How to Serve Jury Duty

Sooner or later, you won't be able to avoid that jury summons. Once you resign yourself to serving jury duty, the process may prove to be more enlightening than bothersome if you're called to be a juror on a case. When you finally decide to get on with it and appear for jury duty, here's what to expect when you serve your civic duty.

Instructions

1. Contact your employer and let them know about your jury summons. Some employers offer monetary compensation for days off due to jury duty. Employers must hold your job for you when you're serving jury duty. They can't fire you for "excessive absence" because of it if you've given them advance notice of pending jury service.

2. Dress in business attire. If you're dressed inappropriately such as jeans, T-shirts, tank tops, shorts or other informal clothing you may be asked to go home and change into more suitable clothing at your own expense.

3. Wait in a general holding area until a court officer assigns you to a specific courtroom. Bring a book to read since the wait may be several hours to a full day. You may be dismissed by the court or asked to return the next day and wait to be called again if you aren't called to serve on a jury by the end of the day.

4. Enter your assigned courtroom. The judge will brief you on the case, and lawyers for the defense and prosecution will interview you. If they approve you as a juror, they'll give you a number and a seat in the juror box. The jurors select a foreman, who sits in the first seat of the jury box.

5. Sit on the jury, listening to the arguments and taking notes. If you don't understand something or need a statement repeated, raise your hand and the court reporter will read it back for you.

6. Deliberate on the case with other jurors when all the testimony has ended. You can review evidence and ask to read court transcripts. The deliberation process continues until jurors reach a verdict. The foreman then delivers the verdict to the bailiff, who hands it to the judge.

7. Listen to the judge's instructions after the verdict. He or she will then dismiss you from jury duty. Sign out at the courthouse front office. You'll receive a check in the mail for your service a few weeks later.

Tips & Warnings

• Rules for jury duty may vary slightly from state to state.

• Don't be late for court sessions when you serve jury duty. You may be cited for contempt of court if you don't have a valid excuse for tardiness.

• Don't discuss the case with anyone until the judge instructs you to do so.

Resources

• Read an Example of Jury Duty FAQ from the Los Angeles Superior Court.