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Welcome to Jury Service

 

Thank you in advance for fulfilling one of American citizens’ most important responsibilities: jury duty. This federal court draws citizens from all over Northern California to serve on its juries. You may be called outside your county for this federal jury service.

Complete your online eJuror Qualification Questionnaire

You must complete your Juror Qualification Questionnaire, even if you are asking for an excusal or postponement.

Chat with the Jury Department

This feature is available during business hours for jurors and jury questions only.
No other questions will be answered.

Jury Announcements

Once you have completed your Juror Qualification Questionnaire through eJuror, you may receive an additional questionnaire through SurveyMonkey that you must complete promptly. SurveyMonkey questionnaires are helpful because they minimize the time prospective jurors like you must spend in the courthouse. For more information, please see the court’s notice.

If you are a potential juror with questions about your on-call period, please call 1-877-458-6306.

Your Jury Summons

Did you receive this form in the mail?

View instructions for responding to your summons

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I serve on jury duty?

Jurors are on call for two weeks (10 consecutive court days beginning the first day you are on call). This court is a “one appearance, or one trial” court. You will be required to make only one appearance in court for jury selections held that day, or serve for one trial (jury selection may take more than one day). If you are not selected as a juror when you report, your service will be over once the jury selection process is complete. If you are selected to serve on a trial, you must serve the length of the trial; when the trial is over, your service is complete.

How will I know which days to report?

You must check for reporting instructions the day before your first scheduled reporting date to find out if or when you are required to appear. If you are not required to appear that first day, the message will tell you when to call again. You must continue calling for instructions until the message says your service is over.

Where did the jury office get my name for jury duty?

Names for potential jurors are randomly drawn from voter registration lists obtained from the Secretary of State of California and from lists of driver’s license/identification cards obtained from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

I do not reside in the county where the court is located. Do I have to serve?

The boundaries of the Northern District of California include the following 15 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma. If you live in any of these counties, you are subject to jury service in one of the court’s four locations: San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose or Eureka. Once you are summoned to one location, your service cannot be transferred to any other location.

What are the grounds for requesting an excuse from service?

Many requests for excuse – and any excuses related to financial hardship – may only be granted by a judge. You may be excused from service on request if you:

  1. Are 75 years of age or older;
  2. Have reported to court for jury service in the past 12 months. You must have been present in court for at least one day and must provide a certificate of attendance from the other court showing the date(s) you were present;
  3. Are solely responsible for the care of a preschool child or an aged or infirm person and you are not employed outside the home;

You may also be considered for an excuse if you:

  1. Reside more than 80 miles from the courthouse to which you are summoned;
  2. Serve as a volunteer firefighter or member of a volunteer rescue squad or ambulance crew.
  3. Will suffer severe hardship. You must provide evidence available to support your claim. If a medical hardship, you must submit a letter from your medical provider.

What if I am nursing?

The Court does not typically exclude nursing mothers from service, and instead accommodates their needs and privacy during jury service.

What if I live too far away to commute to the courthouse?

If your trip to the courthouse would be inconveniently long, you may be eligible to stay at a hotel near the courthouse with court reimbursement, along with payment for meals and incidental expenses, so long as you obtain prior authorization from the jury office. Please call 415-522-2171 for more information.

May I postpone my service to a later date?

You may postpone your jury service one time for up to six months, and your request must be submitted at least 2-weeks before the start of your on-call period. You may request postponement of your jury service online after submitting your online questionnaire, or by emailing the jury office. When you request a postponement, please be prepared to identify a two-week period within the next six months to which your service can be postponed.

Learn More About Federal Jury Service From This Video Produced by the United States Courts:

Juror Quicklinks

Beware of Jury Scams

IMPORTANT! There is an active scam in Northern California targeting citizens via unsolicited phone calls. The callers may claim to be court jury office staff, United States Marshals, and even judges.

The callers can be very forceful and insistent, and are skillful at intimidating people. These calls are fraudulent!

Read more about jury service scams targeting citizens at USCourts.gov.

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