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I just mailed a handwritten thank-you card to a judge I interviewed with. My handwritten message had two extraneous commas in it. When I caught the mistake I thought about buying another card and rewriting it, but honestly in the moment I was really sweaty (I was writing my note from a bench on the sidewalk outside the post office) and didn't want to walk back to the store, so I just went ahead and mailed it.

I know there's nothing I can do to fix it now, but I can't stop thinking about those two unnecessary commas. I think the judge will definitely notice them. To those who have experience clerking: would this kind of thing be an automatic ding in your judge's chambers?

This kind of thing is forgivable in handwriting, especially if the commas make sense in terms of speaking voice despite their ungrammaticality. E.g. "I am happy to say, that having visited Cleveland for this interview I could easily see myself spending a year here." Probably not an auto-ding.

But, for goodness' sake, just sit down at a desk and take your time next time you do something like this. Buy stationery so you don't have to go to the drugstore for Hallmark cards.

No, I don't think it wouldn't have been, but it's definitely more support for "do it perfectly or don't do it at all."