When a bailiff called his name, Brady Clark carefully placed his 20-ounce bottle of Dr Pepper on the floor of the Santa Monica courtroom.
Clad in flip-flops, surfer shorts and a blue T-shirt with "Sharkeez" stamped across the chest, Clark tucked his trucker hat under his folded arms as he approached Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan.
Before Karlan could speak, Clark felt compelled to explain his wardrobe.
"Excuse my attire," he said. "I wasn't aware this was a court hearing.
"I hope I don't get fined," the 27-year-old bartender muttered.
Clark had failed to respond to three notices summoning him for jury duty with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. But the order to show cause notice, threatening a $250 fine, got his attention.
Clark was one of only eight people out of 152 notified who bothered to show up for a court hearing last Friday -- a response rate that the court, which runs the justice system in Los Angeles County, is trying hard to improve.
Every day, 10,000 jurors are needed throughout the county's court system, according to Gloria Gomez, director of jury services for the Superior Court.
During the year that ended June 30, 2.9 million jury duty summonses were mailed to prospective jurors in L.A. County. Some 441,123 people served.
Gomez said 41% of county residents respond when sent a jury summons and 40% do not. The remaining notices can't be delivered.
Tom Munsterman, director of the Virginia-based Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts, said the lack of response poses a problem for most major metropolitan areas, and outdated addresses make it worse.
A judge has the power to impose a $250 fine for the first failure to appear notice, $750 for the second offense and $1,500 for the third.
Karlan imposed a $250 fine on the 144 people who failed to attend Friday's hearing. Last year, $86,000 in jury duty fines was collected in Los Angeles County.
The most common excuses Karlan hears are that people are too busy or didn't receive the letters.
Not even judges are excused from jury duty.
Last year, Karlan's courtroom was closed for five days while he was called as a prospective juror in a death penalty case.
"People spend all this time watching the law shows on television. What goes on in court is true and much more real -- it's not fiction like TV," Karlan said. "I tell [jurors], 'You are all judges now.' "
