Q: Is jury service mandatory?
A: Both the U. S. Constitution and the California
State Constitution guarantee the right to trial by jury.
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Q: Who is exempt from jury service?
A: You
are exempt if you:Are
not a citizen. Are under 18 years of age. Do not have sufficient
knowledge of the English language.
Have been convicted of a felony and their civil rights
have not been restored. Are subject of conservatorship.
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Q: How often must I serve?
A: In the County of San Bernardino once a person
has served as a juror, they are exempt from further jury service
for 12 months, with exception of Barstow, Needles, and Victorville.
County residents in these may be summoned to serve twice a
year due to limited population.
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Q: How do I request to be excused from jury
service?
A: Prospective jurors otherwise eligible to
serve may be excused from jury service only for EXTREME hardship.
All requests to be excused must be submitted to the Jury Commissioner
IN WRITING prior to the prospective juror's service date as
explained on the Juror Affidavit Questionnaire attached to
the Summons. A prospective juror MAY be excused if he/she:
Has a physical or mental disability that would prevent him/her
from serving. The prospective juror must provide a doctor's
note verifying the disability. Must provide actual and necessary
care for another and alternate arrangements are not feasible.
Will suffer an EXTREME financial burden if required to serve.
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Q: Where does the Jury Commissioner obtain
names of prospective jurors?
A: Both the voter registration and motor vehicle
records are used as source lists for prospective jurors. Names
are randomly selected from the county wide population by computer.
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Q: Does my employer have to pay me while
I serve on jury duty?
A: Employers are not required by law to compensate
employees while they are on jury duty. Many employers support
the jury system and provide jury duty benefits and will continue
employee wages while they serve. Please check with your employer
regarding your company's policy.
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Q: Can my employer prevent me from serving as
a juror?
A: State law (Labor Code, Sec. 230) prohibits
an employer from discharging or in any manner discriminating
against an employee for taking time off to serve as a juror
if the employee, prior to taking such time off, gives reasonable
notice to the employer of the requirement to serve as a juror.
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Q: May I postpone my jury service to a more
convenient time?
A: The
Court realizes prospective jurors may have been summoned
at an inconvenient time and is willing
to postpone service to a more convenient time in most instances.
Jury Service may be postponed one time within 90 days of the original summons date. To postpone jury service you may either use the automated phone system or the Court's website.
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Q: How many days will I have to serve?
A: The term of service for San Bernardino Superior
Court is one trial. The average trial is 3-5 days. If, however,
a prospective juror is not selected to serve as a juror by
the end of the first day and is not ordered to return for
a second or subsequent day of jury selection, his/her service
is complete.
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Q: Are there ever any instances when I may
have to serve longer?
A: Due
to the nature of trials, it is impossible to predict exactly
how many jurors may be needed on any given
day. If you are notified by the Court that you are a "stand-by" juror,
you will be instructed to call in daily and may be told to
report when there are juror shortages. However, in
an emergency situation where there still is not sufficient
jurors available, the court may order prospective jurors
to
serve additional days. This is extremely rare!
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Q: Why are some prospective jurors instructed
to report on their summons while others are told to call in
for instructions?
A: Most
prospective jurors are summoned to report on a specific
date. A few are summoned as "stand-by" jurors
in the event additional jurors are required. "Stand-by" jurors
call a prerecorded message each day for a minimum call-in
period of one week to see if they are needed. If additional
jurors are needed, the recorded message instructs them to
report, usually that same afternoon.
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Q:
What if I am summoned as a "stand-by" juror and I can't
call in each day or leave my job in the middle of the
day?
A: Calling
in does not work for everyone. The nature of many professions
make it difficult for some people
to call and/or report in the middle of the day. If the "stand-by" program
is inconvenient for you or your employer, notify Jury Administration.
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Q: How late will I be at the courthouse?
A: The Court's normal hours of operation are
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Prospective jurors should make arrangements
to remain the entire day.
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Q: Can my jury service be transferred to
a court closer to my home?
A: We understand everyone would like to serve
as close to home as possible. State law requires that we randomly
select prospective jurors from the county wide population.
Therefore, we are unable to grant requests to be transferred
to another court except in extreme situations.
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