Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is Jury Service Important?
The United States Constitution and the Georgia Constitution
guarantee all people, regardless of race, religion, sex, national
origin, or economic status, the right to a trial by an impartial
jury. Justice ultimately depends upon the quality of the jurors
who serve in our courts.
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What Is My Duty As A Juror?
As a juror, you must be fair and impartial. Your actions
and decisions must be free of any bias or prejudice. Your actions
and decisions are the foundation of our judicial system.
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How Does Someone Get Summoned
For Jury Duty Service?
A random selection of names is done at least every
two years and is certified by the Jury Commissioner. Our main
source list is Voter Registration but Driver's Registration
or any other source list may also be used. The juror pool
must be representative of the community demographics for race
and sex (within five percentage points). According to Chatham
County Policy, you may be summoned once every calendar year
but if you actually serve on a jury panel, you will not
be summoned the next calendar year. According to the state of
Georgia, you may be summoned for four weeks every year.
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Can You Volunteer To Be
A Juror?
Jurors have to be randomly selected and summoned to
be able to serve on jury duty service. You cannot volunteer
to serve for someone else; you just need to wait until your
name is randomly selected. If you are a voter registered in
Chatham County you may be summoned at any time; we do summon
between 500 and 800 people every week of the year.
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Am I Eligible?
Jurors must:
• Be a citizen of the United States and
of this State.
• Be at least l8 years of age.
• Reside in Chatham County, GA
You cannot serve on a jury if:
• You are presently serving a sentence
for a felony conviction.
• You do not reside in Chatham County.
If you are in doubt, or think you may not be
qualified to serve on a jury for one of the above or any other
reasons, please call the Jury Services Division of the Superior
Court Administrators office at 652-7170.
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Who Can Be Excused From
Jury Service?
You are entitled to be exempted from jury duty service
if you:
• Are 70 years of age or older.
• Have a permanent medical disability and
you have submitted a written medical excuse from your doctor
to the Jury Services Division in writing.
Of course, if there is a problem with the week
you have been summoned, contact the jury services division at
least 5 days prior to your week of service and it may be possible
for your service
to be rescheduled for another week during the term of court
for which you were summoned.
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How can you have your week of service rescheduled to a different week?
Click here for more information
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Are You Automatically Exempt
From Jury Duty Service After You Reach A Certain Age?
You are never automatically exempted from jury service,
but when you are 70 years of age or older and you receive a
summons, you may then request in writing that you want to be
exempted because of age. (There is a form provided on the summons
sent to you that you may complete, sign and return to us.) Some
of our best jurors are 70 years of age and older and enjoy or
want to continue serving when summoned!
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Are People With Some Hearing
Loss Able To Serve On Jury Duty?
The courthouse does have hearing devices available
for jurors to utilize while serving on jury duty service. These
hearing devices consist of a box that hangs around the persons
neck and has a small piece that fits in their ear; it then amplifies
the sound in the Jury Assembly Room and the courtroom.
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Does Everyone Have To Serve
- doctors, lawyers, judges, jury managers, teachers, mothers
of small children, etc?
Yes, everyone who is summoned and qualified is required
to serve. In 1985 the Georgia legislators did away with all
occupational exemptions.
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Can I Bring My Child/Children
With Me?
The courthouse does not have child care facilities
and children are not allowed in the courtrooms, so jurors need
to make childcare arrangements to enable them to report for
their jury duty service when their juror number is called to
report.
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Where Do Jurors Park When
They Come For Jury Duty Service?
Usually the free parking that is available for jurors
is located on the 4th, 5th, and 6th
floors of the County
Parking Garage located next to the courthouse or in the
City's Robert Robinson
Garage located across from the Court House or in the Visitor's
Center parking lot on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Available parking does change periodically, so the Juror Information
Line (652-7169) provides daily parking instructions for the
jurors who are required to report and there is a map to refer
to on the back of their summons envelope. Remember parking is
on a "first come, first serve" basis. Be sure and allow enough
time to find parking and arrive at the Jury Assembly Room on
time.
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Will I Be Required To
Stay (sequestered) In A Hotel If I Am Selected For A Trial?
Most trials in Chatham County are not sequestered jury
trials. In fact, from May 1996 to the end of 2005, there was
only one sequestered jury trial in Chatham County.
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Will My Meals Be Paid
For While I Am Serving On Jury Duty?
Only if you were selected to be a juror for a trial
and the jury deliberation took place during mealtime or you
were selected for one of those very infrequent sequestered jury
trials. Normally, the judge releases you for lunch to return
at a specified time allowing jurors to go wherever they want
for meals.
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What Happens To Jurors
Who Don't Report When Their Juror Number Is Called For Jury
Service?
