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Jury FAQ

​Yes. If “good cause” is shown a judge or clerk may defer your jury service to any other term beginning within one year after the end of the term for which you were originally summoned. More than one deferral may be granted by a judge or clerk for up to six months from the date of the request. The person requesting a deferral beyond a first postponement of jury service must state good cause for the request and provide a list of not less than 10 dates within the six-month period following the date of the request on which the person would be able to commence jury duty.

​No. An employer may not require that an employee use vacation leave, sick leave or annual leave for time spent by the employee in responding to a summons for jury duty, and the employer must allow the employee to at least take leave without pay for time spent by the employee in responding to a summons for jury duty. This is your option. An employer commits an unlawful employment practice if the employer denies to an employee the option of taking leave without pay for service as a juror. An employee who is subjected to such action may bring a civil action or may file a complaint with the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries.

​The court may issue an order requiring that person to appear in court. If the person ignores the order to appear, the court may hold the person in contempt. Similarly, a person who fails to complete jury service without first getting permission from the court may be punished for contempt. If you receive a summons but cannot comply with the summons, you must follow the procedures to be “excused” or “deferred” by the court.

​No. Under Oregon law, it is an unlawful employment practice for your employer to discharge you because of jury service. An employer also may not threaten to discharge, intimidate or coerce an employee because of jury service. An employee who is subjected to such actions may bring a civil action or may file a complaint with the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries.

​A master list of potential jurors for each county is compiled annually, which is drawn from lists of registered voters, licensed drivers and other approved sources. At least two percent of the county’s population is on the master list. Names are then drawn randomly from the list, and those people are summoned for jury service. If the master list has been exhausted (a rare circumstance) and an immediate need exists, the court may order that jurors be summoned from any source – even from people walking down a public street.

​No. Special placement as a juror is at odds with the goal of random jury selection. It is illegal for any person to procure or offer to procure jury service for a person. A person may be fined for requesting or procuring jury service.

​Only a judge or clerk of the court may excuse a person from jury service. If you are over age 70 your request will be automatically granted. If you are under age 70 an excuse will be granted only when you show undue hardship or extreme inconvenience. Active members of the Oregon National Guard and the Oregon Air National Guard are exempt from jury service. Active duty members of the U.S. armed forces may be exempt from jury service and should consult with their chain of command to determine their status when summoned for jury service.

​Baker County’s juror terms are four months long.

​Generally, any person who is at least 18 years old and is a U.S. citizen residing in the county when summoned. Many counties or judicial districts use a written form to determine in advance a person’s eligibility to serve as a juror.

Oregon law provides that “the opportunity for jury service shall not be denied or limited on the basis of race, national origin, gender, age, religious belief, income, occupation or any other factor that discriminates against a cognizable group in this state.”

If you need special assistance with a speech or hearing disability, you should submit a written request to the court. If the court finds that you require the services of a qualified interpreter or the use of an assistive communication device to perform the functions of a juror, the necessary services will be provided at the court’s expense.

​Your employer’s personnel policies, or the specific employment agreement between you and your employer, will determine whether any compensation is payable to you during jury service. There is no statutory requirement that an employer pay salary or wages during an employee’s jury service.

​Yes. Juror fees are fixed by the legislature. In a circuit court, a juror is entitled to $10 per day for the first and second day of service, then $25 for the third and subsequent days of service. Mileage reimbursement is $.20 per mile to travel to jury service in the circuit court. Juror pay is subject to income tax but need not be reported for Social Security purposes. A juror is entitled to receive payment for a full day when the juror arrives at the court to begin service under the summons, even if that person does not actually participate in trial or is excused immediately after answering the roll call. If necessary during the course of jury deliberations, the judge may order that food, drink, lodging or transportation be provided to a jury depending upon the circumstances of the case.

If your employer pays your wages or salary for your days of jury service even if you are using paid time off for the jury service, you must waive the daily juror fees unless otherwise provided in your employment agreement.

​Anyone who has served on jury duty in a state or federal court in Oregon within the last 24 months is not eligible. A person is also not eligible if he or she has been convicted of a felony and is in state prison, or has received a suspended sentence conditioned on service of county jail time or has had his or her probation revoked and must serve any portion of a suspended sentence.

For trials of criminal cases only, no person may serve on a jury who has been convicted of a felony or served a felony sentence within the prior 15 years. Further, no one convicted of a misdemeanor involving violence or dishonesty or having served a sentence for such a crime within the previous five years is eligible to serve as a juror on a criminal case. (This disqualification does not apply to serving on a jury for a civil case.)