In Louisiana, and in the rest of the United States, the parties in a legal matter have the right to have important questions decided by a jury of impartial citizens. This is not true in all countries in the world and it has not always been true in the United States. Jury trial is one of our most significant legal rights; it can be preserved for us only if our citizens are willing to do their duty — to report for jury duty when they receive a subpoena to appear and to serve on a jury if selected for a particular case.
The jurors are drawn by lot (by a computer) from a master list which is compiled by the Jury Commission. This list is called the General Venire. The Jury Commission compiles the General Venire from sources such as voter registration. When the Jury Commission makes the drawing for a particular jury, each person has as much chance to be drawn for jury service as any other person. As a result, some people are called frequently and some are never chosen. The luck of the draw.
Please consider that if you had a criminal charge against you, or if you had an important civil dispute, you would want a fair and impartial jury. If the right to jury trial is not preserved, it may not be there for you.
What to do if you Receive a Subpoena for Jury Service
A SUBPOENA is an order to appear in court at the time and place stated. Until a few years ago the law allowed the judges to excuse or exempt people whose jobs the legislature considered essential. That is no longer true. Now everyone who is qualified must do jury duty unless the service would result in “undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.” You may also ask to be excused if you have actually served on a jury during the past two years.
If you believe:
1. You may not be QUALIFIED:
Louisiana Law requires that persons serving on juries be residents of the Parish, be 18 years of age or older, be able to read and write the English language, have no felony charges. Here are some examples of ways in which you may obtain the permission not to appear due to a disqualification. In each case you must send the required material to the judge by mail or FAX.
If you believe that jury duty will be an extreme hardship for you, you must send proof of the reason to the judge [link to address and FAX number]. You are not free from the obligation to appear unless you have received written verification that your reason has been accepted.
4. If you are OVER 70 YEARS OF AGE, and do not wish to serve, you may go to the office of the Clerk of Court and apply for an age exemption. They will remove your name from the master list.
NOTE WELL:
I. You must appear unless your reason has been accepted by the court and you have received specific permission not to come. If you have not received permission, and you do not appear when your name is called, a warrant may be issued for your arrest.
II. Please try to contact the court by mail or FAX [link to address, E-MAIL and FAX]. If you have received a Jury Questionnaire, you may follow those instructions. If necessary you may also telephone for further instruction. [link to phone number]
Please dress in a manner which shows respect for the proceedings. You will not be admitted in shorts or tank tops. Parking may be a problem. Please leave time to find a parking place in the area around the courthouse.
The court is very well aware that jury duty is inconvenient. However, it is the duty of American citizens to serve when called. People from all over the world are trying to come to our country. One reason they come is to have the liberties that are part of our heritage. By doing jury service, you are doing your part for the American system of justice.
The jurors are drawn by lot (by a computer) from a master list which is compiled by the Jury Commission. This list is called the General Venire. The Jury Commission compiles the General Venire from sources such as voter registration. When the Jury Commission makes the drawing for a particular jury, each person has as much chance to be drawn for jury service as any other person. As a result, some people are called frequently and some are never chosen. The luck of the draw.
Please consider that if you had a criminal charge against you, or if you had an important civil dispute, you would want a fair and impartial jury. If the right to jury trial is not preserved, it may not be there for you.
What to do if you Receive a Subpoena for Jury Service
A SUBPOENA is an order to appear in court at the time and place stated. Until a few years ago the law allowed the judges to excuse or exempt people whose jobs the legislature considered essential. That is no longer true. Now everyone who is qualified must do jury duty unless the service would result in “undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.” You may also ask to be excused if you have actually served on a jury during the past two years.
If you believe:
- that you are not qualified for jury service,
- that jury service would be an extreme hardship, or
- if you have served on a jury within the past two years
1. You may not be QUALIFIED:
Louisiana Law requires that persons serving on juries be residents of the Parish, be 18 years of age or older, be able to read and write the English language, have no felony charges. Here are some examples of ways in which you may obtain the permission not to appear due to a disqualification. In each case you must send the required material to the judge by mail or FAX.
- If you are living in another parish, you may send a note to that effect and a utility bill or other proof of new residence.
- If you are unable to read or write English, you may send a notarized statement to that effect.
- If you are a convicted felon (without pardon), or have pending felony charges, you may obtain a note to that effect from the office of the District Attorney.
If you believe that jury duty will be an extreme hardship for you, you must send proof of the reason to the judge [link to address and FAX number]. You are not free from the obligation to appear unless you have received written verification that your reason has been accepted.
- You may have a physical condition which affects jury service. The Jury Commission is attempting to remove the names of people who are physically unable to serve. To do so we must have a letter from a doctor stating clearly that your medical condition prevents you from being able to do jury service. [An appointment card or a note with describes your condition is not sufficient. The doctor must actually inform the court that you cannot serve.]
- If you are medically unable to serve on this jury only, but may be able to serve in the future, your doctor’s letter may so state. In that case, the judge will excuse you for this case but you may be drawn again for another jury.
- If your occupation or your family responsibilities are the cause of the hardship, you may send an explanation. In these cases you will probably receive a postponement to another jury in the near future.
4. If you are OVER 70 YEARS OF AGE, and do not wish to serve, you may go to the office of the Clerk of Court and apply for an age exemption. They will remove your name from the master list.
NOTE WELL:
I. You must appear unless your reason has been accepted by the court and you have received specific permission not to come. If you have not received permission, and you do not appear when your name is called, a warrant may be issued for your arrest.
II. Please try to contact the court by mail or FAX [link to address, E-MAIL and FAX]. If you have received a Jury Questionnaire, you may follow those instructions. If necessary you may also telephone for further instruction. [link to phone number]
Please dress in a manner which shows respect for the proceedings. You will not be admitted in shorts or tank tops. Parking may be a problem. Please leave time to find a parking place in the area around the courthouse.
The court is very well aware that jury duty is inconvenient. However, it is the duty of American citizens to serve when called. People from all over the world are trying to come to our country. One reason they come is to have the liberties that are part of our heritage. By doing jury service, you are doing your part for the American system of justice.
