 |
||
|
|
Jury
Duty
 Frequently
Asked QuestionsI do not vote. Why did I get summoned? Voting is a right guaranteed by the US and Missouri constitutions. Whether you exercise that right is your choice. Jury service is a duty required by law. The court is authorized to draw names from any public list for the purpose of summoning jurors. The lists most commonly used are provided by the Department of Revenue and the Board of Election. I do not believe in judging people, can I be excused? You are entitled to your religious and philosophical beliefs; however, you must participate when summoned for jury service. Decisions about whether you would be a suitable juror on a particular case must be left to the trial judge and lawyers on that case. How long will I be there? Most trials in the city of St. Louis last only a few days; however, some do last longer. At the beginning of the jury selection process, the trial judge will tell you how long he/she believes a particular case is expected to last. Jurors are asked to report at 8 am on the first day of service because of the time needed to check-in everyone prior to beginning trials. After the first day, jurors usually do not have to report until 9 am. Jurors are dismissed usually dismissed between 4:15 and 5 pm. Why are so many people called? There are 21 trial divisions in this circuit. These trial divisions are assigned one or more cases to be tried each week. The number of jurors summoned is based on historical trends and analysis of the daily requests from the trial judges. Why is there so much waiting around? There are occasions when prospective jurors will be waiting. Usually this means that the parties in the case are arguing last minute points of law, or they might be negotiating to settle the case without a jury trial. The pool of jurors, by its very presence and readiness to sit in trial of a case, often moves the parties to settle. How do you get out of doing jury duty? Jury duty is excused only for the most extreme hardships. Most of the trials in this circuit last only a few days. So, the fact that someone is missing work or that their normal schedule is disrupted are not considered hardships or "good cause" for purposes of being excused from jury duty. Jury duty can be postponed for a short period of time if service at the present time presents a hardship. Requests to be excused or postponed must be in writing and should be mailed or brought to the Jury Supervisor's Office. If the reason for the request is health related, a doctor's statement should be provided along with the request. Does my employer have to pay me while I am on jury duty? Employers are not required by law to pay employees summoned for jury duty. However, employers must allow their employees to serve and are prohibited from taking adverse action against an employee who does serve. |
|