Qualifications to be a Juror United States citizen At least 18 years of age Reside in the judicial district for one year Adequate proficiency in English No disqualifying mental or physical condition Not currently subject to felony charges Never convicted of a felony (unless civil rights have been legally restored) Exemptions from Service Active duty members of the armed forces Members of police and fire departments Certain public officials Others based on individual court rules (such as members of voluntary emergency service organizations and people who recently have served on a jury) Temporary Deferrals of Service May be granted at the court's discretion on the grounds of "undue hardship or extreme inconvenience." Length of Service Trial jury service varies by court. Some courts require service for one day or for the duration of the trial; others require service for a fixed term of up to one month (or more if a trial is longer) Grand jury service may be up to 18 months. Payment $40 per day; in some instances jurors may also receive meal and travel allowances Employment Protections By law, employers must allow employees time off (paid or unpaid) for jury service. The law also forbits any employer from firing, intimidating, or coercing any permanent employee because of their federal jury service.

erhaps the most important way individual citizens become involved in the federal judicial process is by serving as jurors. There are two types of juries serving distinct functions in the federal trial courts: trial juries (also known as petit juries), and grand juries. A civil trial jury is typically made up of 6 to 12 persons. In a civil case, the role of the jury is to listen to the evidence presented at a trial, to decide whether the defendant injured the plaintiff or otherwise failed to fulfill a legal duty to the plaintiff, and to determine what the compensation or penalty should be. A criminal trial jury is usually made up of 12 members. Criminal juries decide whether the defendant committed the crime as charged. The sentence usually is set by a judge. Verdicts in both civil and criminal cases must be unanimous, although the parties in a civil case may agree to a non-unanimous verdict. A jury's deliberations are conducted in private, out of sight and hearing of the judge, litigants, witnesses, and others in the courtroom. A grand jury, which normally consists of 16 to 23 members, has a more specialized function. The United States attorney, the prosecutor in federal criminal cases, presents evidence to the grand jury for them to determine whether there is "probable cause" to believe that an individual has committed a crime and should be put on trial. If the grand jury decides there is enough evidence, it will issue an indictment against the defendant. Grand jury proceedings are not open for public observation. Potential jurors are chosen from a jury pool generated by random selection of citizens' names from lists of registered voters, or combined lists of voters and people with drivers licenses, in the judicial district. The potential jurors complete questionnaires to help determine whether they are qualified to serve on a jury. After reviewing the questionnaires, the court randomly selects individuals to be summoned to appear for jury duty. These selection methods help ensure that jurors represent a cross section of the community, without regard to race, gender, national origin, age or political affiliation. Being summoned for jury service does not guarantee that an individual actually will serve on a jury. When a jury is needed for a trial, the group of qualified jurors is taken to the courtroom where the trial will take place. The judge and the attorneys then ask the potential jurors questions to determine their suitability to serve on the jury, a process called voir dire. The purpose of voir dire is to exclude from the jury people who may not be able to decide the case fairly. Members of the panel who know any person involved in the case, who have information about the case, or who may have strong prejudices about the people or issues involved in the case, typically will be excused by the judge. The attorneys also may exclude a certain number of jurors without giving a reason.