Welcome to jury duty in
Madison County District Court. We will do all that we can to make you
comfortable and answer any questions you might have as you fulfill this
very important civic duty.
How was I chosen as a
juror?
Jurors are chosen at
random from current lists of persons age 19 or older, living in Madison
County, Nebraska, and are either registered voters, licensed drivers or
holders of a state-issued I.D. card. Some people are chosen several
times during their lifetime, others are never chosen.
What can I expect as
a prospective juror?
If you are a prospective
juror, you will have received a summons requiring you to appear for jury
duty during the next jury term of the Madison County District Court.
Please call the jury message on the date indicated in the summons, and
listen to the entire message. You may not have to appear on the
following day. This is because cases scheduled for trial will, on
occasion, settle prior to the trial date. Likewise, it is possible that
cases scheduled for trial will, by necessity, be continued. Whenever
cases scheduled for trial are settled or continued, this office will
provide you with notice at the earliest possible opportunity. Generally
jury panels serve for one month only. During that time there may be one
or several jury trials. The recorded jury message will keep you
informed.
You are one of a larger
panel that has been summoned for jury duty during this term of court.
From this larger panel a jury of twelve persons will be selected to
serve as jurors in a given case. On occasion, one or two additional
alternate jurors may also be selected. Generally the panel of twelve is
chosen the morning of the trial; at that point, those who have not been
selected are excused and may leave.
When you report for jury
duty, please check in at the District Court office located on the north
end of the courthouse. The jury selection process, as a general rule,
will last through the morning. However, this might vary depending on the
nature of the case. After jury selection has been completed, those
members of the panel who are not chosen as jurors or alternates will be
excused and will be notified and reminded when the next jury trial is
scheduled. Again, you will be asked to call the jury telephone number
for a recorded message prior to appearing for that trial.
Generally, trials in the
District Court average approximately two or three days to complete. This
is only a general rule of thumb, and the trial of any given case may
require more or less time to complete. During the jury selection process
the judge will usually indicate and estimate the length of time expected
to complete the trial.
A prospective juror is
required by law to appear for jury duty on all dates summoned. The judge
may excuse a juror only upon showing of undue hardship, extreme
inconvenience, or public necessity. Strict proof of undue hardship,
extreme inconvenience or public necessity will be required by the judge.
Jurors are rarely excused because of work obligations. If you need to
make a request to be excused from jury duty, you must make a written
application for postponement. The judge will then review your request
and you will be advised of his decision. Students will need to provide
proof of full-time status from the Registrar’s Office before they are
excused.
You will be paid $35 per
day, plus mileage at the statutory rate. With regard to employers, the
law provides that any person summoned for jury duty shall not be subject
to discharge from employment, loss of pay, loss of sick leave, loss of
vacation time, or any other form of penalty as a result of a prospective
juror’s absence from employment due to such jury duty.
Our office will try to
make your jury service informative and pleasant. If you have any
questions, please feel free to call our office at 402-454-3311, ext. 140
or email us at
marjorie.schaffer@nebraska.gov.
