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JUROR FREQENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
How am I selected for jury duty? What should I wear for jury duty? What happens if I don't report for jury duty? Will I serve on civil or criminal trials? May I be late?
Your name is pulled by computer from the voter registration list for your county according to guidelines that
assure a random selection from a wide cross-section of the community. You then are mailed a
qualification and summons form and asked to complete and mail it back to the court. After the
court determines that you are qualified to serve, you are summoned for a four-month term during which you may be called to serve.
After the completion of your term, you are not likely to be selected again from the voter
registration list in future years. If you are called again within two years of your service but do
not wish to serve, you may be excused on request.
Please dress appropriately for court. Casual attire is acceptable. The temperature can be quite cool in the courtroom, so dress accordingly.
Any juror who fails to report for jury duty and who is not excused by the court may be served with a
show cause order by the U.S. Marshal. Subsequently, those jurors will be required to appear in court to show cause why they should not be held in contempt of the Jury Selection Act. Contempt
penalties range from a fine of $100 to three days imprisonment, or both.
This court tries both civil and criminal cases, and it is possible that you may be selected for
service in either type of trial.
No. It is extremely important that you be prompt both in the morning and when returning from
lunch. It is particularly important when serving on a trial since the entire proceeding can be
delayed because of the tardiness of one juror.
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