Juror Qualifications and Terms of Service

• Persons who are not citizens of the United States;
• Persons who are less than 18 years of age;
• Persons who are not residents of the State of California as determined under the Elections Code;
• Persons who are not residents of Trinity County;
• Persons who have been convicted of a malfeasance in office, and whose civil rights have not been restored;
• Persons who are incarcerated in prison or jail;
• Persons who have been convicted of a felony and are currently on parole, post-release community supervision, felony probation, or mandated supervision for the conviction of a felony;
• Persons who are currently required to register as a sex offender under Penal Code section 290 based on a felony conviction;
• Persons who do not have sufficient knowledge of the English language;
• Persons who are serving as grand or trial jurors in any court of this state;
• Persons who are the subject of conservatorship;
• Persons who are full-time peace officers as defined in Penal Code§ 830.1, 830.2(a), or 830.33(a);

If you received a summons for jury service but are not qualified due to one of the above reasons, you must contact the Jury Services Office prior to your service date.

Terms of Service

Pursuant of Rule 2.1002 of the California Rules of Court, a person has fulfilled his or her jury service requirement when the person:

1. Served on a trial until dismissed; 2. Was assigned to one or more trial departments for jury selection and served through the completion of jury selection or until excused by the Jury Commissioner; 3. Attended court but was not assigned to a trial department for selection of a jury before the end of that day; 4. Served one day on call; or 5. Served no more than five court days on telephone standby.

Upon completing your service obligation, you should not be called for jury service for 12 months.

Trials vary in length, but are usually completed within a week.You will be told how long the trial is expected to last during the jury selection process. Approximately 80% of our prospective jurors complete their service in one day.

Information About Jury Duty in Trinity County

Impaneled jurors are paid 34 cents per mile actually traveled in attending court as a juror, both ways, and $15.00 for each day of attendance commencing on the 2nd day of service. Any juror employed by a federal, state, or local government entity and who receives regular compensation and benefits while performing jury services will not be paid the $15.00 daily fee, but still may request mileage. [CCP§ 215(b)]

We randomly select prospective jurors using lists from the Department of Motor Vehicles and voter registration.

You will be summoned once during any 12-month period unless you request a postponement or if we do not have enough prospective jurors to impanel a 12-member jury plus alternates.

Notice to Employer

It is a violation of the California Labor Code to fire or harass an employee who is summoned to serve as a juror. School employees and students are protected as well by law. Your employer should be notified about your jury service as soon as you receive a summons.