Delinquent jurors may be charged for being in contempt
of court, which could involve being sentenced to time in jail
and/or a fine. Usually, at the end of the week of service -
every Friday - jurors who did not report when called are sent
a delinquent notice requiring them to call the jury manager
and explain why they disregarded their summons to court. The
jurors explanation and whether the trial they were assigned
to was able to go forward without them, determines whether they
will be turned over to the judge for contempt of court or whether
we can work with them to make up their delinquency during another
week of service. If a trial has to be canceled because not enough
jurors reported, it costs the County thousands of dollars to
reschedule the case for another date!
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Will I Be Paid For Being
A Juror?
Yes. You will be paid $10.00 for each day you report
on time and are ready to go through the juror selection process.
If you are selected to be a juror for a trial and are required
to return for a second or subsequent days, you will receive
$20.00 per day until that trial is completed.
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Must My Employer Pay Me
While I Am On Jury Duty? Can I Be Fired For Serving On Jury
Duty?
According to the Annotated Code of Georgia, O.C.G.A.34-1-3,
Discrimination against employee for attending a
judicial proceeding in response to a court order or process
"shall be unlawful for any employer or the agent of such employer
to discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize an employee
for the purpose of attending a judicial proceeding in response
to a subpoena, summons for jury duty, or process which requires
the attendance of the employee at the judicial proceeding."
Further, it is unlawful for any employer or the agent of the
employer to take, or communicate an intention of taking any
action declared to be unlawful by this subsection. Additionally,
an Attorney Generals opinion, No. 89-55, released in 1989, further
specifies that, "An employee is entitled to be paid his salary
while missing work to serve on jury duty."
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What Are The Different
Types Of Cases?
There are two basic types of cases, criminal and civil
(including family cases).
Criminal Cases
A criminal case results when a person is accused
of committing a crime. You, as a juror, must decide whether
the person charged is guilty or not guilty. The accused person
is presumed innocent, and the State, represented by the District
Attorney or an assistant to the District Attorney, must prove
guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt."
Civil Cases
A civil case results from a disagreement or dispute
between two or more parties. In a civil case, you, as a juror,
must answer questions of disputed facts based upon the testimony
and evidence admitted by the judge. The answers to these questions
are called the verdict.
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Who Can Have A Jury Trial?
Any person charged with a criminal offense or any party
to a civil case has a right to a jury trial. All parties are
equal before the law and each is entitled to the same fair treatment.
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How Is A Juror Selected
For A Particular Case?
Cases will usually be heard by juries of 6 or 12 jurors.
A larger group, called a panel, will be sent to the trial court
(courtroom) where the jurors will be questioned under the supervision
of the judge.
A juror may be excused from the panel if it is
shown that the juror cannot act impartially concerning the case
to be heard. In addition, each side is allowed to remove a given
number of jurors from the panel without having to show any reason.
The trial jury will be the first 6 or 12 of the remaining jurors
on the panel.
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What Is Voir Dire Or Questioning
Of The Jury Panel?
It is a way for the parties to select a fair and impartial
jury. Under the justice system, you may be questioned by each
of the lawyers before they decide to remove a certain number
of jurors from the jury panel.
For example: the lawyer may ask you questions
to see if you are connected to the trial or if you have any
prejudice or bias toward anyone in the trial. These questions
are not intended to embarrass you, but rather to help the lawyers
in the jury selection process. You may ask the judge to allow
you to answer some questions away from the other jurors.
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What If I Have A Special
Need or Emergency?
After you have been selected as a juror on a trial
panel, if you have a special need or an emergency, tell the
Sheriffs Deputy in charge of the courtroom. Chosen jurors should
keep in touch with significant others during trial breaks. In
emergency circumstances occurring after 5pm only,
a chosen juror serving on a trial may be contacted by calling
657-5334 or 652-7456
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Order Of Events Of The
Trial
Opening Statements
The lawyers for each side may explain the case,
the evidence they will present, and the issues for you to decide.
Presentation Of Evidence
The evidence consists of the testimony of witnesses
and the exhibits allowed by the judge. Exhibits admitted into
evidence will be available to the jury for examination during
deliberations. You have a right to ask for them. You will be
asked to make decisions regarding disputed facts; therefore,
your attention at all times is critically important. Juror note
taking or the use of any notes will be determined by the judge.
Rulings By The Judge
The judge may be asked to decide questions of
law during the trial. Occasionally, the judge may ask jurors
to leave the courtroom while the lawyers make their legal arguments.
The jurors should understand that such interruptions are needed
to make sure that their verdict is based upon proper evidence,
as determined by the judge under the Rules of Evidence. You
may give the evidence whatever weight you consider appropriate.
Instructions To The Jury
At the close of all the evidence, the judge may
submit to the jury the Charge of the Court. This will include
legal instructions on this particular case and the questions
that the jury is to answer from the evidence admitted.
Closing Arguments
After the Charge of the Court, the lawyers have
the opportunity to summarize the evidence in their closing arguments
and to try to persuade the jury to accept their client's view
of the case.
