It is important for you to contact the court to resolve the problem. Jurors are summoned randomly from countywide lists maintained by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the local registrar of voters. Inclusion in the list of eligible jurors does not guarantee that you will be immediately selected for jury service. If you have not been selected, you may want to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles and your local registrar of voters to update your mailing address.
Further questions should be directed to your local court. You do not need to speak perfect English to serve as a juror. The court uses common, everyday language that people can understand. The work done by the courts affects all people, so it is important that all communities be a part of our justice system. No one person has to know everything. Jurors decide the outcome of a trial as a group, with each member making an important contribution. If you cannot understand English, follow the instructions on the summons or contact the jury office.
If you need assistance, a friend or a family member who speaks English can call for you. However, you may still have to come in person to request a disqualification. Beginning January 1, , certain individuals with a criminal history may serve on California trial juries. Additionally, if any individual is incarcerated in any prison or jail, they are disqualified from jury service. Also, those who are currently required to register as a sex offender pursuant to Section of the Penal Code based on the felony conviction are not eligible for jury service.
Finally, any person who has been convicted of malfeasance in office and whose civil rights have not been restored may not serve on a jury. However, if you have received a pardon from the Governor and had your civil rights restored pursuant to California Penal Code sections There are two ways to receive a pardon: one is by applying for and being granted a Certificate of Rehabilitation and Pardon, and the second is through a Direct Application for Pardon.
Please note that the above changes do not affect the eligibility and disqualification criteria for criminal or civil grand juries, as specified in Section of the Penal Code. Trial length depends on how complex the issues are and how long jurors spend in deliberations. Most trials are completed within a week. The judge knows approximately how long the trial will take and he or she will give you an idea when your group is called for jury selection.
Judges are aware that long trials can be difficult. Let the judge know if it would be a serious hardship for you to serve on a long trial. Please be patient during this process, because a lot of people have similar concerns about time. Your employer must allow you time off to serve on a jury.
That is the law. The California Labor Code prevents any employer from firing or harassing an employee who is summoned for jury service. School employees and students are protected as well in different parts of the law. However, you must let your employer know well in advance, as soon as you receive your summons. You should contact the court if you have a problem with your employer.
Remember that you can postpone jury service to a more convenient time. Read your summons carefully or contact your local jury office to find out how to request a postponement. If you have a child or an adult under your care, you may ask for a postponement or excuse from jury service. Read your summons carefully or contact your local jury office.
If you are the mother who is breastfeeding a child, you may request a postponement for up to one year by filling out the summons response form. If you need certain accommodations such as assistance with a wheelchair, hearing amplification, or special seating, contact your local jury office right away. Let them know what you will need. If they cannot reasonably accommodate you, you may request to be excused from jury service.
The judge and court staff works to reduce the time prospective jurors spend waiting for assignment. The court asks for your patience and suggests that you bring a book or other reading material to occupy your time while waiting. The judge and court staff will explain delays when possible. The judge will take your privacy into consideration when making decisions about the case. The judge must balance the requirement in the federal Constitution that guarantees people a public and speedy trial against the concerns jurors may have about privacy.
If you have questions about your privacy, please let the judge know. If a member of the media, a lawyer, or a friend or family member of one of the people involved in the case approaches you during the trial, let the judge know immediately. This type of contact is inappropriate during a trial. After the trial is over, the media and parties to the case may be able to contact you, but you do not have to talk to them. Call the judge in your case if you feel harassed.
Whether to grant a deferral is a matter of discretion for the court and cannot be reviewed or appealed to Congress or any other entity. Eligibility for federal jury service is dependent both upon an individual meeting the legal qualifications for service and upon the random chance of having one's name drawn from the source lists.
Each judicial district must have a formal written plan for the selection of jurors, which provides for random selection from a fair cross-section of the community in the district, and which prohibits discrimination in the selection process. Voter records - either voter registration lists or lists of actual voters - are the required source of names for federal court juries.
Some courts supplement voter lists with other sources, such as lists of licensed drivers. A copy of a district's jury plan is available for review in the clerk's office. In addition, many courts offer excuses from service, on individual request, to designated groups of persons or occupational classes. Such groups may include persons over age 70; persons who have, within the past two years, served on a federal jury; and persons who serve as volunteer fire fighters or members of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.
While the federal courts appreciate your willingness in participating in jury service, you cannot volunteer to serve. Each judicial district must randomly select potential jurors from a fair cross-section of the community in the district, and discrimination in the selection process is prohibited. Much like voting, jury service is a compulsory right and responsibility of citizenship in Australia. If you get notified you have been randomly selected, you must complete the eligibility form and submit it to Juries Victoria.
