Common Questions About
Jury Service
- How was I chosen?
- I’ve moved from Johnson County. Do I still qualify for jury service?
- What are the requirements that I must meet to qualify for jury service?
- How can I be excused from jury service?
- Are mothers with children at home excused from jury service?
- May I reschedule my jury service to a later date?
- What happens if I have been summoned for jury service, but I just decide not to come
in?
- Even though I have received a Summons, is it possible that I will not be
required to come to court on the date shown?
- What happens to me if the recording tells me I don’t have to show up?
- What is the pay for jury service and how is it set?
- Does my employer have to pay me?
- Can I be fired if I don’t show up for work when I’ve been summoned for
jury duty?
- Where do I park?
How was I chosen?
Jurors are chosen at random from current lists of persons age 18 and older,
living in Johnson County, Kansas, who are either registered voters or who have
driver’s licenses.
Some people are chosen several times during their lifetime; others are never chosen. So
long as you are either a registered voter or have a driver’s license, you have the
same chance of being chosen as anyone else who meets those criteria.
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I’ve moved from Johnson County. Do I still qualify for jury service?
No. If you have received a jury summons from us, but no longer live in Johnson County,
call the jury coordinator at (913) 715-3300.
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What are the requirements that I must meet to qualify for jury service?
You must be at least 18 years of age, a United States citizen and a resident of Johnson
County. You are excluded from jury service if you have been convicted, pleaded guilty, or
pleaded nolo contendere to a felony within the preceding 10 years. You are also
excluded if you are under a present adjudication of incompetency by a court. If you have
received a jury summons from us but do not qualify for jury service, call the jury
coordinator at (913) 715-3300.
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How can I be excused from jury service?
Generally, to be excused from jury service for other than health reasons, you must
appear in person and speak to the judge on the date you are summoned. Failure to honor the
jury summons may subject you to a fine for contempt of court. If the scheduling of your
jury service is the problem, you may reschedule your jury service one time only by
contacting the jury coordinator at (913) 715-3300.
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Are mothers with children at home excused from jury service?
No, there is no automatic exclusion. If we were to exclude all mothers with small
children, a significant portion of the population base would be excluded from jury
service. This would result in juries that are not truly representative of our community.
You are responsible for arranging for your own child care if you are called for jury duty.
If the scheduling of your jury service is the problem, you may reschedule your jury
service one time only by contacting the jury coordinator at (913) 715-3300.
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May I reschedule my jury service to a later date?
If the scheduling of your jury service is the problem, you may reschedule your jury
service one time only by contacting the jury coordinator at (913) 715-3300.
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What happens if I have been summoned for jury service, but I just decide not to come
in?
You may be held in contempt of court and you can be fined for failing to respond to a
jury service summons. We hope that you will reconsider. The jury system is an important
part of democracy in America. Rather than relying solely upon state employees (judges) to
decide the facts in a dispute, whether civil or criminal, our system of government relies
upon a group of citizens chosen from the community to make those decisions. The jury
system can only work well if jurors are chosen from a full cross-section of the people.
Because of this, we work hard to make sure that segments of our community are not excluded
from jury duty, whether through self-selection (i.e., failing to show up) or
otherwise.
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Even though I have received a Summons, is it possible that I will not be
required to come to court on the date shown?
Yes. Each week, some of the jury trials that are scheduled do not take place because
the cases have been settled, dismissed or otherwise resolved without the need for a jury
trial. We don’t know until late on the Friday afternoon before the Monday on which
you will be called to court how many jury trials scheduled for Monday will have settled or
otherwise been resolved. Often, this occurs at the last minute. For this reason, you
must follow the instructions on your jury summons and call on Friday evening or during
the weekend to see whether you need to appear on Monday morning.
To check on this, call (913) 715-3311 sometime between 5:00 p.m. on Friday and 7:30
a.m. on Monday morning. Listen to the recorded message and follow the instructions that
apply to your court number as listed on your summons. If the machine is inoperable,
you must proceed to report as summoned. The machine is not equipped to receive messages;
it is only for transmission of these messages to you.
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What happens to me if the recording tells me I don’t have to show up?
You will be automatically recalled at a later date. It is only after you have received
a summons and been required to attend court
for at least a day that you are excused from jury service for a one-year period.
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What is the pay for jury service and how is it set?
Jurors are paid $10 per day and 47¢ per mile for their service. These rates of
reimbursement are set by the Kansas Legislature. The $10 per day rate was established by
the Legislature in 1971 and has not been amended since that time.
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Does my employer have to pay me?
No, there is no Kansas law requiring employers to pay their employees while they are
serving on a jury. However, you cannot be fired from any permanent job on account of your
responding to a jury summons under Kansas law. Some employers do have policies under which
employees are paid their normal salary even while serving on a jury. You’ll need to
check with your employer about that.
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Can I be fired if I don’t show up for work when I’ve been summoned for
jury duty?
Kansas law provides that no employer may fire or threaten to fire any permanent
employee on account of the employee’s jury service or scheduled attendance in
connection with jury service (K.S.A.
43-173).
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Where do I park?
Parking is tight in downtown Olathe. Detailed information on parking is contained in
the packet that is sent to jurors with their jury summons. Please follow those directions.
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Johnson County District Courts