Frequently Asked Questions

The jury wheel, which is the list of potential jurors, comes from these lists:

1. All registered voters in Jefferson County
2. All persons in Jefferson County with either a Texas driver’s license or a Department of Public Safety identification card

Each year, the Voter lists and DPS lists are merged by matching the names as best as is possible to minimize duplications. The merged list is given to the Jefferson County District Clerk. The district clerk, county clerk, and sheriff then meet to ‘reconstitute’ the jury wheel by replacing the old list with the new one. Jury summonses are sent from the jury wheel on a random basis. About 120,000 to 150,000 summonses are sent each year.

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To serve as a juror you must meet these qualifications:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a citizen of this state and a resident of the county or city in which you are to serve as a juror.
• Be qualified under the Constitution and laws to vote in the county or city in which you are to serve as a juror (Note: you Do Not have to be registered to vote to be qualified to vote)
• Be of sound mind and good moral character
• Be able to read and write
• Not have served as a juror six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court
• Not have been convicted of theft or any felony
• Not be under indictment or other legal accusation of a misdemeanor theft, felony theft, or any other felony charge

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If you are certain you are not qualified, just use the I-Jury Online Impaneling form to tell us, or complete the Certification of Exemption or Disqualification form on your summons and mail it to the address on the reverse side. All it needs is a first class stamp. You may also fax it to (409) 835-8527.

You may be excused from jury service if you:

• Are over 75 years of age. NOTE: You may request to be exempt for only one summons period or you may request to be permenantly exemption by submitting a statement for permanent exemption form.
• Have legal custody of a child or children younger than 12 years of age and service on the jury would require leaving the child or children without adequate supervision
• Are a student at a public or private high school
• Are enrolled and attending college
• Are an officer or an employee of the senate, the house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state government
• Are the primary caretaker of a person who is unable to care for himself or herself (This exemption does not apply to health care workers.)
• Have served as a petit juror in the county during the 24-month period prior to the date you are required to appear for this summons
• Have been summoned for service in a county with a population of at least 250,00 and you have served as a petit juror in the county during the three year preceding the date you are to appear for jury service.

If you qualify for an exemption, tell us on I-Jury Online Impaneling form, or complete the Certification of Exemption or Disqualification form on your summons and mail it to the address on the reverse side. You may also fax it to (409) 835-8527.

If you are not certain about whether you are qualified, you may contact the jury office in writing and ask for a clarification. In your letter, describe why you think you may not be qualified. Your letter can be emailed to ijury@jeffersoncountytx.gov, mailed to 1085 Pearl St. Suite 203, Beaumont, TX. 77701, or fax to (409) 835-8527.

The I-Jury Online Impaneling site will allow you to list your schedule conflicts. The jury office will take those conflicts into consideration when assigning you to a trial. If no trials are available that fit your schedule you can be given a 90 day postponement.

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Jefferson County will accommodate anyone with a medical problem or a disability to help them complete their jury service.

However, any juror with a medical problem or disability who wishes to be excused may request so in writing or by filing out an affidavit for exemption from jury duty for physical or mental impairment form. The request should be accompanied by a letter from the health care provider verifying the medical problem and the need for you to be excused. The request can be sent to the jury office by mailing it to 1085 Pearl St. Suite 203, Beaumont, TX. 77701.

You can respond to a summons one of two ways:

• Anytime, on the Internet using I-Jury
• Weekdays, Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, in person at the Jefferson County Jury Office: 1085 Pearl St. Suite 203, Beaumont, TX. 77701

This depends on whether you fail to respond to a summons or fail to report to court as assigned.

If you miss the deadline stated on your summons, you can still use I-Jury or respond in person at the Jefferson County Jury Office.

If you have already responded to a summons and received an assignment to a specific court, then failure to report to the courtroom is a serious matter for which you can be fined. Once you receive an assignment, you need to make arrangements to be court on time on the date you are to report.

At impaneling, jurors are:

• Given an oath of office. You may affirm of promise if you do not give oaths.
• Qualified to serve. We depend upon jurors to let the judge know if they are concerned about being qualified.
• Excused or postponed if permitted by law. Most excuses that are not disqualifications or exemptions are at the judge’s discretion.
• Given information about jury service in general. We try to let you know what to expect and what to do.
• Assigned to various trials. Your assignment will be in writing and contain all the information you need about where and when to report for jury selection.

