A jury summons is an official court order telling you to appear at a courthouse on a specific date for possible service as a juror. You have to respond by the deadline printed on the notice, and you have to show up unless the court excuses you. Federal law treats jury service as an obligation, declaring that every citizen “shall have an obligation to serve as jurors when summoned for that purpose.”1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1861 – Declaration of Policy Ignore it and you can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three days, or ordered into community service.
Why You Got One
Your name came out of a list. Federal courts pull jurors at random from voter registration rolls, often supplemented with driver’s license and state ID records so the pool better reflects the local population.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1863 – Plan for Random Jury Selection Receiving a summons doesn’t mean anyone picked you personally, and it doesn’t mean you’ll actually sit on a jury. It means your name was drawn and the court now needs to check whether you qualify and whether a case needs you on the date assigned.
Who Actually Qualifies
Not everyone summoned ends up serving. To serve on a federal jury you must be:
- A United States citizen
- At least 18 years old
- A resident of the judicial district for at least one year
- Able to read, write, speak, and understand English well enough to complete the qualification form
- Free of any mental or physical condition that would prevent service, unless a reasonable accommodation can address it
- Not currently facing felony charges carrying more than a year of possible imprisonment
- Without a prior felony conviction, unless your civil rights have been restored
Active-duty members of the armed forces and National Guard are exempt from federal jury service, which is a separate category from being disqualified.3United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses If you’ve served on a federal jury in the past two years, most courts will excuse you.
Grand Jury or Trial Jury
Read your summons closely, because the commitment depends on which kind of jury you’ve been called for.
A trial jury (sometimes called a petit jury) hears a single case, weighs the evidence, and delivers a verdict. When the case ends, your service ends. Many federal courts follow a “one day or one trial” rule: if you aren’t picked for a case the day you report, you’re done.
A grand jury is a longer commitment. It doesn’t decide guilt or innocence. It reviews evidence from a prosecutor and decides whether there’s enough reason to formally charge someone. Grand jurors generally serve up to 18 months, and a judge can extend that to 24. The meetings aren’t daily, but they recur throughout the term as the district’s caseload requires.4United States Courts. Types of Juries
How to Respond
Your summons includes a Juror Identification Number, usually printed near the top. You’ll need it to log into the court’s online juror portal or to fill out the paper questionnaire that came with the notice. The questionnaire confirms the eligibility items above: citizenship, age, residency, language ability, and felony history.3United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
Respond by the deadline on the summons even if you intend to ask to be excused. A non-response is treated the same as a no-show.
Asking to Be Excused or Deferred
Federal law lets a judge (or a clerk acting under a judge’s supervision) excuse someone who shows “undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.”5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels The language is intentionally broad, and each of the 94 federal district courts sets its own policies on what counts.3United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses State courts vary even more.
Common grounds include medical conditions, sole caregiving responsibilities, prepaid travel, and financial hardship beyond ordinary inconvenience. Medical requests usually need a statement from a licensed physician. Some courts ask only for confirmation that a disqualifying condition exists and don’t want the actual diagnosis or records. If the court grants a deferral instead of a full excuse, your name returns to the pool and you’ll be summoned again.
What the Day Looks Like
The evening before your date, check the court’s automated phone line or online portal using your group number. Courts cancel groups that aren’t needed, and you may not have to show up at all.
If your group is called, arrive early enough to clear courthouse security. You’ll check in with your summons and a government-issued ID, then report to the jury assembly room for a short orientation. After that, expect to wait, sometimes for hours, until a courtroom needs a panel. Bring something to read.
When a panel is called, you’ll go into a courtroom for voir dire, the questioning process where the judge and attorneys decide whether each potential juror can be fair and impartial in that particular case.6United States Courts. Juror Selection Process Some people are excused during this stage based on their answers, personal connections to the case, or an attorney’s peremptory challenge.
Pay and Job Protection
Federal jurors are paid $50 per day for each day of attendance, including travel days.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees If a trial runs past ten days, the judge can authorize up to $10 more per day on top of the base rate. State courts set their own rates, and some pay as little as $5 or $10 per day for the first few days. Mileage reimbursement is standard but the per-mile rate varies by jurisdiction.
Your employer cannot fire, threaten, intimidate, or otherwise punish you for serving on a federal jury.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment An employer who does faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation per employee and can be ordered to reinstate you with full seniority and benefits. If you believe your employer retaliated, you can apply to the district court for relief; if the court finds probable merit, it will appoint an attorney for you at no cost and can award lost wages and fees. Most states have parallel protections for state jury service, with different specifics and penalty amounts.
What Happens If You Ignore It
A jury summons is a court order, not a request. If you don’t appear, the court can order you to show up and explain yourself. Without a good reason, you can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three days, ordered to perform community service, or receive some combination of those.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels Some state courts issue arrest warrants for people who ignore repeated summonses.
Most courts send a follow-up notice before escalating. But betting on that is a bad gamble. If you can’t serve, responding and asking to be excused is almost always granted. Ignoring the summons is what gets people into trouble.
Calls About Missed Jury Duty Are Scams
A real jury summons arrives by mail. Courts never phone or email demanding payment, and they never ask for your Social Security number or date of birth in an unsolicited call. A common scam involves someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or police officer, saying you missed jury duty and must pay a fine immediately to avoid arrest, with payment routed through gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or payment apps.9Federal Trade Commission. That Call or Email Saying You Missed Jury Duty and Need to Pay? Its a Scam Hang up. Then go to the court’s official website or call the clerk’s office at a number you look up yourself to check whether you actually have an outstanding summons.