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Q: Why do I have to serve jury duty?
A: The Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) 191 states “The Legislature recognizes that trial by jury is a cherished constitutional right, and that jury service is an obligation of citizenship”. Jury duty is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share. Without support from individuals like you, we could not maintain our jury pool, and thus, maintain the high quality of our judicial system.
Q: What are the reasons I can get excused?
A: California law and court policy established the legal grounds for excuse from jury duty. Each request for excuse is reviewed on an individual basis by the Jury Commissioner or his or her staff based on this law and policy.
Q: Why do I get called for jury service every year, while my neighbor, friends, etc. never get called?
A: There could be a variety of reasons why your neighbors, friends, etc. have not been selected for jury duty. Potential jurors are selected completely at random. As such, their name may not have been selected for the jury master list. It is also possible that the individual may not be qualified to serve on jury duty.
Q: What will happen if I do not respond to a jury notice?
A: Failure to report for service on the day instructed on the summons may subject you to a fine of up to $1,500. In addition, if you are qualified to serve you will still have to complete jury duty.
Q: Is it true that for One-Trial jury service I only have to serve for one day?
A: No. If you are asked to report for service and are not selected on any case on the day you are asked to report, your term of service is complete. But if you are selected to serve on a trial, the term of service will be the length of that trial. The average trial lasts 5 to 7 days.
Q: How many days do I have to serve?
A: It depends on whether you are selected on a jury panel. You are required to telephone the court during the week you are to serve as instructed on the summons to receive instructions on when to report for jury service. If you are not required to report during this five-day period, jury service is completed. If you are asked to report and not selected on any case on the day you are asked to report, your term of service will be completed. If selected on a case you serve until excused by the court. The average trial is 5 to 7 days.
Q: Why can’t I be summoned to a courthouse closer to my home?
A: Summoning you to the court location closest to your home is not possible for several reasons. First, you are not summoned based on your place of residence, city, or zip code. All jurors are summoned by a computerized process. The assignment is made taking into consideration the location of the juror and the location of the court which need jurors at the time the juror is summoned. Jurors are summoned from a 20-mile radius of a given court.
Q: Can I be transferred to another court location?
A: To change the service court location to which you were summoned, you must provide a legally sufficient reason in writing indicating why you are unable to report to the courthouse to which you have been randomly summoned. Only a true hardship is grounds for transfer, inconvenience to you or your employer is not. The Jury Commissioner or his or her staff considers each request on an individual basis.
Q: Why can’t the public volunteer for jury service?
A: California Code of Civil Procedure states “All persons selected for jury service shall be selected at random, from a source or sources inclusive of a representative cross section of the population of the area served by the court”.
Q: What time is lunch?
A: At most courts, lunch is between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m.
Q: Can I postpone my jury service to a more convenient date?
A: Yes. You must register by telephone before you can request a postponement. Fill out Section A of the jury summons. Then call 1-800-778-5879 to register yourself for jury duty. The telephone system will then prompt you on how to postpone your jury service.
Q: When will I have to serve again?
A: You are only obligated to serve jury duty once every 12 months.
Q: Isn’t there an age limit for jury service?
A: No. As long as you are 18 years or older, you are eligible and remain eligible for jury service.
Q: My employer pays an unlimited number of days for jury duty. Does that mean that I will be called more often than other employees?
A: No. Jury selection is done randomly. When you are summoned for jury duty we have no way of knowing who your employer is or the number of days that your employer pays for jury service until you are in service.
Q: Why does the jury system pick on self-employed persons?
A: Jury selection is entirely random.
We do not target any individual(s) based on employment status or for any other reasons. According to the Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) 197, random selection of jurors requires that “… all persons selected for jury service be selected at random, from a source or sources inclusive of a representative cross section of the population of the area serviced by the court…”.
Q: My employer does not pay for jury service – why can’t I be excused?
A: California Rules of Court Rule
2.1002 requires that all courts in California implement a “One Trial” term of service. As such, new stricter rules for excuse (Rule 2.1008) were implemented which require you to demonstrate an extreme hardship. Today, the fact that your employer does not pay you for jury duty does not qualify you to be excused. If serving jury duty would pose an extreme financial hardship, or you have a physical or mental disability or impairment that would prevent you from serving, you may request to be excused by completing Sections A, C, D, & G of your summons (for financial excuses) or A, B, E & G (for medical excuses). You must then register yourself for jury service by calling 1-800-778-5879, and mail the form to the PO Box on your summons and wait for a reply.
Q: My doctor submitted a medical excuse for me on my summons last year. Why do I have to submit another one for this year?
A: Current California law and court policy does not authorize judicial officers, the Jury Commissioner or his or her staff to grant blanket excuses to an individual. Therefore, each medical excuse only applies to the specific jury summons for which it has been submitted and granted.
