The jury duty process begins with a summons in the mail and ends either with a verdict or, more commonly, with being sent home the same day you reported. In between, you check in at a courthouse, answer questions from a judge and attorneys, and are either seated on a trial or dismissed. Knowing what each step looks like takes most of the anxiety out of it, but the obligations are real from the moment that envelope arrives.
Who Gets Called and Who Qualifies
Names are pulled at random from public records. Federal courts draw from voter registration lists and may add other sources like driver’s license records so the jury pool reflects the community.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1863 – Plan for Random Jury Selection No one can be excluded based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status.2GovInfo. 28 USC 1862 – Discrimination Prohibited
To qualify for federal jury service, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and a resident of the judicial district for at least one year. You need to read, write, speak, and understand English well enough to follow a trial and fill out court forms. A pending felony charge or an unresolved felony conviction disqualifies you. You also need to be mentally and physically able to serve, though courts routinely accommodate jurors with disabilities.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service Most state courts use a similar framework.
The Summons and Your Options
The summons is a court order, not an invitation. It gives you a date, a location, a participant number, and almost always a short questionnaire covering your citizenship, residency, language ability, and anything that might affect your service. Fill it out and return it on time.
You can usually postpone your service for a legitimate conflict — pre-planned travel, a medical appointment, a family obligation. Full excusals are available for serious hardship, like a medical condition that prevents you from sitting through a trial or financial circumstances where missing work would be devastating. Any request has to go through the court with documentation before your reporting date.
Simply not showing up is a bad idea. A judge can order you to appear and explain yourself, and if you have no good reason, federal penalties include a fine of up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or a combination.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels State courts set their own penalties, and some are just as steep.
What Happens When You Report
Give yourself extra time on your reporting day. You will pass through a security checkpoint similar to airport screening, so leave anything that could be confiscated at home. Bring the summons and a government-issued photo ID.
After check-in, a court officer directs you to a jury assembly room, where an orientation video explains the trial process and your role. Then comes the part nobody warns you about: waiting. It can stretch for hours. Bring a book, a laptop, or work. Most courthouses have Wi-Fi, though it varies.
Dress business casual. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or offensive graphics. Bring money for lunch and parking, since those are not always covered the day of.
Mileage and Daily Pay
Federal jurors are paid $50 per day. For trials that run past 10 days, a judge can raise the daily rate by up to $10, capping it at $60.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees Federal employees keep their regular salary instead of the juror fee. For everyone else, payment is mailed after service ends. Mileage reimbursement for federal jurors in 2026 is 72.5 cents per round-trip mile between your home and the courthouse.6General Services Administration. GSA Bulletin FTR 26-02 If a trial requires an overnight stay, jurors receive a subsistence allowance for meals and lodging. State pay varies widely, from almost nothing in some places to around $50 or more in others.
Accommodations
If a disability affects your ability to serve, contact the court as soon as the summons arrives. Federal courts provide reasonable accommodations such as sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, wheelchair-accessible facilities, and modified seating. The point is to let you participate, not to disqualify you.
Jury Selection: Voir Dire
When a courtroom needs a jury, a group is called up from the assembly room for voir dire. The judge and attorneys question you under oath, and you have to answer truthfully. The questions are usually straightforward: whether you know anyone involved in the case, whether you have personal experience with the type of dispute or crime at issue, and whether you hold strong opinions that would make it hard to weigh evidence objectively. If something feels too personal to say in open court, you can ask to approach the judge privately.
Attorneys remove prospective jurors in two ways. A challenge for cause asks the judge to strike a juror whose answers show actual bias or an inability to be fair. There is no numerical limit; the judge decides each one.7Legal Information Institute. Challenge for Cause8Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 24 – Trial Jurors9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1870 – Challenges Peremptories cannot be used to strike jurors because of race, ethnicity, or sex.10Legal Information Institute. Peremptory Challenge
Many jurors never get picked. Under the “one day/one trial” system that many courts use, your obligation is done if you are not assigned to a courtroom by the end of your reporting day, or if you go through voir dire and are not selected.
If You’re Selected: The Trial
Selected jurors are sworn in and promise to decide the case based only on the evidence and the law the judge gives them. Federal criminal juries have 12 members; federal civil juries range from 6 to 12. A few ground rules shape the entire trial:
- Pay close attention to every witness and exhibit. Many courts allow note-taking.
- Do not discuss the case with anyone, including other jurors, until deliberations officially begin.
- Do no outside research. No searches, no social media, no news. Violations can bring contempt findings or trigger a mistrial.
Trial length varies. A simple case may finish in a day or two; a complex civil or serious criminal case can run weeks. The judge will give an estimate at the start.
Deliberations and the Verdict
After both sides rest, the judge delivers jury instructions explaining the law you must apply. Jurors can usually ask for a written copy to use during deliberations.
In the deliberation room, the jury selects a foreperson, or the judge assigns one, depending on the court. The foreperson runs the discussion and makes sure everyone gets heard.11United States Courts. Handbook for Trial Jurors Serving in the United States District Courts Jurors are expected to listen to each other and change their minds if genuinely persuaded, but no one should give up a position they believe is right just to reach agreement.
Federal criminal verdicts must be unanimous. Federal civil verdicts also typically require unanimity unless the court instructs otherwise. If the jury cannot agree after real effort, the judge may declare a mistrial, and the case can be retried with a new jury.12Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 31 – Jury Verdict Once there is a verdict, the foreperson announces it in open court. Either side can ask that each juror be polled individually. After the verdict is recorded, the judge discharges the jury. You can talk about the case afterward if you want to, and you can decline — no attorney or reporter can compel you.
Grand Jury Service Is Different
Everything above describes a trial jury, sometimes called a petit jury. A grand jury does something else entirely. It does not decide guilt. It reviews evidence from prosecutors and decides whether to issue an indictment.
Federal grand juries have 16 to 23 members and can sit for up to 18 months, with a possible 6-month extension. Jurors typically report a few days per month rather than every day. There is no judge in the room during deliberations and no defense attorney, since only the prosecution presents. Grand jurors are legally prohibited from disclosing the evidence, discussions, or votes, and violating that secrecy can bring contempt.13Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 6 – The Grand Jury If your summons is for a grand jury, the commitment is longer but less intense day-to-day.
Your Job and Your Paycheck
Federal law does not require your employer to keep paying you while you serve on a jury, and most private employers are not obligated to do so unless state law or company policy says otherwise.14U.S. Department of Labor. Jury Duty What federal law does protect is your job itself. An employer who fires, threatens, intimidates, or penalizes you for serving on a federal jury faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation and can be ordered to reinstate you with full seniority and benefits.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment If you believe your employer retaliated against you, you can file a claim in federal district court, and if it has merit the court will appoint an attorney to represent you at no cost.