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Jury Duty In our democratic system, there is no more valuable service a citizen can perform than to be a juror. If you have been summoned to jury service, we appreciate your fitting this civic obligation into your busy life. We hope that you find your jury service to be an interesting and rewarding experience. Below are answers to questions we are frequently asked about jury duty.
Yes. Juries play a central role in our justice system. Only grand juries can indict someone for allegedly violating a federal law. The United States Constitution guarantees the right to a trial by petit jury in both criminal and civil cases. Your participation as a juror is crucial to the administration of justice. The consequences of not reporting for jury service are severe. You could be escorted to the courthouse by a deputy U.S. marshal to explain to a judge why you did not report. You also could be fined up to $100 or imprisoned for up to three days or both. You can defer your service or be excused under certain circumstances, as explained below.
How was I selected for jury duty? Jurors in the Eastern District of Virginia are selected at random from lists of registered voters supplied by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Questionnaires are mailed to each randomly selected person. Jurors must be:
United
States citizens.
Eighteen
years old or older.
Residents
of the Eastern District
of Virginia for at least
one year at the time they
are summoned.
Able
to read,
write
and speak
the English
language
with
sufficient
mastery.
Physically
and
mentally
capable
of
serving.
Citizens
who have been convicted of a crime that carries a punishment
of more than a year in prison and whose civil rights have not
been restored are ineligible to serve on a federal jury. So are
citizens who have a charge pending against them for the commission
of such a crime. Based on the answers to the questionnaires the Court mails, a pool of qualified jurors is created. Individuals are then selected at random from this pool to receive a summons to appear at the courthouse when a grand jury is about to be impaneled or a trial is about to begin. You cannot volunteer to be a juror because it would interfere with this entirely random selection process.
Can I defer my jury service or be excused from serving? We recognize that jury service rarely comes at a convenient time. But because that is true for nearly all individuals called for jury duty, most individuals will be required to serve. If you want to defer your service to a later date or be excused, you must make a request in writing to the jury office of the courthouse to which you have been summoned. You must describe the reasons you believe you should be deferred or excused and provide as much information as possible, including supporting documentation. Please include your completed Jury Information Form, which was sent to you with your summons. Your should make your request within five days of receiving your summons. Among the more common reasons jury service is excused are:
Your
age. Jurors must be at least 18 years old. Individuals who
are 70 years old or older may ask to be excused because of
their age.
You
are not a U.S. citizen. Please provide a copy of
your Green Card or any other legal document supporting
your request.
You
have a medical condition
that would impede your
jury service. Please provide
a note from your doctor.
You
recently
served
on a
jury
in state
or federal
court.
Under
Federal
law,
a person
cannot
be required
to serve
on jury
duty
more
often
than
once
every
two years.
Please
include
a copy
of the
official
jury
certificate
you received
at the
end of
your
jury
service.
You
have
not
lived
in
the
Eastern
District
of
Virginia
for
at
least
one
year
or
are
no
longer
a
resident
of
the
Eastern
District. Click
here for
a
list
of
the
cities
and
counties
in
the
Eastern
District.
Please
include
proof
of
your
new
address
--
such
as
a
yellow
postal
forwarding
sticker,
a
copy
of
your
new
driver's
license
or
your
utility
bill.
You
are
a
police
officer,
firefighter,
active
member
of
the
military,
volunteer
member
of
an
ambulance
crew
or
rescue
squad,
or an appointed
or
elected
government
official.
Among
the more common reasons jury service is deferred are:
You
care for a child or adult in your custody whose health or safety
would be jeopardized by your absence.
You
have a scheduled vacation during your jury service.
Please provide a copy of your airplane ticket or
travel itinerary.
You
are a full-time student.
Please submit proof of
your enrollment.
It
is your responsibility to verify that the request has been granted.
Ten business days after you mailed or faxed your request, call
the toll-free automated jury information service at 866-224-9867,
type in your nine-digit participant number (it is on the front
of your summons), and Click on the location to which you have been summoned for the jury division address to which your request should be mailed: Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk or Richmond. If you receive a deferral or permanent excuse on the day you report for jury duty, you will not be paid for your attendance or travel.
What's the difference between a grand jury and a petit jury? A grand jury is composed of 23 members. Ordinarily, they listen to evidence presented only by prosecutors and determine whether there is probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed by the individuals or organizations under investigation. If the grand jury finds there is probable cause, it issues a written statement of the charges that is called an indictment. Grand juries meet in secret, which protects the reputations of those under investigation. A grand jury's work becomes public only if an indictment is issued. After that, the accused will be brought before a judge to be arraigned. The accused can then decide to plead guilty, or plead not guilty and go to trial. A petit jury -- also referred to as a trial jury -- consists of six to 12 members. In criminal trials, they listen to evidence presented by both prosecutors and the defense. They determine whether the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt -- a higher standard of proof than the probable cause finding made by the grand jury. In civil trials, petit jurors listen to evidence presented by both sides and find for the plaintiff or defendant. Both criminal and civil trials are held in open court, except in rare instances when the judge seals a portion of the proceedings. Grand and petit juries sit for different lengths of time, as explained below.
