Jurors may be called to serve on both civil and criminal trials. Examples of civil cases are contract disputes, civil rights violations, etc. Criminal trials involve a party or parties who have allegedly violated a federal law and who have been indicted by a grand jury.

The IRS considers juror attendance fees to be other income and must be reported. At the end of the year, a 1099 MISC form will be mailed to all jurors who earn $2000 or more in attendance fees in the calendar year. This applies only to the "attendance fee" and not reimbursement for travel expenses (mileage, tolls, etc.).

• Active-Duty service members in the Armed Forces of the United States.
• Paid members of the fire or police departments of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or subdivision thereof.
• Public officers in the executive, legislative or judicial branches of the government of the United States, or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or subdivision thereof, who are actively engaged in the performance of official duties.

This question should be answered by your local unemployment office. Let them know you are currently serving on a jury and receiving jury pay.

No. Federal law protects all permanent employees who serve on juries. If your employer fires you, threatens to fire you, intimidates, or coerces you because you have been called for jury duty, report the incident immediately to the jury office.

Employers are not required to pay your wages; however, most do pay employees to serve as a juror. It is important that you check with your Human Resources department before you report for service. Some employers will pay an employee’s regular wages, while others deduct the $50.00 daily fee you receive from the Court, from your regular wages. If your employer requires you to turn over the payment you receive from the Court, CASH your check first as they are not entitled to the mileage you receive for travel.

You should bring your juror summons with you when you report. The bar code is used to verify attendance by the jury office. You must present a photo ID, such as a driver’s license upon entering.  REAL IDs are not required for jury service.

You and your belongings are subject to search. Please do not attempt to bring the following items into the courthouse: cameras, recording devices, weapons, scissors, knives, box cutters, knitting needles, or any item that could be construed as a weapon. If you attempt to enter the courthouse with a prohibited item, you will be refused entrance at that time and will be instructed to take the item back to your car. These procedures are in place for your safety, in addition to the safety of court staff. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter.

You may bring laptops, iPads, and cell phones into the courthouse. There are restrictions as to when and where you may use these items.  This will be discussed during jury orientation.

It is very important that jury selection and trial begin promptly, so please allow plenty of time for traffic, parking and entering through courthouse security when reporting for service.

It is important that jurors report to the courthouse when you are required. Absences may delay or even jeopardize trials. Jurors faced with an emergency such as a sudden illness or death in the family, should follow the instructions given by the Court on the day of selection. If unable to do so, you should telephone the jury staff in the division where your jury service is to take place.

In addition, if there is an emergency and someone needs to contact you during your service, they may call the jury staff in the division where you reported for jury service and a message will be delivered to you promptly. Please have them specify that you are on jury duty.

Starting the Friday before your month of service, call the toll-free automated juror information system (AJIS) at 1-866-624-7516 or log onto eJuror, and go under the jury info tab on the website for reporting instructions. If calling, you will be asked to enter your nine-digit participant number.  If checking online, you will be asked to enter your nine-digit participant number and the first three letters of your last name. If you are assigned a date, you will be told when and where to report.  If you were not scheduled for a reporting date, you must check every Friday, until you are told your service is over.  

If the message instructs you to report to the courthouse for jury service on a scheduled date, you must call the automated juror information system (AJIS) at 1-866-624-7516 or check eJuror the night before the report date to confirm that you are still scheduled for service.

You may open the questionnaire. In the remarks section on the front of the questionnaire, write “deceased” and the date of death, or “non-resident” and include a new address if known. Then return it in the envelope provided.

After submitting your request for postponement or excusal, please allow 2-3 business days for processing before checking your updated status to see if your request was granted by the Court.  Follow the instructions on the back of your summons to check your status by phone or by logging into www.pamd.uscourts.gov/eJuror  from the Court's website.  You are considered qualified for service unless the Court approves your request.

• Persons over 70 years of age.
• Prior Service - Persons who have previously served two (2) or more days as a grand or petit juror in a state or federal court within the past two years.
• Volunteer Safety Personnel who serve, during the hours of 8 am to 5 pm, without compensation as firefighters, members of a rescue squad or ambulance crew for a public agency.  Public agency for the purpose of this plan means the United States, the State of Pennsylvania, or any unit of local government, department, or instrumentality of any of the foregoing.
• Caregiver - Persons having active care and custody, during the hours of normal jury service of children under 10 years of age whose health/safety would be jeopardized by their absence for jury service, or a person who is essential to the care of an aged or infirmed person. A caregiver must not be gainfully employed “outside” the home during the hours of jury service.
• Sole Proprietor - Any person whose services are so essential to the operation of a business, commercial or agricultural enterprise that said enterprise must close if such person were required to perform jury duty.
• Actively practicing full time Attorney.
• Actively practicing full time Physician.
• Actively practicing full time Dentist.
• Religious - Actively engaged members of the clergy.
• Teachers or students in actual attendance at a university, college academy, or other school having a regular schedule of classes.
• People for whom jury service would cause undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.