The federal jury duty process runs from a mailed summons through your formal discharge by the judge. You’ll fill out a qualification questionnaire, either report to the courthouse on your assigned date or request an excuse or postponement, sit through jury selection, and — if chosen — hear a case and help reach a verdict. Along the way, federal law pays you a modest daily fee and protects your job.
The Summons and Questionnaire
It all starts with a summons in the mail. Inside is a qualification questionnaire that asks the court everything it needs to decide whether you’re eligible to serve. Most federal district courts let you respond online through a portal called eJuror, or you can mail the form back in the prepaid envelope.
Respond. Do not toss the summons in a drawer. If you can’t serve, the right move is to ask for an excuse or a postponement, not to go silent.
Who Qualifies to Serve
Federal law sets five basic requirements. You must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and have lived primarily in the judicial district for at least a year. You need enough English to fill out the qualification form. And you can’t have a mental or physical condition that would keep you from serving adequately.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service
Two groups are automatically disqualified: anyone currently facing felony charges, and anyone previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison, unless their civil rights have been restored. Restoration rules depend on the jurisdiction where the conviction happened — some states restore jury eligibility automatically after you finish your sentence, others require a pardon or a court order.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service
A separate set of people is barred because their jobs make service impractical: active-duty members of the Armed Forces; members of any fire or police department at the federal, state, or local level; and public officers in the executive, legislative, or judicial branches who are actively performing official duties. These exemptions apply automatically once the court confirms your status.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 1863 – Plan for Random Jury Selection
Getting Excused or Postponed
Most federal district courts will permanently excuse people in a few common categories on request. Those include anyone over age 70 and anyone who has served on a federal jury within the past two years. Volunteer firefighters and rescue squad members also qualify for an automatic excuse under federal statute.3United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
Beyond those categories, courts can excuse individuals case-by-case when service would cause genuine hardship. Caring for a young child with no alternative caregiver, being the sole caretaker for someone who is ill, or facing a serious financial burden from missed work are the kinds of circumstances a court will weigh. These decisions are discretionary, and you’ll generally need documentation.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 1863 – Plan for Random Jury Selection
If your conflict is temporary — a scheduled surgery, a prepaid vacation, a firm work deadline — ask for a postponement instead. The court will simply reschedule you.
Trial Jury or Grand Jury
Your summons will say whether you’re being called for a trial jury (also called a petit jury) or a grand jury. The two experiences look very different.
Trial Juries
A trial jury sits through an actual trial and decides the outcome. In a criminal case, it decides guilty or not guilty. In a civil case, it decides who prevails and often the amount of damages. Federal criminal trial juries have 12 members, and the verdict must be unanimous.4Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 23 – Jury or Nonjury Trial Civil juries can have as few as 6, and the verdict must also be unanimous unless the parties agree otherwise.5Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 48 – Number of Jurors, Verdict, Polling
Trial service lasts as long as the trial itself. That could be a few days for something straightforward or several weeks for a complex case. Many federal courts use a “one day/one trial” system: if you report and aren’t selected for any trial that day, you’re done.
Grand Juries
A grand jury doesn’t decide guilt or innocence. It reviews evidence a federal prosecutor presents and decides whether there’s enough basis to formally charge someone. If at least 12 grand jurors agree, the grand jury issues an indictment.6Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 6 – The Grand Jury
Grand juries have between 16 and 23 members and can serve for up to 18 months, with a possible 6-month extension if the court finds one necessary. They don’t sit every day, usually just a few days a month, but the overall commitment is much longer than a typical trial.6Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 6 – The Grand Jury
Jury Selection at the Courthouse
Once you report, you’ll go through an orientation session, and then a group of prospective jurors is brought into a courtroom for voir dire. This is the process the judge and attorneys use to figure out who actually ends up on the jury.
Expect questions. The judge, and often the attorneys, will ask about biases, personal connections to the case, and anything that might keep you from evaluating the evidence fairly. It’s not a test with a right answer. Attorneys are trying to build a jury they think will be fair to their side, and the judge is screening out anyone with an obvious conflict.