Before going to I-Jury, have the following available:

• Your summons form (if you don't have your summons form, contact the jury office at (409) 835-8580 for assistance)
• Your business and personal calendars

Once you have these items, go to the l·Jury web page. Please pay special attention to the Juror Responsibilities page. You will need to follow those directions to ensure you::

1. Fill out the form completely.
2. Check your email daily for assignment and updates.
3. Most importantly, report to the court on time.

Please read each section carefully. Pay special attention to listing your conflict dates. You are committing to being available for jury duty on the days in which you do not have a conflict.

Once you submit the form, check your email a few minutes later to ensure you received a confirmation copy. This lets you know your form was transmitted properly. Save this copy on email system until your jury service is completed.

If you provided an email address, you should immediately receive a confirmation email from I- Jury after completing the online registration. If you don't see an email from our office, it's possible your confirmation email was sent to your spam folder or the registration did not go through. If you do not have your acknowledgement within 2 business days, call the jury office (409) 835-8580 to verify that we actually received your registration form on our end or if you need to resubmit it.

Your email from I-Jury will be your acknowledgement and will be one of the following:

• ASSIGNMENT PENDING: This states you are qualified for jury service and can expect a court assignment in the next few days via email. Read carefully as it might specify the dates you can expect to start jury service.
• EXCUSE: This states that you have been excused entirely from jury service and will not be required to report
• INFORMATION REQUIRED: We may need more information from you or your physician to determine whether or when you should serve as a juror.
• REVIEW PENDING: Some situations require that the judge review your I-Jury form. We will contact you via email once the judge determines whether you are required to serve.

If you do not have your acknowledgement within 2 business days, call the jury office at (409) 835-8580 to verify that we actually received your I-Jury form.

What You do:

WRITE THE ASSIGNMENT ON YOUR BUSINESS AND PERSONAL CALENDARS TO REMIND YOURSELF TO APPEAR IN COURT. You are now an Officer of the Court. This is an important responsibility, and your attendance in court is essential.

• Save the email until your jury service is complete. Print the email if you can.
• Read the assignment carefully and follow the instructions.
• Keep checking your email and your voice mail for any assignment updates.

What we do:

Your I-Jury form and those of your fellow jurors are being provided to the judge of the court to which you are assigned and to the attorneys who will be trying the case. The information on forms is used to prepare for the trial.

Part of this preparation includes deciding exactly when the trial will start. If there is any change in start time, we will notify you as soon as possible, so checking your email and voice mail daily is important!

Text Messages

We've added features to keep you up to date on your jury assignment. Once you have completed jury registration, I-Jury will:

• Give you a reminder call the night before you are to report to court for your assignment
• Provide the status of your assignment when you call in, and
• Send a reminder text message AND text you if your assignment is cancelled at the last minute!

When you register for jury service, make sure you enter your cell phone # in the field for text updates to take full advantage of these features and avoid a trip to the courthouse in the event your assignment is cancelled.

We hope you find these new features helpful, and we thank you for your service as a juror.

The exact starting time for certain trials are not determined until shortly before the trial start.

If your assignment says to call before coming to the courthouse, you must do so at the time stated. If you call earlier, you may be calling before the final decision is made and may have to call back again later. You can avoid an unnecessary trip to the courthouse if you call at the proper time so you can receive the correct time to report.

There are two types of assignments that give a date and time only:

RESERVE PANEL: Sometimes judges may add another trial to their schedule. The Reserve Panels are used to provide jurors for these trials.

We may contact you directly by email and/ or telephone to let you know when and where to report for a trial.

Your assignment instructs you to call in to find out whether you are needed for a trial. If needed, you will learn in your phone call when and where to report. If you are not needed, you will be released from jury service.

CALL STATUS: Some trials cannot be scheduled in advance and have to be held on short notice The Call Status panel is used to supply jurors for these trials.

When you are assigned to Call Status, you do not need to call to check in; if you are needed, the jury office will call you. You will receive at least one day's notice if you are to report; more notice will be given if possible. If you reach the end of your Call Status assignment and have not been contacted, you are excused from jury duty.

ABSOLUTELY!

We could tell you all the reasons given in government or civics classes, but most of you have already heard them. We could tell you how serving on a jury is an interesting and rewarding experience, but you'll find that out for yourself. We could also talk about service to your community, being part of the justice system, the need for citizen participation, group decision making, and all the other reasons why you should serve.

Ultimately, you have to serve because the law requires it.

The law says that the names of people who register to vote, who drive a car, or who have a Texas DPS ID card go into the system, so your name was included.

