Jury Duty
*If you have been summoned for Jury Duty, please see here.
Why We Have a Jury System:
Under the Constitution, a United States citizen is given certain rights; the right to a jury trial is one of those rights. Participation in jury trials provides citizens with an opportunity to:
- Incorporate community values into dispute resolution;
- Guard against abuse of power by legislatures, businesses, and government agencies;
- Avoid arbitrary or unfair sanctions by individual judges;
- Protect the rights of all citizens.
How Jurors Are Selected:
- Once a year the Secretary of State creates a list of citizens who may be eligible to serve on a jury. This list contains those citizens who possess a driver’s license or State of Michigan identification card.
- Identified citizens are mailed a Juror Qualification Questionnaire. After the questionnaire is completed, returned, and evaluated, a qualified citizen may be called to serve on a jury.
What To Expect As a Juror: As an active participant in the justice system, a citizen who serves as a juror can expect to:
- Be treated with dignity and respect;
- Have court facilities and procedures identified and explained throughout the jury service period;
- Have questions answered by the appropriate court staff member as allowed by law.
What Is Expected of a Juror: Given the importance of jury trials, a citizen who serves as a juror is expected to:
- Be informed of, and comply with, rules and guidelines that are designed to ensure the integrity of our legal process;
- Pay close attention to and strictly follow all instructions given by the judge;
- Keep an open mind;
- Discuss the facts of the case by sharing information and points of view;
- Apply “jury instructions” appropriately;
- Decide on a verdict that is based on the facts of a case as they were presented inside the courtroom.
Jury Duty
If you have been summoned for Jury Duty:
Jurors should report to the 31st District Court, and check in at the clerk’s window between 8:00 & 8:15a. Jury trials begin promptly at 8:30a. If you are selected to serve as a juror in a trial, the Court will instruct you as to your lunch hour and dismissal time. Ordinarily, lunch runs from 12:30-1:45p but is subject to change depending on courtroom activity. Convenient lunchtime locations are available in the community. Jurors are allowed to bring bag lunches.
All requests to be excused must be in writing and received by the Court at least one week prior to date of service. Jury duty is typically completed in a single day. Therefore, requests to be excused must be for good cause and will not always be granted. If you have been called for jury duty at the 31st District Court, and have a valid reason for asking to be excused, please send your request with necessary documentation to: Jury Clerk, 31st District Court, Hamtramck, MI 48212.
Important notices to those requested and serving Jury duty:
Please advise friends and relatives that they are allowed in the courtroom, but not allowed in the jury room.
- Young children will not be allowed in the courtroom. Please, make baby-sitting arrangements in advance.
- Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the building.
- Jurors who are selected for a continuing trial should report to the clerk’s window on the second and any subsequent days.
- If proof of jury service is necessary for you to present to your employer, we will furnish you with a letter upon request. Letters may be obtained from the cashier.
- If you serve on a jury, you are not eligible to serve in this Court again for one year from the service date. However, you may be rescheduled if your trial settles before you appear.
- Your pay as a juror is set by state law at $30.00 per full day and $45.00 for each subsequent full day. A person will receive $15.000 per half day.
Access to jury service is available to all individuals with a disability. Please call the Court at (313) 800-5248 before your jury date to ensure that accommodations have been met.