In Alexandria, grand jurors serve six to 18 months. In Newport News and Norfolk, they serve for 12 months. In Richmond, they serve for 12 to 18 months. In all jurisdictions, they generally meet only one to three consecutive days per month. The term of grand juries can be extended by order of the Court. Petit jurors are "on call" for two weeks, during which they call the recorded telephone message system described below each day to learn whether they need to report to the courthouse the following day. Petit jurors rarely need to report to the courthouse every day of their two-week term of service. If you are selected for a petit jury, you must serve until the conclusion of the trial, even if it lasts longer than two weeks. Likewise, if the trial ends before the conclusion of your two-week term of jury service, you will be excused from further service. The average trial lasts one to three days. Jurors normally are required to be at court from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You will be given a break for lunch and additional short breaks during the day.
How will I know when to report to the courthouse? Grand Jurors Report
on the date listed on your summons.
Petit Jurors The
Court's schedule sometimes changes at the last minute. Rather
than have you sit in the jury room each day of your two-week
term of service, we may change the date you should to report
to the courthouse. A recorded telephone message system tells
you when you must report to the courthouse.
The system uses your nine-digit participant number. It appears in the upper left-hand section of the summons, above your name, and also below the bar code on your juror identification badge, which is in the middle of the left side of the summons. Here's how the system works:
1.
On the date indicated on your summons, call the toll-free juror
information number: 1-866-224-9867. Jurors reporting to Alexandria
and Richmond should call the number after 6:00 p.m; jurors reporting
to Newport News and Norfolk should call after 6:30 p.m. The call
is free and may be dialed from any location.
2. You will be asked to enter your nine-digit participant number, using the key pad on your touch-tone phone. 3. You will be told when to report to the courthouse. Do not report for jury duty until instructed to do so by the recorded message. Each night of the two weeks of your jury service, you must call the same number to learn whether you must report again to the courthouse. If the message instructs you to report to the courthouse for jury service on a particular date, you must call the toll-free number the night before that reporting date to confirm that you are still needed the following day. Cases frequently settle just before trial is to begin, and you may not need to report. The instructions will either say that you are still scheduled to appear or that your reporting date has been cancelled. If the reporting date has been cancelled, you will either be instructed to call again the next evening or you will be given a new date to appear. If you report for service without calling the phone message, and you are not scheduled to report, you will not be paid for your attendance or reimbursed for your travel. Always call the toll-free number the night before reporting.
Report to the courthouse listed on your summons. See below for directions.
What is the dress code for jurors? Appropriate attire for jurors is clothing that would be worn for an important business meeting.
What should I bring with me? What should I leave at home? You should bring your juror identification badge, which appears in the middle of the left side of your summons, each day you report to the courthouse. The bar code is used to check you in at the jury office. You must present a photo ID, such as a driver's license, when entering the courthouse. You and your belongings are subject to search. Please allow plenty of time to pass through security. It is very important that you arrive on time; if you are late, the entire case will be delayed. Before they are assigned to a particular case, jurors often have to wait while important pretrial activities take place. You may want to bring reading material for those periods of time. You may also want to bring a sweater or jacket; the courtrooms are often quite cool. For
security reasons, you will not be allowed to enter the courthouse
with cellular telephones, Palm Pilots, Blackberry e-mail devices,
pagers, cameras, tape recorders, laptop computers or any other
electronic device. On September 15, 2005, the U.S. Marshals Service ended its practice of storing cell phones and other electronic devices that visitors bring to the U.S. District Courthouse in Alexandria. You will be unable to enter the building if you bring these devices.
Potential weapons such as firearms, knives,
pocket knives, scissors, letter openers, screw drivers, mace
and pepper spray are also prohibited.
What
are the directions to the courthouse? For
jury office contact information, directions, maps of the courthouse
areas, parking lot locations and public transportation options,
click on the location of the courthouse to which you have been
summoned:
You will be paid an attendance fee of $40 for each day you report to the courthouse. A check will be mailed to you -- generally within two weeks of the end of your jury service. If you are an employee of the federal government (except for postal employees) you are not entitled to be paid for attendance unless you are in a non-pay status when reporting for service. Federal government employees are, however, reimbursed for travel expenses, as described below. The attendance payment is taxable income and should be declared on your income tax return. Jurors who earn over $600 in attendance income in one calendar year will receive a 1099 Form from the court.
Will I be reimbursed for my travel expenses? If you drive, you will be reimbursed 48.5 cents per mile round-trip from your residence to the courthouse, plus reimbursement of tolls paid for bridges, tunnels, and toll roads. Reimbursement for parking fees varies depending on the courthouse to which you have been summoned. See parking information above. If you take public transportation, you will be reimbursed. No receipts are required. Reimbursement for taxi cabs is not allowed. Reimbursement of travel expenses is not taxable income. A reimbursement check will be mailed to you within two weeks of the end of your jury service.
Can I be fired from my job for serving on a jury? No. Federal law protects all permanent employees who serve on juries. You cannot be forced to use your vacation or sick leave to serve on a jury. If your employer fires you, threatens to fire you, intimidates or coerces you because you have been called for jury duty, report the incident immediately to the jury office.
Does my employer have to pay me while I serve? No, but most private employers do pay employees during their jury service. Some pay employees in full, while others deduct your $40 daily juror pay from your regular wages.
If I have a question, who can I call? Call the jury office at the courthouse to which you've been summoned:
Alexandria:
703-299-2104
Newport News: 757-222-7200 Norfolk: 757-222-7200 Richmond: 804-916-2212
How can I learn more about jury service? Read the Handbook for Grand Jurors or the Handbook for Trial Jurors. Both are published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Top |
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