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Jury FAQ

If you complete your Online Response form within two weeks from receipt of your summons, you are NOT required to attend a Jury Orientation. Please watch the juror orientation Videos available online before you are called to serve on a trial:

OJD Juror Orientation Video
Oregon Implicit Bias Training​.


If you fail to submit an Online Response within two weeks you will receive a second postcard, outlining the steps you must take to avoid further action from the court.

Please refer to this postcard for the specific dates and times Virtual Orientation sessions will be available. You only need to register for one session. 

​
Morning Session Registration: https://oregonjudicial.webex.com/oregonjudicial/j.php?RGID=ra2f751f19f26d3cfefdae18e8c5cc86f​

Afternoon Session Registration:  https://oregonjudicial.webex.com/oregonjudicial/j.php?RGID=r7f937befa824cffa8663d6f2e1779b4f

You can join by video through your computer or mobile app. If you have questions regarding connectivity, please contact the Jury Coordinator.​​


Please complete the Online Juror Response form​. 

If you are unable to access the online form, please contact the Jury Coordinator at 503.397.2327 ext. 24024.

Check the online Jury Schedule or call the Jury Recording Line after 5:30 p.m. on the days indicated on the call-in calendar to see if you need to report. 

If your juror number has been chosen, you will need to report to the County Courthouse the next day for jury selection. The time you are to report will be included on the recording.  If you are called to appear, please be prepared to serve multiple days, beyond your initial reporting date.

You do not need to report if your number was not chosen. The Jury Recording Line is 503.397.2327 ext. 24003. ​


September - October Call-In Dates​​​

**Service Dates reflect the start date of a trial, the actual trial can last multiple days**
If additional call in dates are added, they will be indicated on the recording/website


Active jurors are hereby notified that a call-in date has been added to the existing schedule. Please check-in (after 5:30pm) on Tuesday, September 27th for possible service on September 28th and 29th.

CALL IN DATESSERVICE START DATE
Tuesday, September 27Wednesday, September 28
Monday, October 3Tuesday, October 4
Monday, October 10Tuesday, October 11
Tuesday, October 11Wednesday, October 12
Wednesday, October 12Thursday, October 13
Monday, October 17  Tuesday, October 18
Wednesday, October 19  Thursday, October 20 
Monday, October 24Tuesday, October 25
Thursday, October 27Friday, October 28 


Check the online Jury Schedule or call the Jury Recording Line after 5:30 p.m. on the above days see if you need to report. 

The Jury Coordinator does not have the authority to excuse anyone once the jury information has been posted OR on the day of the trial. Unavailability requests must be submitted to the courts in writing, with proper documentation, no later than 24 hours prior to a scheduled call-in date. If you are seeking a same-day excusal, you must report in-person as instructed and submit your request to the judge for approval. ​


You can request "unavailable dates" on your Jury Response Form​. Otherwise, requests for days off during your term may be arranged IN ADVANCE with the jury coordinator (by email or telephone) throughout your term of service. ​​

Those instructed to report for a jury or grand jury ​are expected to be available for the full length of the trial. Please be prepared to serve multiple days, beyond your initial reporting date. 

In the event you become ill and can't appear, it is mandatory that you call the jury coordinator as soon as possible.​​​

Requests for deferral with good cause may be made by submitting through the Online Juror Response form​.  Please refer to the Request for Deferral (link TBD) webpage for more information. 

Your term of service will be for two (2) mon​​ths.

If you are 70 years-old or older or are a woman breast-feeding a child and you ask to be excused, the Court must excuse you from service. Please make the request on the Juror Response Form that you received with your summons, and you will be excused from jury service. The Circuit Court may also excuse you if:

a. jury service causes you, your family, or your employer undue hardship or extreme inconvenience; or,

​b. you are the sole caregiver for a child or other dependent, personally attend to the dependent during the Court's normal hours and are unable to afford daycare or make other arrangements for the care of the dependent.

The Court will weigh the basis for your excuse against its need for jurors. You must show good cause to the Court why you should be excused under these standards. The Court may deny a request for excuse under (a) or (b) above and require you to serve or defer your jury duty to a later date.

If you no longer live in Columbia County, are not a citizen of the United States, or are under the age of 18, you do not qualify to serve as a juror. Contact the jury coordinator in writing, and you will be excused from jury service. You will receive a postcard or email notifying you of the Court's decision.

Please refer to the Request to be Excused webpage for more information.


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 our website on the Request a Deferral webpage or the Request to be Excused​ webpage.  Additional information is also available at Juror Handbook on the Oregon State Bar website. 

​A grand jury is a special kind of jury that hears evidence in criminal cases and votes on whether there is enough evidence to issue an indictment charging a person with a crime. Grand jurors meet one day a week for 2 months.​

​You don't need to bring anything with you but please know your juror number. You are welcome to bring a book, magazine, laptop computer, etc. Wireless internet is available in the jury assembly room.​

Please dress comfortably (suits and ties or dresses are not required), but also have respect for the important role you have as a juror. As a juror you are the judge of the facts. You won’t be wearing a black robe, but you should dress like you are doing serious business. The Courthouse is an older building, and the heating and air conditioning systems don’t always work very well. The temperature can also change quite a bit from one room to another. You will be more comfortable if you dress in layers so that you can put on or take off a sweater or jacket as you go through the day.

Jurors often spend many hours together in close quarters. Jurors should be respectful of their fellow jurors by reporting for service in clean clothes and without strong perfume or cologne.

​Weapons, including handguns, pocke​tknives, and chemical sprays are not allowed in the courthouse or court facilities. It is a Class C felony for any person to intentionally possess a weapon in a court facility (ORS 166.370).

  • Caps and hats - must be removed upon entering the courtroom and/or at the customer service windows on the main floor
  • Bare feet – shoes are required
  • Sunglasses
  • Revealing or abbreviated clothing such as shorts, tank or cropped tops
  • Strong perfume or cologne
  • Non-service animals​

​Parking is available in the parking lot by the courthouse annex building. Additional parking is located on 2nd and St. Helens Street, across from the movie theatre.​

​Yes. Each juror will be paid $10 per day and 20¢ per mile for round-trip mileage from their home. Jurors are entitled to $25 per day for the third and subsequent days of service.​

​Oregon law (ORS 10.090​) provides that it is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discharge, intimidate, or coerce an employee due to their service as a juror. An employee who believes their employer has violated the law may file a civil suit or file a complaint with the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries.

​Email: Columbia.Jury@ojd.state.or.us​

Phone: 503-397-2327 extension 24024

Anyone with a disability who needs accommodation to participate in jury service should advise the jury coordinator of the disability and the type of accommodation immediately upon receipt of your Jury Summons. Assistive Listening System (ALS) devices are available for the hearing impaired. For more information, please see the Request an Accommodation​​ webpage.