STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. A Long Island man legally changed his name to Santa Claus. Whatever benefits he may get from that, it did not free him from jury duty. Santa Claus was summoned to court. Santa Claus was put on a jury panel. For this defendant, a jury of his peers included the man who showed up wearing a red dress shirt with a picture of Santa Claus and eight reindeer. Santa could have been among those deciding the trial except the case was dismissed. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.