When you get selected for jury duty, you report to the courthouse on the date listed on your summons, go through a security check and a waiting period, and then face a questioning process called voir dire that determines whether you’ll sit on a trial or go home. If you’re seated, most federal trials run three to four days, after which the judge formally dismisses you. Here is what actually happens at each stage, and what you can do before your report date if the timing or circumstances don’t work.
Before Your Report Date
A jury summons is a court order. Read it carefully when it arrives, because it tells you where to go, when to appear, what identification to bring, and how to contact the court if you need to change the date or ask to be excused.
Most courts allow a one-time postponement if you have a legitimate scheduling conflict such as a pre-planned vacation, a medical procedure, or school obligations. The summons includes instructions for requesting the deferral, and many courts handle these online or by phone.
If serving at any time would create a real hardship, you can ask the court to excuse you entirely. In federal court, judges grant hardship excuses at their discretion under a standard of “undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.” Common grounds include being over 70, having served on a federal jury within the past two years, or working as a volunteer firefighter or emergency responder. Many courts also weigh caregiving responsibilities, active military deployment, and serious medical conditions. Each of the 94 federal district courts sets its own policies, so contact the court listed on your summons.1United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
Do not simply ignore the summons. A federal judge can fine you up to $1,000, sentence you to up to three days in jail, order community service, or impose some combination of those penalties for failing to appear without a valid excuse.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels State courts carry their own contempt penalties that can be equally steep. The court will typically order you to appear and explain yourself first, so there is a brief window to come forward, but skipping the date without contact creates a legal problem you didn’t have before.
The Day You Report
Bring your summons and a government-issued photo ID. A regular driver’s license or state ID is fine; you don’t need a REAL ID to enter a federal courthouse for jury service. You’ll pass through a security checkpoint at the entrance.
From there you’ll go to a jury assembly room. Expect to wait. Courts generally show an orientation video and may hand out a questionnaire covering your background, employment, and potential conflicts of interest. The wait before anyone calls you to a courtroom can stretch for hours, so bring a book or something to work on. Electronics policies vary. Some courts prohibit cell phones altogether; others allow them in the assembly area but not in courtrooms. Check the court’s website before you leave the house.
Voir Dire: How Jurors Get Picked or Sent Home
When a trial needs a jury, staff bring a group of prospective jurors from the assembly room into a courtroom. The judge and the attorneys for each side then question that group. This is voir dire, and its purpose is to identify anyone whose experiences, relationships, or beliefs would keep them from deciding the case fairly on the evidence.3United States Courts. Juror Selection Process
Some questions are routine: your occupation, whether you know anyone involved in the case, whether you’ve had experiences relevant to the subject matter. Others go further. In a drunk-driving case, you might be asked whether a close friend or family member was ever hurt by an impaired driver. If a question feels too personal to answer in front of a crowded courtroom, you can ask to approach the bench and share the answer privately. Some courts refer to jurors by number rather than name to protect privacy.
Challenges for Cause
If your answers show a clear reason you couldn’t be impartial, such as a close relationship with one of the attorneys or a financial stake in the outcome, either side can ask the judge to remove you “for cause.” There is no cap on these challenges, but the judge decides whether each one is justified.4United States Courts. Participate in the Judicial Process – Rule of Law
Peremptory Challenges
Each side also gets a limited number of peremptory challenges, which let them strike a prospective juror without stating a reason. The exact number depends on whether the case is civil or criminal. Peremptories cannot be used to exclude jurors on the basis of race; the Supreme Court established that rule in Batson v. Kentucky, holding that the Equal Protection Clause forbids striking a juror solely because of race.5Justia U.S. Supreme Court. Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986) Later rulings extended the protection to sex-based strikes.
Questioning and strikes continue until enough impartial jurors are seated and sworn in. If you aren’t chosen, the court usually dismisses you the same day, and that counts as completed service.
