If you missed jury duty, call the court’s clerk of court or jury commissioner’s office today and explain what happened. The number is on your summons, or on the court’s website under jury services. Most first-time no-shows are treated as a scheduling problem and resolved with a rescheduled date. The trouble starts when people ignore the summons a second time.
Call the Court Right Away
Reach out as soon as you realize you missed your date. Court staff handle these calls constantly, and a straightforward explanation goes much further than an elaborate excuse. Tell them honestly why you weren’t there: you forgot, you were out of town, you had a medical emergency, or you never received the notice. Then ask what the court needs from you next. In many cases the clerk will simply reschedule you and that is the end of it.
Lost the summons and don’t know your juror ID number? Say so. The clerk can look you up by name and date of birth. Having the ID speeds things up if the court uses an online portal, but it isn’t required to resolve the situation by phone.
What Happens If You Ignore It
Most courts follow a predictable escalation. A first missed date usually produces a second summons or a warning letter. Ignore that, and the court issues an order to show cause requiring you to appear before a judge. Ignore the order to show cause, and the judge can issue a bench warrant for your arrest. Very few people reach that stage, because most people respond once they see the court is serious. The point to take from the pattern is that silence makes things worse at every step, and a single phone call early stops the sequence before it starts.
Penalties for Missing Jury Duty
The consequences depend on the court that summoned you and whether the judge believes your absence was intentional.
Federal Court
Under 28 U.S.C. ยง 1866, a person who fails to show good cause for missing a federal jury summons can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three days, ordered to perform community service, or hit with any combination of those penalties.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels The same statute lets the court order you to appear and explain yourself before any penalty is imposed.
State Court
State penalties vary widely. Fines for a first offense run from as low as $5 in some jurisdictions to $1,500 or more in others. Some states classify an intentional failure to appear as a misdemeanor, which puts a criminal record on top of any fine. Others treat it purely as civil contempt, which carries fines but no criminal charge. Criminal contempt can show up on a background check; civil contempt generally does not.
If You Get an Order to Show Cause
An order to show cause is a formal demand to appear before a judge and explain why you should not be held in contempt. If one arrives, the situation has moved past a phone call to the clerk. Appear at the hearing. Skipping it almost guarantees a bench warrant and harsher penalties.
At the hearing, the judge will ask you to explain your absence under oath. Bring documentation that backs up your reason: a hospital discharge summary, a travel itinerary showing you were out of the area, a death certificate for a family emergency, or anything else that corroborates what you’re saying. The judge is looking for a genuine reason, not a perfect one. Forgetting is a weak excuse; a medical emergency with paperwork is a strong one.
If the judge accepts your explanation, the order is typically dismissed and you’ll be rescheduled for service. If the judge finds your reason insufficient, penalties can include fines, community service, or in rare cases a short jail sentence. You are allowed to bring an attorney. If the contempt charge is criminal in nature and you cannot afford a lawyer, you may be entitled to court-appointed counsel, though this varies by jurisdiction.
Reasons Courts Will Usually Accept
The federal standard for being excused is “undue hardship or extreme inconvenience,” and most state courts apply something similar.2United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses The categories courts generally recognize:
- A physical or mental medical condition that prevents you from sitting through a trial, usually documented by a signed statement from a licensed physician.
- Being the sole caregiver for a child, elderly parent, or disabled family member when no substitute is available during the service dates.
- Extreme financial hardship, meaning a severe impact on your ability to cover necessary living expenses. Being inconvenienced at work is not enough.
- Recent prior jury service. In federal court you generally cannot be required to serve again within two years of your last federal jury service, and many states have similar waiting periods.2United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
- Non-receipt of the summons because it went to an old address or was lost in the mail. Be prepared to show that your address changed or that you had no reason to know you were summoned.
Not wanting to serve, a busy stretch at work, or a planned vacation typically will not get you excused.
Rescheduling Your Service
Once the court accepts your explanation, the next step is a new date. Many courts offer online juror portals where you can log in with your juror ID and pick one. If you don’t have online access, the clerk’s office can reschedule you by phone or mail.
Postponement policies vary. Some courts allow one deferral without any explanation; others require a reason every time. Federal courts leave the specifics to each of the 94 district courts, so ask your local court for its rules.2United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses As a general matter, expect to get one postponement without much difficulty, with additional deferrals harder to obtain. Most courts cap the total delay at somewhere between six and eighteen months from the original summons date.
Once you have the new date, put it somewhere you won’t miss it. Set a phone reminder. Mark your calendar. Missing a rescheduled date after the court has already given you a second chance puts you in a much worse position than the first miss did.
Watch Out for Jury Duty Scams
Anyone anxious about missing jury duty is exactly who scammers target. A common scheme involves a call or email from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or police officer who says you missed jury duty and will be arrested unless you pay a fine immediately. That is always a scam.3Federal Trade Commission. That Call or Email Saying You Missed Jury Duty and Need to Pay Its a Scam Real courts never do three things:
- Demand payment over the phone. Penalties for missing jury duty are imposed by a judge in a courtroom, not collected by someone on a call.
- Ask for gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. Courts accept checks and money orders through the clerk’s office.
- Ask for your Social Security number or bank details. The court already has whatever identifying information it needs from your jury questionnaire.
If you get a call like this, hang up and contact your local court directly using the number on the court’s website to confirm whether you actually have an outstanding jury obligation.3Federal Trade Commission. That Call or Email Saying You Missed Jury Duty and Need to Pay Its a Scam
Keep It From Happening Again
Jury pools are typically drawn from voter registration rolls, DMV records, or tax filings. If you’ve moved and haven’t updated your address with those agencies, future summonses will go to your old place and you’ll never see them. Update your voter registration and driver’s license whenever you move. Some courts also let you update your mailing address through their juror portal or the jury commissioner’s office. While you have the clerk on the phone about the missed summons, ask them to confirm your current address is on file before you hang up.