Q: I am a student, may I be excused from jury duty?
A: No. Full-time student status does not qualify as an excuse from service. You may postpone your jury duty to a time when you have school breaks.
Q: I am a teacher, may I be excused from jury duty?
A: No. Full-time teacher status does not qualify as an excuse from service. You may postpone your jury duty to an off-track period.
Q: The nature of my job (truck driver, graveyard shift, etc.) makes it difficult to call in for five consecutive days. What can I do?
A: Call the jury assembly room to which you have been summoned and we will make alternative arrangements for you to serve. Once you have been assigned to a trial court you must report as ordered by that court.
Q: I received a summons for jury service, but I just served less than a year ago at another court. Can I be excused?
A: Yes. Complete the summons as requested and request to be excused based on your previous service (Section B, No. 13). Indicate the month, year, and court location where you served. If you have your certification of jury service indicating your previous JID Number, provide the number in Section D of your summons.
Q: Why am I getting duplicate summons?
A: We receive your name from the Voter's Registration and the Department of Motor Vehicles lists. If for some reason your name varies in any way (e.g., John Doe vs. John A. Doe), our computer program does not recognize that they may be the same person. Another reason you could be summoned twice is if your address varies on the DMV and the Voters list.
Q: My address is incorrect on the summons. How do I submit a change of address?
A: You may submit a change of address by filling out Section F on your jury summons. Although you may have submitted a change of address to the Juror Services Division, you still must submit a change of address to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and/or the Registrar-Recorder's office. The DMV “Notice of Change of Address” form will change your address on both the DMV and Voters Registration. But if your DMV or Voters Registration name varies in any way (for example: the DMV name is John A. Doe, and the Voters Registration name is John Doe), you must fill out a change of address form for both agencies.
Q: Do I have to register if I am asking to be excused?
A: Yes. If you are requesting to be excused, complete Sections A, B, D, & G of your jury summons; if you are requesting an excuse based on Financial Hardship complete Sections A, C, D, & G; if you are requesting a medical excuse complete Section A, B, E & G. After filling out the appropriate section to be excused, you must then register yourself by calling the 1-800-778-5879 number, then mail your summons to Juror Services in the envelope enclosed with your summons and wait for a response. Please be patient, it may take a 30-60 days for a response to your request.
Q: I am not sure whom the summons belongs to in my family. We have the same name?
A: Please call the Juror Services Division at (213) 974-5332 or 5333 to verify which member of the family the summons belongs to. You will need to supply us with the date of birth of those with the same name.
Q: Why don’t jurors get paid on their first day of service?
A: Unfortunately, Juror Services has
very little control over the fees paid during jury duty. The
amount, $15.00 beginning on the second day of service, was
enacted into law by the California Legislature.
Q: Why am I missing a day of pay on my check?
A: Jury pay, $15.00 per day, begins on the second day of service. Therefore, if you served 10 days, you will only get paid for 9.
Q: How is mileage calculated/determined?
A: The distance is calculated by a computer program which computes the distance from your home to the court which has summoned you. The distance is a straight-line computation.
Q: Why are mileage fees only for one-way?
A: Unfortunately, Juror Services has
very little control over the mileage fees paid during jury
duty. This amount, $0.34 one-way, was enacted into law by the
California Legislature.
Q: What should I wear to court?
A: Dress code should be casual in attire, but respectful of the court. For example, do not wear shorts, halter or tank tops, midriff clothing, beachwear, sandals, or t-shirts with inappropriate pictures or sayings.
Q: Is there any special way I must act in court?
A: You should conduct yourself as you would at any serious and important event. You should be courteous at all times. It is important that you remain alert when the court is in session. You may bring a book or magazine to read while you are waiting for court to begin or during recess, but do not read while court is in session.
Q: What happens if I'm late and can't get to the court before the time the trial starts?
A: The trial can't continue. Each juror must hear all the evidence. If you're late, the judge, lawyers, court assistants, witnesses, and all the other jurors must wait for you. If you don't have a good excuse, the judge may fine you. Although there may be delays caused by any number of reasons it is very important for jurors to be on time. Phone the court at once if you're unavoidably detained.
Q: Is it all right for me to take notes during the trial?
A: You may take notes, but you should not become so involved in note-taking that you miss the nature of the witness' testimony and important points of the testimony.
Q: May jurors ask questions during the trial or deliberations?
A: If you
have a question, write it on a piece of paper and ask the
bailiff or court attendant to hand it to the judge. The judge
will respond appropriately, by writing a note back or
answering directly from the bench, or the judge may indicate
that it is not proper to answer the question at that time. |
