Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the appropriate dress for serving jury duty in Dallas County?
Dress as you would for church or a job interview. No shorts or tank tops are permitted.
When serving jury duty, will there be a lot of waiting involved?
It is possible that jurors may have to wait in the Central Jury Room or outside a courtroom for an indefinite period of time. This is not wasted time because the immediate availability of a jury panel frequently motivates the parties of a trial to negotiate and settle a case without a trial.
Yes.
- The George Allen “Mother’s Room” is located on the basement level on the public hallway across from the cafeteria, on the backside of the elevator bank. The door is unlocked and may be locked from the inside.
- The Frank Crowley “Mother’s Room” is located on the first floor on the public hallway between the escalator and the cafeteria. Jury Services’ staff has a code to the door that they provide to the jurors.
Will jurors be kept overnight in a hotel?
It is extremely unlikely that jurors will be kept together or sequestered overnight. In most cases, if it appears a jury will be sequestered, the judge will be able to forewarn the jurors.
Must jurors be paid by their employers while serving jury duty?
No, but most employers pay their employees regular salaries during the employee's jury service. It is a violation of state law for an employee to be terminated for serving jury duty.
If circumstances beyond my control prevent me from appearing on my scheduled date, and I cannot reach the department in the morning on the telephone, will a warrant be issued for my arrest?
No, you will not be arrested. There is a 2 week grace period in which you may send a letter of explanation to the Jury Services Department and you will be rescheduled. You will receive a new jury summons in the mail approximately 2-3 weeks before your rescheduled appearance date. You do not need to appear or call.
Are business and economic reasons a valid reason to be excused from jury service?
No, business and economic reasons are not valid as an exemption or an excuse from jury service.
Why am I unable to get through by telephone to the Jury Services Department at different times throughout the day?
The Jury Services Department has a limited number of employees to answer telephones. Thousands of persons are summoned for jury duty at both Dallas County locations each week so that jurors may be provided to 85 courts. With the number of persons reporting for jury duty and the volume of phone calls, phones cannot be answered at different times throughout the day. Most questions can be answered by viewing the entire jury summons.
Exemptions, disqualifications, medical reasons and postponement requests are shown on the back side of the summons. You may claim or request those by mail. The address is located on the front side of the summons. You may request a postponement online as well.
If you do not see an exemption or disqualification that fits your situation, you will need to appear on your assigned date and speak to the Judge in the Court to which you are assigned.
How are names selected for jury service?
Every 2-1/2 years, the Secretary of State prepares Dallas County's jury wheel by combining records from driver's license, identification and voter registration records.
Why do I get so many jury summons?
You may receive a jury summons from the City government, the County government and the Federal government. These are all separate Governmental entities that may summons you independent of the other and each having their own 2 year time frame before a juror is eligible for service again.
Where do I park? Is there a fee for parking?
The parking garages operated by the County are shown on the two-sided, yellow insert included with your jury summons. If you park in one of the County garages, please use the parking validation ticket located on the front side of your jury summons, in the middle portion next to the DART information. You must present this validation ticket, along with your garage parking ticket, to the parking garage attendant upon exiting the garage to receive a reduced parking rate. THERE IS NO FREE PARKING.
How do I postpone my jury service?
Available now is an online request form which you may submit via this web site. Click here to submit an online jury service postponement request. You may also write a letter to the Jury Services Department and request a postponement. You will be mailed a new jury summons with your rescheduled jury service date.
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