Juror Information

Juror Information

"I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution."

President Thomas Jefferson

Automated Juror Notification System

Frequently Asked Questions

Jury Plan

Handbook for Trial Jurors

The Trial Process

Legal Glossary

The purpose of this section of the website is to acquaint citizens selected for jury service with the general nature and importance of their role as jurors. Nothing in this website is to be regarded by jurors as instructions of law to be applied by them in any case in which they serve. The judge will instruct the jury in each separate case as to the law of that case.

Serving as a juror is a fundamental obligation we all share as citizens of the United States and is as important to citizenship as voting - maybe more so. Certainly, a citizen has more influence and power when serving as a juror than as a voter It is in the jury room that citizens get to actually influence the system to work toward Americans' highest commonly held political values . . . the values we pledge to when we pledge allegiance to the flag of the of the United States of America. By having people like you participate in the judicial process we can ensure that all persons in federal court will be afforded their constitutional right to have a jury pool drawn from a fair cross section of this area. We extend our sincere appreciation for your jury service and trust you will find your experience rewarding. The menu on the left provides links to specific information regarding jury service notification, frequently asked questions, a glossary of terms you wil find helpful, and a general overview of the trial process.

It's Your Duty and Honor

As a juror, you play an essential role in the American system of justice.

You do not need any special skills or legal knowledge to be a juror. You do need to keep an open mind and be willing to make decisions free of personal feelings and biases. As a juror, you will listen to opening statements and closing arguments for both sides. You will also learn about and weigh the evidence that has been collected for the trial. Then you will be asked to make a decision about the case after you have talked it over with the other jurors during deliberations .

During the trial, the judge serves as the court's presiding officer and as the final authority on the law. The lawyers act as advocates for their sides of the case. As a juror, you are responsible for impartially evaluating the facts presented and for applying the law to these facts as the judge instructs you. These combined efforts bring about the fair and impartial administration of justice in our state and nation.

Why Do We Have a Jury System?

The Constitution of the United States guarantees each U.S. citizen a right to trial by jury in both criminal and civil matters. The jury must be present and hear evidence, and it also must be impartial. Impartial means that the jurors must not have already made up their minds about the outcome of the case. To ensure that the jury is impartial , the lawyers for both sides of a case have the opportunity to remove any jurors who appear to them to be biased. Juries must also be representative. This means that the jurors must be from the same community where the crime or injury occurred and the jury pool must reflect the makeup of the larger community.

Jury service has not always been as universal a right as it is today. The social movements that have shaped our country have also influenced the history of the jury. With the end of slavery, African Americans were supposed to be able to serve on juries. In fact, not many blacks served until the next major step forward in our racial history: the civil rights movement. Likewise, women could not serve on juries until after they won the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Women were rarely seen on juries until the women's movement in the 1960s applied pressure to an unrepresentative system. Today, people with disabilities are claiming their rightful place in the jury box and demanding the appropriate accommodations in order to participate fully.

You Can Make a Difference

Without you, the jury system cannot work the way the authors of the Constitution wanted. Yet jury service means rearranging schedules, canceling appointments, and oftentimes missing work. But if you were on trial, wouldn't you want someone like you to make the sacrifices necessary to be a part of your jury? Your public service as a juror protects our right to have a trial by an impartial jury.

Over and over, jurors who have served tell us they enjoy being involved in making an important civic decision. Often jury service is the most direct participation the average citizen can have in the workings of government.

Thank you for serving!

The purpose of this section of the website is to acquaint citizens selected for jury service with the general nature and importance of their role as jurors. Nothing in this website is to be regarded by jurors as instructions of law to be applied by them in any case in which they serve. The judge will instruct the jury in each separate case as to the law of that case.

Serving as a juror is a fundamental obligation we all share as citizens of the United States and is as important to citizenship as voting - maybe more so. Certainly, a citizen has more influence and power when serving as a juror than as a voter It is in the jury room that citizens get to actually influence the system to work toward Americans' highest commonly held political values . . . the values we pledge to when we pledge allegiance to the flag of the of the United States of America. By having people like you participate in the judicial process we can ensure that all persons in federal court will be afforded their constitutional right to have a jury pool drawn from a fair cross section of this area. We extend our sincere appreciation for your jury service and trust you will find your experience rewarding. The menu on the left provides links to specific information regarding jury service notification, frequently asked questions, a glossary of terms you wil find helpful, and a general overview of the trial process.

You do not need any special skills or legal knowledge to be a juror. You do need to keep an open mind and be willing to make decisions free of personal feelings and biases. As a juror, you will listen to opening statements and closing arguments for both sides. You will also learn about and weigh the evidence that has been collected for the trial. Then you will be asked to make a decision about the case after you have talked it over with the other jurors during deliberations .

During the trial, the judge serves as the court's presiding officer and as the final authority on the law. The lawyers act as advocates for their sides of the case. As a juror, you are responsible for impartially evaluating the facts presented and for applying the law to these facts as the judge instructs you. These combined efforts bring about the fair and impartial administration of justice in our state and nation.

The Constitution of the United States guarantees each U.S. citizen a right to trial by jury in both criminal and civil matters. The jury must be present and hear evidence, and it also must be impartial. Impartial means that the jurors must not have already made up their minds about the outcome of the case. To ensure that the jury is impartial , the lawyers for both sides of a case have the opportunity to remove any jurors who appear to them to be biased. Juries must also be representative. This means that the jurors must be from the same community where the crime or injury occurred and the jury pool must reflect the makeup of the larger community.

Jury service has not always been as universal a right as it is today. The social movements that have shaped our country have also influenced the history of the jury. With the end of slavery, African Americans were supposed to be able to serve on juries. In fact, not many blacks served until the next major step forward in our racial history: the civil rights movement. Likewise, women could not serve on juries until after they won the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Women were rarely seen on juries until the women's movement in the 1960s applied pressure to an unrepresentative system. Today, people with disabilities are claiming their rightful place in the jury box and demanding the appropriate accommodations in order to participate fully.

Without you, the jury system cannot work the way the authors of the Constitution wanted. Yet jury service means rearranging schedules, canceling appointments, and oftentimes missing work. But if you were on trial, wouldn't you want someone like you to make the sacrifices necessary to be a part of your jury? Your public service as a juror protects our right to have a trial by an impartial jury.

Over and over, jurors who have served tell us they enjoy being involved in making an important civic decision. Often jury service is the most direct participation the average citizen can have in the workings of government.