If You’re Seated on the Trial
Once sworn in, you are a juror. The trial typically opens with each side’s attorney describing what they expect the evidence to show. Then come witnesses, documents, and exhibits. Most federal trials last three to four days, though complicated cases can run weeks.6United States Courts. Jury Service: What to Expect When Answering the Call
Your job during testimony is to pay close attention. Watch not just what witnesses say but how they say it; demeanor, hesitation, and consistency all factor into credibility when you later weigh the evidence. Whether you can take notes is up to the judge. If notes are allowed, court staff collect them at the end of each day and destroy them after the verdict.
Two rules are absolute. You cannot discuss the case with anyone, including your spouse and other jurors, until deliberations formally begin. And you cannot do any outside research: no searching the defendant’s name, no looking at the intersection on street view, no reading news about the trial. Judges emphasize this because it’s the mistake jurors are most likely to make, and a slip can cause a mistrial. Your decision has to come entirely from what’s presented in the courtroom.
Deliberation and the Verdict
After closing arguments, the judge gives the jury detailed instructions explaining the law that applies to the case. Those instructions define what the prosecution or plaintiff must prove, the applicable legal standards, and how to handle particular types of evidence. The jury then moves to a private room to deliberate.
Jurors choose a foreperson, usually by a quick vote. The foreperson keeps the discussion organized and makes sure everyone has a chance to speak, but has no extra voting power. Deliberations can last from an hour to several days depending on the complexity of the case and the extent of disagreement.
In criminal cases, the verdict must be unanimous. The Supreme Court has held that jury unanimity is required to convict a defendant of any non-petty criminal offense in both federal and state courts.7Congress.gov. Constitution Annotated – Amdt6.4.4.3 Unanimity of the Jury Federal civil cases also require unanimity unless both parties agree otherwise.8Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 48 – Number of Jurors; Verdict; Polling State civil cases vary, and some allow non-unanimous verdicts.
If the jury genuinely cannot reach agreement, the judge may send them back for more deliberation or ultimately declare a mistrial. That’s a hung jury, and it means the case may be retried before a new jury. When a verdict is reached, the foreperson tells the court, and the jury returns to the courtroom to announce the decision. Either side can ask that jurors be polled individually, each one confirming the vote on the record, before the verdict becomes final.
Pay, Job Protection, and When You Can Be Called Again
Your service ends when the judge dismisses you. That may be the day you reported if you weren’t picked, or after the verdict if you sat on a trial. Cases also settle or defendants change their plea on the morning of trial, so you may be released without hearing a witness; the fact that jurors showed up is sometimes what pushes a case to resolution.6United States Courts. Jury Service: What to Expect When Answering the Call
Federal jurors are paid $50 per day. If a trial runs longer than ten days, the presiding judge can raise that to $60 per day. Grand jurors become eligible for the higher rate after 45 days. Federal courts also reimburse reasonable transportation costs and, in some locations, parking.9United States Courts. Juror Pay State pay varies widely.
Federal law prohibits your employer from firing, threatening, intimidating, or retaliating against you for serving on a federal jury. A violation can bring a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation along with reinstatement, lost wages, and other damages.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors’ Employment If you’re reinstated, the law treats your time away like a leave of absence, so you keep your seniority and benefits. Federal law does not, however, require your employer to pay your regular wages during jury service. A handful of states require some employer pay; most leave the question to company policy.11U.S. Department of Labor. Jury Duty
After completing federal jury service, most courts won’t summon you again for at least two years, and some districts use a three-year window.1United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses State courts set their own exemption periods, which can range from one to six years. Hang on to your certificate of service in case another summons arrives inside the window.
Help After a Difficult Trial
Jurors who sit through trials involving graphic violence, child abuse, or other disturbing evidence sometimes struggle afterward. Federal courts can extend your jury service administratively, sometimes for up to 90 days, so you can access confidential counseling through the federal Employee Assistance Program at no cost. Participation is voluntary, and judges often check in with jurors after the verdict to see whether anyone needs help.12United States Courts. Who’s Taking Care of the Jurors? Helping Jurors After Traumatic Trials If a case stays with you, contact the court; the support exists for exactly that situation.