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Juror Resources

Juror Orientation

jurors in a courtroomOn the first day of your jury term, you will attend orientation. Please view the Jury Reporting Information for when and where to report for jury orientation.

A very small minority of jurors are summoned for grand jury, which involves a two-month commitment. Once a juror has served as instructed by the court, the juror's obligation is complete for a two-year period.

We thank those who have spent the time -- and completed the hard work -- of serving on a jury.

FAQs

​​You are eligible if:

  • You live in [County], are a U.S. citizen, and are at least 18 years of age.
You are NOT eligible if:
  • You have reported for jury duty in a state or federal court in Oregon within the previous 24 months, even if you were not called to a courtroom or selected for jury duty.
  • You have been convicted of a felony and on the day you are to report for jury duty, you are 1) in state prison, or 2) in county jail as a condition of a suspended sentence.
If you are not eligible to be a juror for one of these reasons, you should check the appropriate box in on the Juror Eligibility Form.
 
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.” A person who is blind, hearing or speech impaired or physically disabled shall not be ineligible to act as a juror, or be excluded from a juror list because of their impairment. For more information, please see "Special Accomodations" FAQ below.​


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​​​In Baker County, unless you are summoned for a grand jury,  jury service is generally for the duration of four months.  Summoned jurors will report to the courthouse on the day and time noted on the jury information line​​.

​Please note you will not be expected to report to the courthouse every day during the four month term.

​​The Oregon Legislature sets compensation for jury duty. Unless otherwise provided by the terms of an employment agreement, under ORS 10.061(3), a juror must waive the juror fee if the juror's employer pays the juror a wage or salary for the day(s) of jury service. Jurors are entitled to:


  • Days 1 and 2 - $10 per day

  • Day 3 and any subsequent day served - $25 per day

Juror travel expenses for each day of service will be compensated:

  • ​At the rate of $.20 per mile for the distance traveled between your home and the Baker County Courthouse.

​Parking


The court is unable to provide parking for those coming to the court. Parking is very limited in the area around the courthouse. Please allow extra time for finding parking and making your way to the Baker Circuit Courtroom. Please do NOT park in the Carpet One parking lot.

Where to Report


Please go to the second (2nd) floor of the Baker County Courthouse. The address is: 1995 Third Street, Baker City, Oregon 97814.

 

When to Report and the Typical Daily Schedule


You must check in at the Baker County Circuit Courtroom at the time given on the jury recording for your service date.  Trials start at 9:00 AM. Most trials go from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with short rest breaks and a lunch break. The schedule for a trial, including breaks, will be set by the judge.

Jury Orientation


You are to report to the Baker County Circuit Courtroom 1995 Third Street, Baker City, Oregon at the time indicated on the jury recording line. Please refer to your jury summons for further call-in instructions.

Cell Phones and Computers


You may bring your cell phone. When you go into a courtroom, make sure your cell phone is turned off (not just silent or vibrate). Most judges do not allow jurors to use computers in the courtroom. Please do NOT bring laptop computers or iPads with you.

What to Bring With You


You may bring work or reading material. A refrigerator and microwave are available in the Jury Room. Don’t bring anything to the courthouse that you couldn’t take on an airplane. 

​Jury Duty is a civic duty of each citizen. If someone fails to respond to jury summons, 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. The steps for requesting to be excused from jury service or to defer your jury service is available on below on the "Postponement / Deferral of Service" FAQ or the "Request an Excusal" FAQ. Additional information is also available at Juror Handbook on the Oregon State Bar website.

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​No.  Oregon law provides that an employer shall not discharge or threaten to discharge, intimidate, or coerce an employee by reason of the employee’s service as a juror. 

See Juror Employment Protections​.​

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​Contact the [County] Circuit Court Jury Coordinator or ADA Coordinator as soon as possible after receiving your summons. 