The law says names are randomly selected from this system to receive a summons, and your name was selected.

The law specifies who is qualified to serve and who can be exempted or excused, and unless you were discharged under these specifications, you were assigned to a trial.

Finally, the law says that failure to report for jury service carries a penalty of up to $1000 fine, and in some instances, the judge can hold you in contempt of court and order jail confinement.

We recognize the impact a jury summons has on your life, and we do all we can to ensure your jury service is as easy and convenient as possible. But we can't make it go away.

No, assignments are final. Your juror information is provided to the court and lawyers shortly after the assignment is made. Changes would disrupt trial preparations. As a result, we are unable to make any changes to an assignment after impaneling has been concluded.

We recommend that all jurors bring their calendars with them to impaneling or consult them while impaneling on line so they can be prepared to identify all potential scheduling conflicts.

We do not anticipate changing your trial assignment. Occasionally we may contact you about a change in the date and time you are to report. In rare instances, we do need to make changes to ensure the needs of the courts are met. If so, we will provide you with as much notice as possible.

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Once you are assigned, your obligation to report to court is established, and you cannot be discharged. If an emergency occurs, contact the number on your assignment letter as soon as possible and be prepared to provide a physician's statement of your condition.

Occasionally, a juror or a juror's child will become too ill to report to jury duty. If this occurs, you will need to contact the number on your assignment letter as soon as possible. Do not expect to be discharged; most likely, you will be reassigned to another trial at a later date.

Once assigned to a trial, you cannot be discharged because new schedule conflicts arise. One of your obligations as a juror is to be available for service on dates other than the conflict dates reported on your l-Jury form.

The judge, court staff, attorneys, and fellow jurors expect you to arrive prepared for jury selection on time. The judge has the authority to authorize the Sheriff or Constable to apprehehd jurors who fail to appear.

Failure to report for jury service carries a penalty of up to a $1000 fine, and in some instances, the judge can hold you in contempt of court and confine you to jail. Payment of a fine will not discharge you from jury service. You can still be required to serve even if you are fined.

If an emergency arises that keeps you from appearing, see section Getting Ready to go to Court - I don't think I'll be able to come to court as assigned. What should I do?

Security has been enhanced. As a juror you can expect to go through security screening, including a metal detector and an X-ray machine for your belongings. Other security measures have been taken which you likely will not see. We recommend leaving knives and other pointed objects behind as these are not allowed to be brought into the courthouse.

Jurors hear either civil or criminal cases. Civil cases may involve small claims, requests for moderate damages, or millions of dollars in damages. They can also involve family law matters requests for non-monetary relief. Criminal trials include traffic violations, misdemeanors, and felonies.

The process of selecting a jury is called voir dire and is essentially done by the attorney in the case under a presiding judge. Juries are comprised of 6 to 12 jurors, depending on the court in which the case is being tried. If you are not picked, you are usually released from further jury duty; however, there are times when jurors not picked for one trial are sent to a second trial for jury selection.

During the trial, you should follow the judge's instructions as to your conduct and listen to the evidence. Expect to spend time in the jury room away from the courtroom as the judge and lawyers discuss matters outside the jury's presence. At some point, you will gather in the jury room and deliberate to reach a verdict. The judge will give you written instructions on how to deliberate.

We use lists of names from different sources to create the list of names for jury service. Sometimes, we are not able to match names from each of these lists. If we can't make the match, you might get another summons. If this occurs and you were selected to serve as a petit juror from the first summons, the law allows you a two-year exemption from having to serve a second time.

Depending upon the court to which you are assigned, you may be paid $20.00 for the first day while going through jury selection. If selected, you will be paid $58.00 (daily pay rate subject to change quarterly) per day beginning the second day of service.

The law does not require that your employer pay you while you are on jury duty, though many choose to do so. The law does require that your employer allow you time off from work to fulfill your jury service obligations, and you cannot be discharged from your job for being on jury duty. If your employer does not comply with the law, civil and criminal sanctions may apply.

We will provide you with proof of your appearance in court when you are discharged from jury service. Please keep this paperwork for at least 3 months after you have been discharged.

When you are released from jury duty, you will be given a form to complete regarding your jury pay. You may choose to be paid or to donate your pay to one of five funds:

• The Child Welfare Service Fund
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving
• The Compensation to Victims of Crime

The questionnaire you complete as part of jury service is confidential and cannot be disclosed to persons who are not involved with trying the case to which you are assigned. Your name, however, does become a part of the official record available to the public.