Attorneys can remove a prospective juror two ways. A challenge for cause requires a specific legal reason — say, the juror knows one of the parties or has said they can’t be impartial. There’s no cap on those, but the judge has to approve each one. A peremptory challenge lets an attorney strike a juror without giving a reason, and each side gets a limited number depending on the type of case.7Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 24 – Trial Jurors8GovInfo. 28 USC 1870 – Challenges One hard limit: peremptory strikes can’t be used to exclude jurors based on race, a rule the Supreme Court set out in Batson v. Kentucky.9Justia US Supreme Court. Batson v. Kentucky, 476 US 79 (1986)
What Happens If You’re Seated
Selected jurors take an oath to decide the case based only on the evidence and the law as the judge explains it. From there the trial follows a set sequence: opening statements, presentation of evidence and witness testimony, and closing arguments. The judge rules on objections throughout.
After closing arguments, the judge delivers jury instructions, which lay out the legal standards you’re supposed to apply. These matter. They define what the attorneys had to prove and what you should focus on. If anything is unclear, jurors can ask the judge to explain.
Jurors then go to a private room, elect a foreperson, and work through the evidence. In a federal criminal case, all 12 must agree. That unanimity requirement is why deliberations sometimes stretch across several days. If agreement proves impossible, the judge may declare a mistrial.
While you’re serving, you can’t discuss the case with anyone outside the jury room. Not family, not friends, not coworkers, not social media. You also can’t do your own research — no Googling the defendant, no visiting the scene, no reading news coverage. Judges enforce these limits strictly because outside information can unravel an entire trial.
Pay and Travel Reimbursement
Federal jurors receive $50 per day of attendance. If a trial runs longer than 10 days, the trial judge can raise the daily rate by up to $10 for the extended portion. Grand jurors get the same bump after 45 days of service.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees
Travel is reimbursed on top of that. You get a mileage allowance for the round trip between home and courthouse at a rate set by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Tolls for roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries are covered in full, and reasonable parking fees can be reimbursed with a receipt. If your service requires an overnight stay, the court provides a subsistence allowance for meals and lodging.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees
Federal law does not require your employer to keep paying your regular wages while you serve.11U.S. Department of Labor. Jury Duty Some states do require it, and many employers voluntarily continue salary as a matter of company policy. Check your employee handbook or ask HR before your service date.
Your Job Is Protected
Even without a pay requirement, your job itself is legally protected. Federal law makes it illegal for any employer to fire, threaten, intimidate, or coerce a permanent employee because of federal jury service, or because of a scheduled appearance connected to that service.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
The penalties are real. An employer who violates the statute can be ordered to pay lost wages and benefits, reinstate the employee without loss of seniority, and pay a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation per employee, along with possible community service. The court can appoint an attorney to represent the employee at no cost, and a prevailing employee can recover reasonable attorney’s fees. When you return, the law treats your absence as a leave of absence: seniority stays intact, and you keep eligibility for insurance and other benefits as if you’d been on approved leave.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
If You Skip the Summons
Ignoring a federal jury summons is a bad idea. The district court can issue an order requiring you to appear and explain why you didn’t comply. Without a good reason, you face a fine of up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or some combination of those.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels
Courts usually send a follow-up letter before escalating to a show-cause order, but they aren’t required to give a second chance, and repeat no-shows are treated more seriously. If a date won’t work, ask for a postponement in advance.
When Service Ends
Federal jury service ends when the judge formally discharges you. For trial jurors, that usually happens right after the verdict is read in open court, or sooner if the case settles or gets dismissed. Grand jurors are discharged when their term expires or the court ends their service.
After discharge, you’re free to talk about the case if you want to. Reporters may approach you, and you can share your experience with friends or family. You’re never obligated to. Many judges remind jurors of this on the way out: you may speak, but nobody can make you.