This determines whether you are eligible for jury service. There are a number of circumstances laid out in the Juries Act Vic which may mean you are ineligible for jury service. There are also valid reasons to be excused from jury service, which are listed on your form. If you are deemed eligible by Juries Victoria, you will be sent a summons.
You are legally obligated to attend court as summonsed, unless you are deferred or excused by our office prior to your summons date. Failure to attend as summonsed can attract significant penalties. Your employer is legally obligated to pay you the difference between this amount and what you would reasonably have expected to have earned had you worked instead of attended jury service.
You can find out more about work and payment here. Jury Summons Jury Summons What you need to do if you've received a summons for jury service.
Serving on a Jury Serving on a Jury What you can expect if you're selected as a juror on a trial. Work and payment Work and payment Find out about your work and pay entitlements while attending jury service. Employers Information for employers Information for employers Find out what's involved and what you can expect if your employee has been selected for jury service. Employer work and payment obligations Employer work and payment obligations Find out what your legal obligations to your employees are in relation to their jury service.
Legislation Legislation Detailed information on the relevant legislation outlining the obligations of employers. If your county participates in I-Jury Online Impaneling and you have access to the internet, you may respond to your summons online and submit any scheduling conflicts without making a trip to the courthouse.
Simply follow the I-Jury information enclosed with the juror summons you received. Receiving a summons for jury duty does not mean that you will actually serve on a jury. However, if you are qualified to serve and you do not ask to be excused or exempted, you will be able to participate in the jury selection process which may take only a day or a fraction of a day to complete.
The process begins as groups of prospective jurors, usually numbering fifty to sixty in district courts, are assembled in a courtroom with the judge, the lawyers, and usually the parties of a particular case. Lawyers then conduct what is called voir dire which means to speak the truth , which allows the lawyers and the judge to have the opportunity to ask each prospective juror a series of questions. While the lawyers are aware of your answers to the questionnaire that you filled out earlier, the lawyers and the judge may still ask you some of the same questions and some additional questions to ensure that you are indeed qualified to serve, and that you are indeed able to perform your civic duty in a fair and impartial manner.
After questioning the prospective jurors, the lawyers and the parties they represent will be given the opportunity to make any challenges for cause and peremptory challenges to individual prospective jurors see definitions. After all challenges are utilized, a jury with one to four alternates is impaneled to hear the evidence in the case. At some point during the jury selection process, prospective jurors are given an oath by which they swear or affirm to tell the truth when answering questions about their qualifications as jurors.
General Qualifications for Jury Service. Code of Criminal Procedure, Articles If you have any doubts as to your eligibility to serve on a jury, contact the judge or court as indicated on your jury summons.
You must follow the instructions on your jury summons or contact the judge to find out what you need to do to be exempted from jury service. A district court judge may permanently or temporarily exempt from jury service a person with a physical or mental impairment or with an inability to comprehend or communicate in the English language that makes it impossible or very difficult to serve on a jury.
You need to contact the judge or the court to be exempted on this basis. A prospective juror must be released entirely or rescheduled if the juror is required to appear in court on a religious holy day that is observed by the juror.
You need to contact the judge or the court to be excused on this basis. The judge may give you an opportunity to discuss any individual personal hardships that jury service may cause to you.
The court has the discretion to hear any reasonable sworn excuse of a prospective juror and either release the juror from jury service or reschedule the juror's jury service for another day.
However, the court may not excuse a juror for an economic reason unless each party of record is present and approves the release. Listen for the judge to give you instructions about when to come forward to discuss your need to be excused based on some hardship.
When you report for jury service, you will likely find that there are well-trained court personnel available to assist you and to answer any questions that you may have concerning jury duty.
You can also expect to receive a brief orientation in the courtroom or in the jury assembly room regarding jury service. Listen carefully and follow the instructions given by court personnel and the judge. With your cooperation and attention to detail, the jury selection process may run smoother and be completed faster. Some courthouses may have additional accommodations for you, such as internet access, lap to stations, and reading. You will need to check with your local courthouse regarding special amenities.
To ensure the safety of everyone at the courthouse, expect to be screened through a metal detector and X-ray unit. Entering the courthouse with a prohibited weapon is against the law. Pointed items, such as pocket knives or knitting needles, are not permitted in the courthouse.
Anything considered to be a weapon or that is deemed unacceptable by the security staff will be confiscated.
0コメント