During jury duty, your job is to respond to the summons on time, show up when told, answer the selection questions honestly, listen to the evidence without forming early opinions or looking anything up on your own, and then work with the other jurors to reach a verdict under the judge’s instructions. What follows walks through what to do during jury duty at each stage, from the envelope in your mailbox to the moment the judge discharges you.
Respond to the Summons
A jury summons is a court order. Fill out the juror questionnaire that comes with it — occupation, any connection to people involved in the case, any condition that would prevent you from serving — and return it by the deadline printed on the form.
Ignoring a federal jury summons can bring a fine of up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or some combination of all three.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels State courts set their own penalties. The point is the same everywhere: respond on time.
If you genuinely cannot serve — a serious medical condition, extreme financial hardship, recent jury service — most courts let you request a postponement or excusal in writing before your report date. The court decides whether to grant it. “I’d rather not” doesn’t qualify.
Know That Your Job Is Protected
Federal law makes it illegal for any employer to fire, threaten, or punish a permanent employee for serving on a federal jury. Violators face up to $5,000 in civil penalties per violation, liability for lost wages, and possible court orders requiring reinstatement. Your time away is treated like a leave of absence, so your seniority and benefits stay intact.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
Most states have similar protections for state court service, though the details vary. A handful of states require private employers to pay your regular wages during service; most do not. Federal jurors receive $50 per day, which can increase to as much as $60 per day after ten days of service, plus mileage.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees State daily pay ranges from nothing in a couple of states to around $50 in the most generous, with most falling in the $15 to $25 range. Check your employer’s handbook before your report date so you know what to expect.
Prepare for Your First Day
Courthouses screen everyone through metal detectors, so leave anything that could be seen as a weapon at home. Pocket knives and scissors are common items that get people turned away at the door. Most courts allow cell phones in the building but restrict their use once you’re in a courtroom. Bring something to read; the jury assembly room can involve long stretches of waiting before your name is called.
Dress like you’re going to a relaxed job interview. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or offensive graphics. Business casual is fine. Courtrooms tend to run cold, so a light jacket helps. Arrive at the time printed on your summons and check in with court staff.
Get Through Jury Selection
After check-in, you wait in the assembly room until a group of prospective jurors is called to a courtroom. The selection process, called voir dire, has the judge and attorneys asking you about your background, your experiences, any connection to the people involved, and whether anything might prevent you from being fair. Answer honestly. A deliberately untruthful answer can lead to serious consequences.
Attorneys can remove prospective jurors in two ways. A challenge for cause argues that someone cannot be impartial, perhaps because you know the defendant or have already made up your mind. The judge rules on these, and there is no limit on how many either side can raise. A peremptory challenge lets an attorney remove someone without giving a reason, though each side gets only a limited number. Peremptory challenges cannot be used to exclude jurors based on race or gender.4United States Courts. Facts and Case Summary – Batson v. Kentucky5Cornell Law School. JEB v. Alabama Ex Rel. TB, 511 U.S. 127 (1994) If you get struck through a peremptory, it is not a verdict on your integrity. Attorneys make those calls on gut instincts about jury composition, and the reason often has nothing to do with you personally.
Some trials also select alternate jurors who sit through the entire trial and step in only if a regular juror cannot continue. Federal courts can seat up to six alternates.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 24 – Trial Jurors If an alternate replaces a juror after deliberations have begun, the jury must restart its discussions from scratch.
Listen Through the Trial
Once selected, the trial follows a predictable rhythm. Each side gives an opening statement. The side bringing the case — the prosecution in criminal matters, the plaintiff in civil ones — presents its witnesses and evidence first, followed by the other side. Your job throughout is to watch, listen, and hold off on drawing conclusions.
That last part is harder than it sounds. You will hear one side’s version for days before the other side gets its turn, and the pull toward early opinions is strong. Evidence that seems devastating on day two can look very different once the defense presents its case on day five. Judges emphasize this because it is where jurors most commonly go wrong.
Many judges allow jurors to take notes during testimony, though each judge decides whether to permit it. If notes are allowed, the court provides a notebook and pen. Those notes stay in the courtroom or jury room and never leave with you. After the verdict, the court destroys them.
Once both sides rest, they deliver closing arguments. Then the judge reads a detailed set of legal instructions before deliberations begin.
Follow the Rules on Discussion, Research, and Devices
Restrictions on jurors are stricter than most people expect. Violating them can get you removed from the jury, held in contempt, or trigger a mistrial that forces the entire case to start over.
Do Not Discuss the Case
Do not talk about the case with anyone until the judge sends you to deliberate. Not your spouse, not your coworkers, not the juror sitting next to you in the assembly room. This is the rule jurors break most often, usually without grasping how serious it is. Even an offhand “that witness didn’t seem credible” to a fellow juror at lunch can contaminate the process. Every opinion stays bottled up until the deliberation room door closes.
Do No Outside Research
You cannot search for the defendant online, look up legal terms, visit the location of an incident, check news coverage, or research any topic connected to the case. Your verdict must come from what is presented inside the courtroom and nothing else. This rule catches well-meaning jurors who just want to understand a technical term or verify an address on a map. If you need clarification, send a written question to the judge through the bailiff. That is the only proper channel.
Stay Off Social Media
Most courts require you to turn off your phone in the courtroom. During deliberations, the judge may collect devices entirely. Do not post, tweet, blog, or share anything about the case on social media until after the judge formally discharges you. Courts have removed jurors and declared mistrials over a single post about a trial in progress. The risk is not theoretical.
Deliberate and Reach a Verdict
The judge’s legal instructions, read aloud after closing arguments, are the single most important piece of the puzzle. They spell out exactly what the side bringing the case must prove, what standard of evidence applies, and how the law defines each claim or charge. Listen carefully, and ask for clarification through a written note if anything is unclear.
In the deliberation room, the jury selects a foreperson. There is no required method — some juries vote, others let someone volunteer. The foreperson keeps the conversation organized, makes sure quieter jurors are heard, and communicates with the court when needed. If the jury wants to review specific testimony or exhibits, the foreperson sends a note to the judge through the bailiff.
Every criminal case, federal or state, requires a unanimous verdict.7Supreme Court of the United States. Ramos v. Louisiana, 590 U.S. ___ (2020) Federal civil trials also require unanimity unless both parties agree in advance to accept a non-unanimous verdict. In state civil courts, roughly half of states allow verdicts without full agreement, sometimes requiring as few as five out of six jurors to concur.
Sometimes deliberations stall. If the jury reports a deadlock, the judge will typically encourage further discussion and may reread certain instructions. When it becomes clear no verdict is coming, the judge declares a mistrial. A mistrial does not end the case; the prosecution or plaintiff can retry it with a brand new jury, meaning everything starts over from selection. That outcome is why judges push hard for continued effort before giving up.
After the Verdict
Once the foreperson announces the verdict in open court, the judge formally discharges the jury and your service on that case is complete. The restrictions on discussing the case disappear at that moment. You are free to talk about your experience if you choose, or to say nothing. No one can compel you to speak with the media or the attorneys from the case. The verdict speaks for itself.