan courthouses but not been picked, except to set celebrity examples of civic responsibility at "Juror Appreciation Day" ceremonies over the years. Comedian Jon Stewart, actress Sarah Jessica Parker, news anchor Tom Brokaw, New York Mets player David Wright and newswoman Barbara Walters have been among the guest stars at the appreciation fests over the years.

*Associated Press