If you’ve been called for jury duty, you’re legally required to respond to the summons by the printed deadline and to appear on the date listed unless the court formally excuses or defers you. Jury service is a civic obligation under the Sixth and Seventh Amendments, and federal courts draw names from voter registration and driver’s license records. Most people who serve finish within a week, get paid a small daily rate, and keep their job protections intact. Ignoring the summons, on the other hand, can bring fines and even jail time.
Who Has To Serve
Federal law sets the baseline qualifications, and most states follow a similar list. To serve on a federal jury, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and have lived in the judicial district for at least one year. You need to read, write, speak, and understand English well enough to follow proceedings and complete the juror questionnaire. You can’t currently be facing felony charges carrying more than a year of imprisonment, and you can’t have a prior felony conviction unless your civil rights have been restored.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service2United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
Many states let people above a certain age opt out entirely. The cutoff varies from 65 in some states to 80 in others, with 70 the most common. If you’re over 70 and a summons arrives, check your court’s website or call the clerk’s office before assuming you need to appear.
Trial Jury or Grand Jury
Your summons will tell you which type of service you’ve been called for, and the two look nothing alike.
A trial jury, also called a petit jury, is the panel most people picture. It sits through a case, hears evidence, and delivers a verdict. In a criminal trial, that means guilty or not guilty; in a civil trial, it means deciding which side prevails and sometimes setting damages. Most federal trials run only three to four days, so many trial jurors finish inside a week.3United States District Court. What Is the Difference Between a Petit Jury and a Grand Jury
A grand jury is a much longer commitment with a different job. Grand jurors don’t decide guilt. They review evidence from a prosecutor to determine whether there’s enough probable cause to formally charge someone. The proceedings are secret, and the accused typically isn’t present. Federal grand jury terms can last up to 18 months, though jurors usually report only a few days per month.3United States District Court. What Is the Difference Between a Petit Jury and a Grand Jury
How To Respond to the Summons
The summons prints your deadline and tells you exactly how to respond. Most courts now run an online juror portal where you can complete the questionnaire, request an excusal or deferral, and upload supporting documents. You can also return the paper form by mail to the clerk of court at the address printed on the summons.
After you submit, check your status through the same portal or the court’s automated jury information line. Some courts only contact you if your excuse is denied, so silence can mean you’ve been released. If you’re not sure, call the clerk’s office rather than guess.
Many jurisdictions use a “one day or one trial” system. If you report and aren’t placed on a trial panel by the end of the day, your service is complete. If you are placed on a trial, you serve until it ends. Some courts also use telephone standby: you call the evening before to find out whether you actually need to appear.
Getting Excused or Postponing Service
Courts expect you to serve, but they recognize that rigid attendance isn’t always possible. There’s an important difference between the two options. An excusal releases you from your current obligation entirely. A deferral simply moves your service to a later date. Most courts prefer to defer, because it keeps you in the pool.
Common grounds include:
- A medical condition or disability that prevents you from sitting through proceedings or deliberating. Courts generally require a signed letter from your treating physician on the provider’s letterhead, stating the nature and expected duration of the condition.
- Financial hardship, if serving would genuinely threaten your ability to support yourself or your dependents. This comes up most often for self-employed workers, hourly employees whose employers don’t pay for jury days, and single-income households. Courts weigh factors like trial length, your income sources, and whether your employer reimburses anything.
- Caregiving responsibilities, when you’re the sole caregiver for a young child, an elderly parent, or a disabled family member and no alternative care is available.
- Active military duty, which generally brings an automatic deferral.
- Full-time student status during an academic term, which can usually be deferred to a break.
- Breastfeeding, which many jurisdictions allow nursing mothers to defer around, sometimes for up to a year with renewals.
The court won’t take your word for any of these. Medical requests need that provider letter. Financial hardship claims typically require tax returns, proof of public assistance eligibility, or a letter from your employer confirming they don’t pay for jury days. If a trip booked before the summons arrived creates the conflict, attach flight or hotel confirmations. Send everything with your completed juror response form.
What Happens If You Skip It
Ignoring a jury summons violates a court order, and courts have real enforcement tools. In federal court, a judge can order you to appear and explain why you failed to comply. Without good cause, the penalties include a fine of up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or any combination of those.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels
State penalties vary. Fines generally run from $100 to $1,000, and some courts can issue bench warrants for repeated no-shows. Enforcement depends on the court’s caseload. A large urban court with a deep pool may send a warning letter and re-summon you; a smaller court struggling to seat juries is more likely to pursue contempt. Either way, if you genuinely can’t serve, request a deferral instead of simply not showing up.
What Selection Looks Like at the Courthouse
Showing up doesn’t automatically put you on a jury. You sit in a large pool, and panels are called into courtrooms as trials need them. Once in the courtroom, the judge and attorneys question each panel member in a process called voir dire. The goal is to identify anyone whose background, experiences, or views might prevent them from weighing the evidence fairly. Questions range from general (“Have you ever been the victim of a crime?”) to case-specific. Honest answers matter more than giving answers you think the lawyers want.5United States Courts. Juror Selection Process
Attorneys can then remove prospective jurors in two ways. A challenge for cause asks the judge to dismiss someone for clear bias or a legal conflict, and there’s no limit on these as long as the judge agrees each one is justified. A peremptory challenge lets an attorney strike a juror without stating a reason, with each side getting a fixed number. Peremptory challenges cannot be used to exclude jurors based on race or gender.6U.S. District Court. The Voir Dire Examination
Once the required jurors and alternates are seated, the rest of the pool is dismissed. Alternates sit through the whole trial but only deliberate if a primary juror has to be removed.
Pay and Job Protection
Federal jurors receive $50 per day for each day they attend court, including travel days.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees If a trial runs longer than ten days, jurors may receive an additional $10 per day beyond that point. Federal courts also reimburse mileage and parking.
State court pay runs lower, with daily rates varying widely across the country and some states paying as little as $15 per day. A few states pay nothing for the first day or two and only start compensating jurors who serve beyond an initial period.
Federal law prohibits any employer from firing, threatening, intimidating, or otherwise retaliating against an employee for jury service. An employer who violates this faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation per employee, may be ordered to perform community service, and can be forced to reinstate the employee and pay lost wages.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment Most states have similar laws. Federal law does not require employers to pay your regular salary while you serve; whether you keep your paycheck depends on your employer’s policy or state law.
Jury pay counts as taxable income and goes on the “Other income” line of Form 1040, regardless of amount.9Internal Revenue Service. Publication 525 – Taxable and Nontaxable Income
Watch Out for Jury Duty Scams
Scammers routinely impersonate court officials, calling or emailing people to claim they missed jury duty and now face arrest, then demanding payment or personal information to “resolve” it. Real court contact looks nothing like this. Your initial summons arrives as a physical letter through the U.S. Postal Service. Courts do not summon people by phone, text, or email. A legitimate court official will not call asking for your Social Security number, credit card number, or bank details, and no judge, clerk, or marshal will ask you to buy gift cards, wire money, or send cryptocurrency.
If you get a suspicious call or email, don’t provide any information. Contact the clerk’s office for the U.S. District Court in your area through the Federal Court Finder on uscourts.gov to verify whether you actually have an outstanding summons. You can also report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.10United States Courts. Juror Scams