A jury summons letter is a court order telling you to appear for possible jury service on a specific date, at a specific courthouse, and it creates a legal obligation to respond. Nearly every summons arrives with a juror qualification questionnaire that you must complete and return by the deadline printed on the letter. Federal law gives you 10 days to send the questionnaire back.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1864 – Drawing of Names From the Master Jury Wheel; Completion of Juror Qualification Form Ignoring the letter can cost you up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, or both.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels
Being summoned is random. Federal courts draw names from state voter registration lists, often supplemented with driver’s license records.3United States Courts. Juror Selection Process State courts work the same way. You didn’t do anything to get picked.
What’s Inside the Letter
Your summons identifies the issuing court, the date and time you need to report or be on call, and the courthouse address. It lists your name, your mailing address, and a unique juror identification number. Keep that number somewhere you can find it: the court can’t pull up your record without it, and you’ll use it every time you contact them.
The qualification questionnaire that comes with the letter asks basic things: citizenship, age, residency, criminal history, and whether you can read and understand English. The court uses your answers to decide whether you’re legally qualified to serve. State courts send similar questionnaires, with their own questions and deadlines.
How to Respond
Most courts give you three options: online, by mail, or by phone. Online is fastest. You log in to a juror portal using your identification number and a second piece of verification, usually your date of birth or zip code.4United States District Court. Responding to Your Jury Summons From there you can confirm receipt, complete the questionnaire, update your contact information, and see your reporting instructions.
If you’d rather use mail, fill out the questionnaire portion of the summons and send it back in the pre-addressed envelope included with the letter.
Watch the deadline. “I forgot” won’t get you anywhere if the court comes back asking why you never responded.
Who Qualifies to Serve
To serve on a federal jury, you must be a U.S. citizen at least 18 years old, a resident of the judicial district for at least one year, and able to read, write, understand, and speak English well enough to perform the job. You also cannot currently face felony charges punishable by more than a year in prison, and you cannot have a prior felony conviction unless your civil rights have been legally restored. Finally, you must be free from any mental or physical condition that would prevent you from satisfactorily performing jury duties.5United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses State rules generally track these, though some states add their own requirements.
If your questionnaire answers show you don’t qualify, the court will remove you from the pool. You still have to send the questionnaire back.
Getting Out of It: Exemptions, Excusals, and Postponements
Three groups are flat-out exempt from federal jury service and cannot serve even if they want to: active-duty military and National Guard members on active duty, professional (not volunteer) fire and police department members, and public officers who are elected officials or people directly appointed by elected officials actively performing full-time government duties.5United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
Most federal districts will also permanently excuse you if you ask and fall into one of these groups: you’re over 70, you’ve served on a federal jury within the past two years, or you serve as a volunteer firefighter or ambulance crew member. These are not automatic. You have to request them.
Beyond that, courts can grant temporary deferrals or excusals based on undue hardship or extreme inconvenience. Common grounds include a serious medical condition, being the sole caregiver for a child or elderly person, or financial hardship where serving would prevent you from covering basic living expenses.
Expect to document it. A medical excusal typically requires a doctor’s statement confirming that jury service would threaten your health. A caregiving hardship requires a letter from the dependent’s physician. Financial hardship usually calls for a letter from your employer confirming they won’t pay you during service, or proof of self-employment. Submit the paperwork with your questionnaire response or through the court’s online portal. The judge decides, and the answer can be no, so give as much detail as you can.6United States District Court. Southern District of Indiana – Exemptions/Excuses
If the problem is timing rather than service itself, ask for a postponement, not an excusal. Courts tend to be accommodating about rescheduling, and postponement requests are far more likely to be granted.
What Happens If You Ignore the Summons
This is where people get into real trouble. If you don’t respond to a federal jury summons, the court can order you to appear and explain yourself. If you can’t show a good reason, the judge can fine you up to $1,000, sentence you to up to three days in jail, order community service, or impose any combination.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels The same penalties apply if you fail to return the qualification questionnaire.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1864 – Drawing of Names From the Master Jury Wheel; Completion of Juror Qualification Form
State courts have their own penalties, and the pattern is similar: a warning letter first, then an order to appear before a judge, then fines or jail if you still don’t comply.
What Reporting Day Looks Like
After you respond, the court processes your information. Many courts use a call-in system or online portal where you check your reporting status the evening before or the morning of your service date. The system tells you whether to show up, whether your date has been pushed, or whether you’ve been released.
If you report, you’ll go to a jury assembly room for orientation. From there, groups of prospective jurors are taken into courtrooms for voir dire. The judge and attorneys ask questions to figure out whether each juror can be fair and impartial for the specific case: whether you know the parties, whether you have strong feelings about the subject matter, whether anything would stop you from weighing the evidence objectively.3United States Courts. Juror Selection Process Some jurors are excused, others seated. If you aren’t picked, you may be sent to another courtroom or released for the day.
Most summonses are for a petit (trial) jury: you sit through one trial and you’re done, usually within a few days. A grand jury is a longer commitment, generally up to 18 months with possible extension to 24, though grand jurors don’t report every day.7United States Courts. Types of Juries Your summons will tell you which one.
Pay and Protection From Your Employer
Federal jurors are paid $50 per day. Petit jurors can get up to $60 per day after more than 10 days on the same case, if the judge approves; grand jurors become eligible for the same bump after 45 days.8United States Courts. Juror Pay You also get mileage reimbursement for travel to and from the courthouse.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees State juror pay varies and is often lower, with daily rates ranging from nothing to around $50 depending on the state.
Federal law does not require your employer to pay your regular salary while you serve. But your employer cannot fire you, threaten you, or retaliate against you for serving. An employer who violates that protection faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation and can be ordered to reinstate you, pay your lost wages, and cover your attorney’s fees.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment If your employer retaliates, you can apply to the district court for appointed counsel at no cost. Most states have similar protections, and some go further by requiring employers to keep paying wages during service.
If You Get a Call or Email About Jury Duty, It’s Probably a Scam
Real courts contact prospective jurors by U.S. mail. If someone calls, emails, or texts claiming you missed jury duty and demands payment or personal information to avoid arrest, it’s a scam.11United States Courts. Juror Scams A legitimate court will never ask for your Social Security number, credit card, or bank details over the phone or by email, and no court takes payment by gift card.
If you get a suspicious contact, don’t give anything out. Hang up and call the Clerk of Court’s office for the U.S. District Court in your area directly, using a number you look up yourself rather than one the caller gave you. You can also report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.