Every year in Los Angles County, public and private employers perform an essential community service - they provide jurors for the Court’s jury system. The jury system cannot exist without that support.

Employer Information

One Trial The Courts The Telephone Center How Jurors Are Summoned The Numbers Employer Participation Is Vital To The Jury System

One Trial

All Superior Court districts are now on the One-Trial term of service. Jurors summoned to One-Trial Courts receive a combination affidavit/qualification form. This form summons the juror to a specific court location for jury service. The form requires the juror to call the IVR (Interactive Voice Response System) within five (5) days to register and qualify for jury service.

The prospective juror is then required to telephone the Court during a five-day period, as instructed on the summons. If required to report and not selected on their first reporting day, their term of service will be completed. If assigned to a courtroom for participation in the voir dire process and jury selection is not completed by the end of that day, the juror is required to return to complete this process. If selected to serve as a trial juror, the term of service will be for the length of the trial.

Most jurors are sent to courtrooms for voir dire in panels of 30 or 35 depending on the length of trial. This helps ensure efficient courtroom use of each juror.

The Courts

Los Angeles County has a unified court system. The system includes 12 Superior Court Districts. The Superior Court has jurisdiction over all infractions, misdemeanors, felonies and civil matters. Los Angeles County courts average more than 6,000-7,000 jury trials a year.

The Telephone Center

The Juror Services Automated Telephone System allows your employees to postpone their service, speak to a telephone agent to request an excuse or transfer, or hear their on-call message at their instructed call-in times (6:00 a.m. to midnight). The Telephone Center phone number is (800) SRV-JURY (800-778-5879). The TTY for the Hearing Impaired is (888) 354-0441.

How Jurors Are Summoned

The selection and management of jurors is governed by the California Code of Civil Procedure. By law, potential jurors for Los Angeles County courts are selected randomly from the Voter Registration list and the Department of Motor Vehicles, driver’s and identification card holder list.

Depending on where the potential juror is called, potential jurors are selected from the master list to receive a combination affidavit and summons, called a one-step form. The forms includes basic questions about a juror’s ability to read and understand English, United States citizenship, and Los Angeles County residency.

The Numbers

A Perspective:
Fiscal Year 2001-2002
There were 6,112 sworn jury trials were held in Los Angeles County.

Affidavits (One Trial/Ten Days)

• 1,288,435 affidavits were sent to prospective jurors. 589,736 jurors or 45.77% responded.
• Of those, 39,920 or 42.29% were not qualified to serve.
• Another 54,467 or 57.71% were not able to serve due to various hardships.
• 226,517 jurors were summoned for service.
• 67,799 of those summoned actually served.
• Most jurors served an average of 1.5 days.

Affidavit/Qualification (One Trial)

• 3,054,579 jurors were summoned for service. 1,722,201 jurors or 56.38% responded.
• Of those, 296,813 or 58.27% were not qualified to serve.
• Another 204,993 or 40.24% were not able to serve due to various hardships.
• 67,799 of those summoned actually served.
• Most jurors served an average of 1.5 days.

Employer Participation Is Vital To The Jury System

We wish to extend our deepest appreciation to public and private employers in Los Angeles County for supporting the jury system. We cannot overemphasize how crucial that support is. Without employer participation, jury trials would come to a standstill. As a consequence, private and corporate residents would lose a fundamental principle on which we all depend - justice!