what to expect on the first day of jury duty

A trial by jury is the right of every person in the United States. The right is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Arizona Constitution. Specifically, the Arizona Constitution provides, "the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate." That right to a jury trial requires that persons summonsed for jury service appear and participate. Therefore, equally noted on a jury summons, failure to announced equally directed may subject you to penalties by law.

	If you are not bachelor on the date scheduled, you may postpone the date of your initial appearance for jury service 2 times but. To request a postponement follow the instructions in the Juror Affidavit Questionnaire or Summons or contact the court in which yous are scheduled to appear. Inconvenience to a prospective trial juror or an employer is not a legal reason to exist excused from jury service. All the same, you may asking to be postponed for this reason.
	Requests to be excused are infrequently granted. In particular, excuses are not granted on the ground of religious beliefs, moral beliefs, status every bit business proprietor, professional status as doctor or lawyer, etc. Excuses are granted on the footing that you do not understand English language or because jury service would cause you to incur costs that would have a substantial adverse impact on the payment of your necessary daily living expenses or on those for whom you lot provide regular care. A request to exist excused must exist made in writing to the court that issued the summons and must exist supported by appropriate documentation. Requests for excuse should be directed to the Jury Commissioner's Part. Possible grounds for alibi include: the person has a mental or physical condition that causes them to exist incapable of performing jury service jury service would essentially and materially affect the public interest, adversely the person does not sympathise English language jury service would require the person to abandon someone under their care, because it is impossible for them to obtain substitute care jury service would cause the person to incur costs that would accept a substantial adverse impact on the payment of their necessary daily living expenses or on those for whom they provide regular employment support jury service would result in illness or affliction the person is a certified peace officer employed past the state jury service would cause undue or extreme hardship the person has served equally a juror in this state inside the last 2 years the person is at to the lowest degree 75 years of age (Documentation in back up of the alibi is generally required) the person has served on a yard jury in an Arizona state courtroom within the final iv years. (Does not apply to alternating chiliad jurors)
	Your service is required as a prospective juror for a minimum of one solar day. Please be prepared to remain the total day. If sworn equally a juror, your jury service will continue until the trial is completed (the average trial is 2-vii days). Arizona follows a i-day/one-trial term of jury service. In one case selected, a person's term of jury service is fulfilled after they accept served on 1 trial. Those individuals who are non selected or assigned to a jury on the first day are as well deemed to accept fulfilled their jury service obligation by having appeared at the court. Other ways a person's jury service term may be fulfilled include: being available for four days within a thirty-day period (that is, the prospective juror calls in to meet whether they must report for jury service) or the prospective juror provides the court with a valid telephone number and stands ready to serve on the same twenty-four hour period for a period of two days.
	Since y'all, equally a juror, are an officer of the courtroom, nosotros request that you dress appropriately. Business attire is suggested. The temperature of the jury assembly areas and courtrooms tin be unpredictable. Shorts, miniskirts, tank tops, halters, braless dresses or tops, tee-shirts, rubber sandals and other breezy attire is non considered appropriate in the courtroom setting. If yous should announced wearing these or other items deemed unsuitable for attending court, y'all may be required to return home at your own expense to change into more suitable attire or your jury service may exist reschedule to another date.
	Depending upon the courtroom, you will be asked to wear a badge upon checking in, swearing in or being impaneled. This badge identifies you as a juror to other people and may possibly protect you from overhearing any conversations pertaining to the instance yous are selected for.
	As a juror, y'all will receive a mileage reimbursement for each twenty-four hour period yous serve. Compensation for mileage is the aforementioned amount paid to state officers and employees and set by statute. If y'all are selected to sit on a trial, you will also receive a $12 per diem. Some courts pay the $12 per diem to jurors fifty-fifty if they are non selected to sit on a trial. Boosted compensation is bachelor to those jurors who serve on longer trials (lasting more than 5 days) if their employers do not pay them while they serve.
	If your proper name is chosen as being a member of a trial panel, you and other members of the panel volition be assigned to a court. You will be instructed where to written report and asked to wait in the lobby for instructions from the bailiff. Generally, you volition be permitted to render home at the shut of the day's session in courtroom. If an emergency arises while yous are sitting as a juror, consult the bailiff or judge well-nigh your problem. Should you need to become in touch with your family or employer, the bailiff will be happy to assist you.
	Upon retiring to the jury room to deliberate, the jury selects a foreperson. It is the foreperson's duty to deed every bit the presiding officeholder, to meet that the jury'south deliberations are conducted in an orderly way, and to see that the bug submitted for the jury'south consideration are fully and fairly discussed and that every juror has a hazard to say what they recollect most every question. When ballots or votes should be taken, the foreperson should see that this is done. The foreperson should sign any written request made of the judge. A good foreperson can keep the word organized, salvage fourth dimension and get efficient results. Every juror should mind carefully to the views of the other members of the jury and consider them with an open mind. Your final vote should correspond your own stance based on the testify admitted in the example. As a result of the discussion with beau jurors, your opinion may accept changed from that which you get-go held. You should non hesitate to change your mind. When differences of stance ascend, yous should say what you recollect and why yous think it. You must not try to force another juror to agree with you nor should y'all turn down to listen to the arguments and opinions of the others. You must never shirk your responsibility and must never permit any decision to be reached by adventure or toss of a money. If there is any disagreement or defoliation equally to the estimate's instructions, or every bit to their significant, the jury (through its foreperson) can ask the bailiff for farther instructions or assist from the judge.