Deliberations And Verdict Of The
Jury
Following closing arguments, the jury is sent
to deliberate. When the jury has answered the questions asked
of them they shall return their verdict. The verdict must be
based solely on the evidence presented by the parties, the Charge
of the Court, and the rules of law provided by the judge.
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Some People Have Never
Been To The Courthouse And Are Scared Of The Whole Process,
What Can They Do?
Often jury duty service is the first and possibly only
interaction with the criminal justice system that many citizens
have. The unknown is scary for most people even jurors. When
jurors are called to report to the jury assembly room, they
will view an orientation film that will answer most of their
questions concerning what is expected of them. The jury managers
are also available to assist them during the orientation period.
The summons for jury duty service are sent out three to four
weeks prior to the week of service in order to give those summoned
time to contact jury services regarding any problems or questions
they may have. Jurors may call 652-7170 between 2pm and 4:30pm
Monday through Friday and someone in the jury services division
will be glad to talk to them. Jury Services also responds to
hundreds of correspondence as well as jurors who come to the
courthouse themselves with their questions and concerns. Requests
may also be faxed to 652-7130. Jury Duty Service is a responsibility
and a privilege which the majority of citizens serve without
complaint; in fact many jurors enjoy their chance to be part
of the justice system. Even jurors who have dreaded coming to
serve have expressed how they actually were glad they served.
Jury duty service is not an easy responsibility but it is a
very important one!
When In Doubt, Ask The Judge
You have the right to communicate with the judge
regarding any matters affecting your deliberations, including
but not limited to:
• physical comfort
• special needs
• any questions regarding evidence; or
• the Charge of the Court.
During deliberation, if it becomes necessary
to communicate with the judge, the bailiff or the officer of
the court will deliver jurors' notes to the judge. The information
on the web page is not intended to take the place of the instructions
given by the judge in any case. In the event of conflict, the
judge's instructions will prevail.
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Tips for Coping After
Jury Duty
The Jury Duty Experience
Thank you for serving your community. Being on a jury
is a rewarding experience which in some cases may be quite demanding.
You were asked to listen to testimony and to examine facts and
evidence. Coming to decisions is often not easy, but your participation
is appreciated.
Serving on a jury is not a common experience and
may cause some jurors to have temporary symptoms of distress.
Not everyone feels anxiety or increased stress
after jury duty. However, it may be helpful to be aware of the
symptoms if they arise.
Some temporary signs of distress following jury
duty include: anxiety, sleep or appetite changes, moodiness,
physical problems (e.g. headaches, stomach aches, no energy,
and the like), second guessing your verdict, feeling guilty,
fear, trouble dealing with issues or topics related to the case,
a desire to be by yourself, or decreased concentration or memory
problems.
Symptoms may come and go, but will eventually
go away. To help yourself, it is important to admit any symptoms
you may have and deal with any unpleasant reactions.
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Will I ever be called on the phone by Jury Services personnel?
Jury Services personnel do call jurors periodically to research change of address information and to contact jurors who are delinquent. These phone calls from our staff will never involve requests for anyone’s Social Security # nor anyone’s credit card numbers.
If you would like to verify a call you have received from someone saying they are with Chatham County Jury Services or you have any further questions please call 652-7170 between 2 pm and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday and speak with someone in the jury services office.
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Coping Techniques After Serving On A Jury
Talk to family members and friends. One of the best ways to
put your jury duty experience in perspective is to discuss your
feelings and reactions with loved ones and friends. You may
also want to talk with your family physician or a member of
the clergy.
Stick to your normal, daily routines. It is important
to return to your normal schedule. Don’t isolate yourself.
Before you leave the court, you may wish to get
the names and numbers of at least two of your fellow jurors.
Sometimes it is helpful to talk to people who went through the
experience with you. This can help you to remember that you
were part of a group (jury) and are not alone.
Remember that you are having normal responses
to an unusual experience.
You can deal with signs of distress by cutting
down on alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. These substances can
increase anxiety, fatigue and make sleep problems worse.
Relax with deep breathing.
Breathe in slowly through your nose.
Breathe out through your mouth.
Slow your thoughts down and think about a relaxing scene.
Continue deep breathing until you feel more relaxed.
Cope with sleep problems.
Increase your daily exercise, but do not exercise just before
bedtime.
Decrease your caffeine consumption, especially in the afternoon
or evening.
Do "boring" activities before bedtime.
Listen to relaxation tapes or relaxing music before bedtime.
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Final Thoughts
Remember that jury service is the responsibility of good citizens.
Resist negative thoughts about verdict.
No matter what others think about the verdict,
your opinion is the only one that matters.
You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.
Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to serve on
a jury. Some cases are very violent and brutal and hard to deal
with. The case is now over and it is important for you to get
on with your life.
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If you are fearful of retaliation or if you
are threatened after the trial, tell the court and/or law enforcement
immediately.
If signs of distress persist for two weeks after the
jury service has ended consider contacting your physician.