 Jury Coordinator
Email: baker.jury@ojd.state.or.us
Phone: 541-523-6303 select option 6 to leave a message
Fax: 541-523-9738

 ADA Contact
Morgan Griffith
Morgan.L.Griffith@ojd.state.or.us
541-523-6303 Ext 5​

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​
Jury Coordinator
Email: baker.jury@ojd.state.or.us
Phone: 541-523-6303 select option 6 to leave a message
Fax: 541-523-​9738​

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Request to be​ Excused 

The Court may excuse you if:

  • Jury service causes you, your family, or your employer undue hardship or extreme Inconvenience; or
  • You are the sole caregiver for a child or other dependent, you attend personally to the dependent during the court's normal hours of operation, and you are unable to afford daycare or make other arrangements for the care of the dependent. 

The Court must excuse you if:

  • You are 70 years or older, and ask to be excused, the Court must excuse you from jury service. If you want to serve as a juror, you may serve. 
  • lf you are a woman breast-feeding a child, and ask to be excused, the court must excuse you from jury service. If you want to serve as a juror, you may serve. 

Other reasons you may be excused or deferred:

  • In addition, if you have served on jury duty in a stale or federal court in Oregon within the last 24 months. reply by marking the appropriate box on the enclosed postcard and you will be excused.
  • lf you have a medical condition and document this with a written statement from your doctor, your request to be excused wlll be granted.
  • If you are a full-time student, you may request to be deferred to a time when you are not attending school.

How to Make the Request 

All requests to be excused must be in writing explaining the nature of the condition, undue hardship or extreme inconvenience that requires you to be excused. In most cases you will not be excused, but we may defer your term of service to a date not more than one year from your original summons.

Notification of Court's Decision 

 The Court will not contact you if your request to be excused is granted. You will be contacted if your request is denied.
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First Deferral Request: If you are unable to report on your service date. you may request that your service be delayed to start at least 3 months (90 days) from your report date but no later than one year from your original service date. The Court may allow deferrals (postponements) tor good cause. We ask that you provide 10 other dates at least 90 days out. but not longer than 1 year, that you would be available. You will be required to serve on one of those dates you chose when summoned. A new jury summons will be sent to you for the new term of jury service. 

Second Deferral Request: A second 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 wihich the person would be able to commence jury duty. You will be required to serve on one of these dates you chose when summoned. A new jury summons will be sent to you for the next term of jury service.

The Court will not contact you if your request to be deferred is granted. A new jury summons will be sent to you tor the new term of jury service. If your request is denied you will be contacted.
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The Court will provide accommodations ·or American with Disabilities Act (ADA) upon request of jurors with disabilities. If you have a disability, please tell the Jury Coordinator what accommodation(s) you need so we can remove any barriers to your effective service as a juror. 

Any person who has a hearing disability and needs accommodation in order to participate in juiy service may notify the jury coordinator of the need. 

It is common fer people who do not usually consider themselves as having a hearing disability to have trouble hearing everyone clearly in some of the courtrooms. If this happens to you, please tell the judge or clerk. Every courtroom is equipped with assistive listening devices. 

Please notify the Jury Coordinator of your need immediately upon receipt of your Jury summons so that we have sufficient time to arrange for accommodation.

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Security

Security at the Courthouse is provided by Baker County Sheriff’s Office. Security equipment in use at the Courthouse includes magnetometers (walk-through metal detectors), x-ray scanners, and hand held metal detectors. If you have a pacemaker, tell the security officer about it before you enter the metal detector. The security screening process can create long lines of people waiting to enter the courthouse during peak hours.
 
The main objective of Courthouse security is to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone in the building. Everyone’s cooperation is needed in order to achieve this very important goal. Weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited and may be confiscated. Among items prohibited from court facilities are guns, knives, ammunition, pepper spray, mace, razor blades, illegal drugs and any other type of dangerous or hazardous material or property. A variety of items may be prohibited because they are hazardous or could be used as potential weapons. These include any object that is sharp, pointed or with a cutting blade regardless of length. If you are unsure if an item is allowed or not, the safest option is to not bring it into the courthouse.
 
Courthouse security will not hold unauthorized items for return later. Any prohibited item that is brought to the courthouse will be taken from you and permanently destroyed. 

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