If I Serve as a Juror in Monmouth County Nj How Long Before I Get Called Again
In the American court system, criminal defendants are guaranteed the right to trial by a "jury of their peers". In New Jersey, a pool of potential jurors is randomly selected from the local population of individuals eligible for jury duty.
A prospective juror must be:
- A citizen of the United States
- A resident of the county in which the person is summoned
- 18 years of age or older
- Able to read and understand the English language
- Not convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of State of New Jersey, another state, or the United States
- not be mentally or physically disabled in a way which will prevent the person from properly serving as a juror
How Are Potential Jurors Chosen in New Jersey?
The first stage in jury selection is summoning a pool of potential jurors from the list of local citizens eligible to serve on a jury in New Jersey, as described above.
Juror source list is compiled by the county Assignment Judge at least once a year or more, and is comprised of registered voters, licensed drivers, filers of State gross income tax returns and filers of homestead rebate or credit application forms. When lists are merged, reasonable effort is taken to eliminate duplication of names. List may be expanded to include other eligible jurors as deemed appropriate.
Receiving a Jury Duty Summons in New Jersey
If your name is randomly selected for the jury pool through the process described above, you receive a jury summons in the mail instructing you to appear for jury selection on a pre-set day.
While there are a few excuses for getting out of jury selection in NJ, most people summoned will have to report to the courthouse for the next stage of the juror selection process, voir dire.
The Juror Selection Process, or "Voir Dire"
Just because you qualify to be a juror and are summoned for jury selection, doesn't mean that you will be selected to be a juror on a case. The process of "Voir Dire", the actual act of jury selection, is how judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors actually choose the individuals who will sit on the juries for upcoming criminal and civil cases.
During the voir dire process, each lawyer will ask the pool of potential jurors a series of questions about their background, beliefs, prejudices, or relationships with any party to the case. While the goal is to select an impartial jury to render a verdict, each attorney will also seek to exclude any jurors who seem to be more likely to vote against their client's interests. While jury candidates are instructed to be open and truthful when answering such questions, the juror selection process is also where most individuals who don't wish to serve on a trial find a way to be excused from further juror duties.
What Happens After Jury Selection Day
If you are selected to serve on a jury, you will be provided with the trial date, and must return to serve on the jury for the duration of the trial and deliberations. If you were not selected to serve on any jury during the voir dire process, you can go home, and your New Jersey jury duty obligations are complete.
You will receive nominal New Jersey jury duty pay for the jury selection day, as well as for any days served on a jury. Once your service is complete, you won't be summoned for jury duty again until New Jersey re-adds you to the potential juror pool.
Jurors reporting for jury duty or jury selection in the state of New Jersey are expected to dress professionally, in a manner appropriate for a court room.
Most courthouses suggest dress ranging from business casual to business attire. For men, this means slacks or khakis and a polo or button-down shirt, potentially with a tie or suit jacket. For women, this means a professional-looking pair of pants or a skirt, cardigan, sweater, twinset, or shirt.
As a juror, you are expected to maintain a professional and respectable appearance while performing your duties. Hats should never be worn in a courtroom, and you should avoid wearing shorts, t-shirts, tanktops, or anything printed with logos or slogans.
While jury duty is a civic requirement for all eligible citizens in New Jersey, the state restricts how often you can be summoned for jury duty in order to ensure a fresh jury pool and prevent undue hardship by being summoned too frequently.
New Jersey Jury Duty Summons Frequency:
Potential jurors in New Jersey may be selected once every three years.
While there are a number of ways to be legally excused from jury duty in New Jersey, failing to appear when summoned for jury selection or jury duty without an excuse is illegal, and can result in legal repercussions.
Prospective jurors failing to appear may be fined $500 payable to the summoning county and/or may be punished for contempt of court.
Employers in New Jersey are also forbidden from penalizing employees who miss work for jury duty.
Source: https://www.juryduty101.com/states/new-jersey
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