	In performing their sworn duty, jurors must conduct themselves in such a fashion that no one tin question their integrity. Whatsoever judicial officer, whether guess, lawyer, or juror, who acts in such a way every bit to destroy public confidence in the judicial system becomes unfit to perform their duty. Jurors should exist watchful of their conduct and commit no human action which may arouse the distrust of any individual. They should accept no gifts or favors, no thing how insignificant or trivial, either directly or indirectly from parties in the case or their lawyers. A juror should avoid all familiarity with anybody interested in a decision of the jury. Both parties in a example have spent considerable time preparing for the trial. They will present evidence and arguments to show their side of the case. Jurors must be careful not to course hasty conclusions or opinions until they have heard all of the evidence and arguments and have received the instructions of the guess. Justice will exist washed if jurors base of operations their verdicts solely upon the evidence and upon the judge'south instructions as to the law, rather than upon their own notions of what the law is or ought to exist. If you have any questions regarding juror acquit or the trial, ask the bailiff to consult the approximate. The judge is always in charge during the course of a trial. The judge is ever ready and available to determine all questions of law pertaining to the case being tried.
	Both prospective and impaneled jurors have the right to privacy and confidentiality. If your Social Security Number is requested, it will simply be used for the purpose of paying the juror fee and mileage to which you are entitled. Information technology is disclosed merely to the Finance Department in the canton in which you served to issue a payment to you lot. Your abode or mailing address is known only to the courtroom. Simply the judge can guild the release of jurors' addresses, commonly to the lawyers in the case, and just for a good, legal reason. This very rarely happens. At the conclusion of the trial, should you lot be contacted by the lawyers in a instance in which you sat every bit a juror, remember that you are not obligated to divulge any data concerning the deliberations, the verdict, or your opinions nigh annihilation concerning the case unless ordered to do so by the court. Occasionally tv reporters volition enquire the estimate for permission to film court activities. If the approximate approves, the reporters are instructed to exist unobtrusive and to not film jurors. You lot volition non appear on tv. Reporters may interview the lawyers or parties in a case, and in one case the trial is over may asking to interview the jurors. It is your decision whether or not to consent to an interview. You are not obligated to divulge whatsoever information concerning the deliberations, the verdict, or your opinions well-nigh anything apropos the instance.
	The Jury Commissioner'south Office provides jurors for all trial divisions of the Superior Court, and in some counties for the justice courts and municipal courts. A principal jury list is fabricated upwards of names randomly selected from lists provided past the Arizona Motor Vehicle and Voter Registration Departments. Prior to the projected date of service, prospective jurors names are drawn from this list and prospective jurors are mailed a questionnaire or summons. When the questionnaires are returned, they are reviewed to establish the eligibility of prospective jurors, pursuant to statute. The number of jurors summoned is based on historical trends. In some counties, jurors are instructed to "call in" prior to actualization for jury service. The number of jurors needed is based upon requests received from the courtroom divisions that look to begin jury trials. A member of the Jury Commissioner's staff takes attendance and assigns the proper number of jurors to each partition conducting a jury trial. Prospective jurors are selected at random for the individual courtrooms.
	Anything considered to be a weapon or that is deemed unacceptable by the court security staff will be confiscated and dealt with accordingly. No firearms or edged cutting devices, i.e. direct razors, pocket knives, hunting knives, or butterfly knives are allowed.
	Due to the nature of jury service and the court process itself, there are oftentimes periods of waiting. Sometimes, for instance, the parties to a lawsuit will keep to negotiate and settle the affair after a jury panel has been assembled; or the judge may be hearing arguments on last minute points of police force. Occasionally, the lawyers may talk with the judge out of the hearing of the jury, or the judge may excuse the jury from the courtroom so that a point of police force or an objection may exist argued. Often, the reason for the delays may not be explained to you. Please call up that this time is spent discussing and simplifying issues. Sometimes a case fifty-fifty reaches settlement during such conferences. While this may seem to exist a waste of time, obviously a instance that doesn't have to be fully tried saves fourth dimension and revenue enhancement dollars. Equally jurors, you lot are, by your presence and readiness to sit in trial of a case, actively serving our arrangement of justice. Sometimes cases are settled "on the courthouse steps" or during the course of the trial because the parties and their lawyers may feel jurors might make up one's mind their dispute in a style less favorable to them. We suggest bringing something to read, needlework, etc.
	Many employers require proof that you were summoned to serve as a juror. Ask the jury commissioner or bailiff for information on how to obtain written proof that yous served as a juror.