How you were chosen
Courts pull names at random from lists the state already keeps, usually voter registrations and driver's license or state ID records. The summons is a court order, and it normally comes with a questionnaire that checks the basics: you are a citizen, at least eighteen, a resident of the county or district, able to follow English, and not disqualified by a felony conviction under your state's rule. Many courts now have you call a recorded line or check a web page the evening before to learn whether your group is needed at all, and a large share of people summoned never set foot in the building.
The day itself
Plan on a security line and a long wait, so bring a book. If your number comes up, you go to a courtroom for voir dire, the questioning of prospective jurors by the judge and the lawyers. Answer truthfully and plainly. A lawyer may remove a juror for cause, such as knowing a witness, and each side also has a limited number of peremptory strikes that need no stated reason. Many courts follow a one-day-or-one-trial rule: if you are not seated by the end of the day, your service is finished. Most trials run two to five days.
Money and your job
Federal courts pay jurors fifty dollars a day, and state courts pay anywhere from nothing to about that much, sometimes with mileage. Federal law and nearly every state forbid an employer from firing or punishing you for serving. Whether the employer must keep paying you is a different matter: a handful of states require it for at least a few days, most do not, and many companies do it by policy. Give your manager a copy of the summons the week it arrives.
Postponements and excuses
Courts grant a first postponement readily, often online, for travel, exams, a medical procedure or a work deadline. Ask as soon as you know, and propose a date that works. Excusal for hardship is harder to get and generally takes documentation, such as a letter from a doctor or proof that you are the sole caregiver for a child. Seated jurors must not research the case, visit the scene or discuss the trial with anyone, online or off, until the verdict is in.
Note No court will telephone you to demand payment of a fine for missed jury duty. A caller who asks for gift cards or a wire transfer is running a scam, and you should hang up and call the clerk's office at its published number.
