Selection and Service
You have been randomly selected by computer to serve as a trial juror. The selection of persons for jury service is accomplished by randomly drawing names from the list of registered voters and the Department of Motor Vehicles driver's license and identification card list for San Francisco. The law requires a fair cross-section of each county's qualified residents to be available each day for jury duty. Random summoning enhances juror impartiality. There is no attempt to deliberately inconvenience anyone.
Exemption
There is no statutory exemption for any occupation except certain categories of peace officers. However, a juror may be disqualified for service for various reasons, such as citizenship, residency, or prior service within the past 12 months. A juror may also ask to be excused for various reasons, such as financial hardship or the need to provide care to another person. The Summons and Response Form explain how to inform the Court that you are not qualified to serve and how to request to be excused.
Request For Postponement (Rescheduling Your Service)
In order to accommodate your schedule, you may postpone, or reschedule, the start of your jury service once to a more convenient time. The postponement cannot exceed 6 months. You may postpone your service over the phone by calling the Jury Office at 415-551-3608, entering your badge number (located on the juror badge area of the summons), and following the instructions for postponement. You may also postpone your service by completing Box A of the Response Form, signing and dating the form, and returning it to the Court in the enveloped provided.
Request to be Excused or Disqualified
Excuses from service may be granted in specific circumstances. If you want to request to be excused, read the excuse and disqualification options on the Response Form (on the back of the summons). Requests for excuse or disqualification must be received in writing and cannot be accepted over the phone. To request excuse or disqualification, complete the appropriate boxes on the Response Form, sign and date the form, and return to the Court in the envelope provided. You will be notified by mail only if your excuse is denied. To check on the status of your request, you may call the automated system at 415-551-3608 and enter your badge number.
Failure to Respond to a Jury Summons
If you fail to appear, you will be subject to a fine or imprisonment pursuant to section 209 of the california code of civil procedure. Section 209 requires the Jury Commissioner to pursue non-respondents. If you receive a Notice of Failure to Appear, you must contact the Jury Office at 415-551-3608 within 10 business days to reschedule your service or to explain why you cannot serve as a juror.
Juror Service; Notice to Employer; Right to Time Off
Section 230(a) of the Labor Code states, "No employer shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against an employee for taking time off to serve as required by law on an inquest or trial jury, if such employee, prior to taking such time off, gives reasonable notice to the employer of the requirement to serve."
Whether you will be paid by your employer while serving on a jury is up to your employer.
If you are employed, you are expected to return to work or to notify your employer any day, or days, that you are not required to report to jury service.
Persons with Disabilities
The Court provides reasonable accommodations for jurors with disabilities. Those requesting an accommodation or requiring hearing assistance are asked to contact the Jury Office at the phone number printed on the summons within 7 days of receiving a summons. The Court is able to provide a wide range of accommodations, including assistive listening devices, sign language interpreters, and real-time captioning.
General Information
Juror Fees
Jurors are paid $2.50 mileage plus $15.00 jury fee for second and subsequent days of service. Jurors who are government employees are not entitled to receive the $15 jury fee, consistent with the Code of Civil Procedure §215, but may choose to receive the $2.50 mileage fee. Any juror can choose to waive the mileage and/or jury fee. Jurors are paid twice per month, on the 15th and last business day of the month.
Proof of Jury Service For Employer
You will be able to obtain a daily work certification slip to give to your employer at the end of each day's Court session. You may also request service verification on the automated system at 415-551-3608.
Security
When you enter the Courthouse, you are required to go through a metal detector. Your handbag, briefcase, backpack, and any containers may be x-rayed or hand-searched. Items like scissors, pocket knives, and weapons are not allowed. If you have such items, or any other item considered to be unacceptable, you will not be allowed to enter the Courthouse.
Parking
The court does not reimburse prospective jurors for parking. Parking garages are located near the courthouse. The rate for parking at these garages range from approximately $6.00 to $13.00 per day. A list of parking garages in the courthouse area is available by contacting the jury office by phone and in the group information section of this Web site.
Smoking
The Courthouse is a smoke free facility. It is necessary to go outside and away from the building if you wish to smoke.
Breaks and Lunch
While assigned to the assembly room, you may take a break at any time. You should always advise the clerk before leaving the assembly room and check in with the clerk when returning. Lunch is usually at 12:00 noon, with an hour lunch break. You can obtain a list of restaurants in the area from the jury assembly room.
Dress Code
Proper attire is required. Dress as if you were going to a business meeting. Ties and business suits are not required. Please do not wear tank tops, shorts, beach sandals, etc. Temperatures in the Court facilities can vary. Please dress accordingly.
Miscellaneous
Due to the nature of jury service and the court process itself, there are often periods of waiting. You may wish to bring work or some reading material to the jury assembly room to occupy the time until you are called to the courtroom. The assembly room is equipped with phone jacks for your laptops. When you report, you should plan to be at the court for the entire day, until 5:00 p.m.
