When you arrive at the Central Jury Room, please turn in your information form (Page 2) to the Bailiffs at the entrance, then come in and be seated. Prospective jurors will be given a brief orientation by the impaneling judge. This judge will go over the disqualifications and exemptions that were listed on the summons. Those who believe they may be disqualified and those with possible exemptions will be given the opportunity at this point to come forward and be heard by the impaneling judge.

Prospective jurors are assigned to panels, smaller groups from which jurors are selected. Those impaneled are taken to a courtroom by a Bailiff. Once there, jurors are briefed by the judge and questioned by attorneys for both sides until the jurors who will hear the case are chosen. Once the jury has been selected, those on the panel who are not chosen are released. There may be panels assigned that first day that will be asked to return for cases beginning later in the week. Those jurors will be provided with a letter for their employer stating that they appeared and when they are expected to return to complete their service. Your jury service is only for the week you are summoned. The only way your service would extend past one week is if you are selected as a juror in a trial that goes into the next week. Approximately 20% of prospective jurors are selected for trials. If you aren’t selected to sit on a jury, you can expect to be released for the week. If you are selected, you will serve for one trial. Surprisingly, the average trial only lasts 1 to three (3) days.