The producer of the docu-drama "The Undefeated,'' a glowing tribute to Palin's rise to the post of governor of the 49th state and Republican candidate for vice-president, has said she will be in Iowa for the movie's first public showing.
Iowa, of course, is a key primary state for anyone thinking about running for President of the United States.
The biggest celebrity from Wasilla hasn't said she wants to be POTUS, but she has said that if there's no else quite up the job she maybe could be talked into it.
So it's possible Palin would like to be in Iowa for "The Undefeated" shindig, and has in fact said she would be there, but it turns out there might be a problem. When Palin abandoned a national bus tour earlier this month, she said it was because she had to beat it back home to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley for jury duty. The jury gig was a no-show for days.
Palin's local court, which is in Palmer, didn't call anyone to jury duty for days. But on Monday evening everything changed. There was this on the telephone recording for those on the jury duty call list:
"To all June service petit jurors for service numbers 201 through 400, again for Service 201 thorugh 400, your services will be needed at 8:15 (a.m.) on Tuesday, June 28.''
Is Palin in the 201 through 400 group that is supposed to report for jury duty Tuesday? Only a select few know. The Alaska Court System has said jury call lists are confidential, though there are some lawyers familiar with Alaska public records law who question that. There is, they note, no clear law declaring those records confidential, but barring someone suing to see the records -- and winning -- they are confidential for now.
So, maybe Palin -- who seemed very concerned about doing her public duty and appearing for jury duty -- isn't in service group 201 through 400. Then again, maybe she is. What would happen then? Well, a judge could issue a bench warrant for arrest to bring her in for jury duty just like every other Alaska citizen who is called but doesn't show. Then again, it is possible she got here jury service rescheduled for a later date, as many do, so she could legally be in Iowa for the shindig.
But then the question would be: Why didn't she just do that so she could continue the family road trip in the bus?
Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com.