Jury Service is one of the highest duties of citizenship and it is an
essential element of our democratic society. Citizens selected as
jurors participate in a decision-making process in order to reach a
verdict or decision of guilt or innocence in both civil and criminal
cases. Service as a juror provides an interesting opportunity for
citizens to learn more about our system of justice and how it works.
Nearly 100,000 citizens are called to duty in Philadelphia each year.
Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions
About Jury Service.
SUMMONS
Each year, summonses are mailed to Philadelphia residents using a
combined list of all registered voters and adult licensed drivers. If
you receive a summons, you are required by law to complete the
questionnaire portion, with all questions truthfully answered, and
return it the Jury Commission within five days. If you fail to respond
to your Jury Summons, the law provides for the imposition of a fine
not to exceed $500 and imprisonment not to exceed 10 days. The
completed questionnaire should be returned to the Jury Selection
Commission, Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert Street, Room 204,
Philadelphia, PA 19107.
On April 5, 1999, the Qualifying Questionnaire for Prospective
Juror and the Summons to Report for Jury Service was combined
into one piece of mail. The two-step process of first receiving a
questionnaire and waiting to be qualified before receiving your summons
with your date to report, was replaced by a one-step mailing process.
Qualifying and summoning is combined into one-step.
In order to qualify for jury service, you must meet the following
requirements:
You must be able to read, write, and speak the English language.
You must not have been convicted of a crime punishable by
imprisonment for more than one year.
You must be physically and mentally able to perform the functions
of a juror.
You must be a United States citizen at the time you are summoned.
You must be a Philadelphia resident and at least 18 years of age.
If you are not mentally or physically able to serve as a juror,
provide medical certification in the remarks section of the
questionnaire. If you are requesting to be excused for a job related
reason, your employer should certify the hardship in the remarks
section.
If you are no longer a resident of the City and County of
Philadelphia, please indicate your new address in the remarks section.
You are not be required to report.
POSTPONEMENT AND HARDSHIP:
If you wish to request a postponement or need to be excused from jury
service for an extreme hardship, you must indicate the reason for your
request in the remarks section of your summons. You should also
indicate a date within the next 4-5 months you will be available to
serve. If you are 70 years or older, you are invited to serve, but not
required. To be excused, please put your request in the
“Remarks” section and return.
Remember, the completed questionnaire with this information in the
remarks section should be returned within five days of receipt to the
Jury Selection Commission, 1301 Filbert Street, Room 204,
Philadelphia, PA 19107. You may also fax the document to 215-683-7183.
If you have already completed and returned your questionnaire and find
you need to request a postponement, call the Commission at
215-683-7170, and use the interactive voice response system, Option 4,
to request your postponement. You will receive step by step
instructions.
When you call the Commission, you should have your nine-digit ID
number available. That number appears in a yellow highlighted box on
your summons.
You may check the status of a postponement or hardship request by
calling the Commission at 215-683-7170 and choosing Option 4.
REPORTING FOR JURY DUTY
The number of jurors needed for jury duty changes daily. Between 5 PM
and 12 midnight the night before you are scheduled to report, you
should call the Jury Commission at 215-683-7170 for special reporting
instructions. When you call, select Option 2, Juror Call-In. Remember,
you should have your nine-digit ID# available. Your ID# appears in a
yellow highlighted box on your summons.
You will be told whether you should or should not report for service.
If you are told you are not required to appear, your name will be
removed from the mailing list for another year. If you are told not to
report for jury duty but you have made special arrangements to appear,
please feel free to come in.
Read your summons carefully. On the day you report, your summons
instructs you to report at 8:15 AM to either City Hall or the Criminal
Justice Center. You must bring your original summons with you when you
report for service. Do not give your original summons to your
employer. Proof of service will be attached to your jury fee check and
given to you at the end of the day. Please remember, weapons,
including pen knives, cutting instruments, pepper gas and mace are not
permitted in the building. These items will be confiscated and not
returned. Cellular phones are not permitted in the Criminal Justice
Center.
The Court encourages citizens to take advantage of public transportation.
Visit the SEPTA website for information on how to arrive at the Criminal Justice Center via public transportation.
In accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act, any person with a disability needing
special help to serve on jury duty should contact the Jury Information
Line at 215-683-7170 and speak to a jury representative.
JURY SERVICE IN THE COURTHOUSE
Jury panels are assembled throughout the day
in the Jury Assembly Rooms in City Hall and the Criminal Justice
Center. Before you are assembled into panels, you will view an
orientation video, complete a questionnaire and be assigned a badge
and juror number.
After you are placed on a panel, you will be escorted to a courtroom
for questioning by the judge, attorneys, and/or court staff. This is
called the voir dire process. Questions are asked to determine if you
are well suited to sit as a juror for the case in question. Jurors not
selected will be directed back to the Jury Assembly Room for possible
reassignment to another courtroom.
For jurors in the Assembly Room, a lunch period is given between 12
Noon and 1:30 PM. For those jurors who are in a courtroom, a lunch
break is determined by the presiding judge.
By 4:30, jurors in the Assembly Room who have not been assigned to a
case and those who have not been instructed to report back for a
second day of questioning, are given a jury fee check and dismissed.
Currently, the fee paid to jurors is $9.00 for each of the first three
days and $25.00 for each following day. Proof of completed service is
attached to the jury fee check. Those who are selected to serve on a
panel are paid when their service is completed.
Jury Selection Commission
Criminal Justice Center
1301 Filbert Street
Room 204
Philadelphia, PA 19107
The information listed below refers only to the FJD Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia and not to the United States District Court located at 6th & Market Sts. in Philadelphia, PA. If you are not a Philadelphia resident, you will need to contact U.S. District Court (267) 299-7299.
In accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act, any person with a disability needing
special help to serve on jury duty should contact the Jury Information
Line at 215-683-7170 and speak to a jury representative.
Jury panels are assembled throughout the day
in the Jury Assembly Rooms in City Hall and the Criminal Justice
Center. Before you are assembled into panels, you will view an
orientation video, complete a questionnaire and be assigned a badge
and juror number.
