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The Courts start new juries each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Trials usually last one, two or three days. You will be advised of the length of the trial by the judge when you are sent to court for jury selection.

To find out if your Group Number is called to report for Jury Duty, please call (317) 327-4929 beginning Sunday evening after 5:00 p.m., the week you are scheduled.

A recording will announce what groups are required to report to the Public Assembly Room by 8:00 a.m. the next morning.

If your group number is not called to report for Monday, call Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings to see if your Group Number is called for another day that week.

1.  Do I qualify for jury service, how can I be excused, how can I claim an exemption? Can I request a deferral? What if I'm a single parent, a sole proprietor, a doctor, or an over-the-road driver?

2. What if I have a hardship on the date I am summoned?  

3. Am I paid for being a juror?

4. What if I have lost my summons?

5. What is the difference between a grand jury and a petit jury?

6. How did you get my name?  

7. Why are some people summoned several times and others are never chosen?

8. What if I just don't show up?

9. Do you pay for parking?

 

1.  Do I qualify for jury service, how can I be excused, how can I claim an exemption? Can I request a deferral? What if I'm a single parent, a sole proprietor, a doctor, or an over-the-road driver?

  • Re-reading your summons will answer many of your questions.

  • You may be excused from jury duty by mail if you do not qualify or if you claim an exemption.

  • You may NOT be excused by telephone.

  • Instructions for disqualifying or claiming an exemption are below.

  • The reasons for which you may be disqualified or exempted have been established by State law and are listed on your summons. Please read them for directions.

  • To Qualify for Jury Service you must be:
    • A citizen of the United States
    • Over the age of eighteen
    • A resident of Marion County
    • Able to read, write, speak and understand the English language
  • You can be disqualified if:
    • You have a physical or mental disability that would interfere with or prevent jury service
    • You are under a sentence imposed for an offense
    • You have served as a juror in Marion County in the past 2 years
    • You are under a guardianship due to a mental incapacity

Any other reason for which you would like to be excused from jury duty WILL BE ADDRESSED BY THE JUDGE THE DAY YOU APPEAR FOR JURY SELECTION. Only the Judge is able to release you from jury duty, if you are not otherwise disqualified or if you cannot claim an exemption.

2. What if I have a hardship on the date I am summoned?

  • Requesting a Deferral May Help You if you have a conflict or a hardship on the date you have been asked to appear.
  • You may request a one-time postponement of jury service by checking the appropriate box on your summons and filling in a month when you would be able to appear. You must list a month within the next year when you would be available to serve.

3. Am I paid for being a juror?

  • Jurors who appear for Jury Duty are paid $15.00 a day plus mileage based on the farthest point in your zip code.
  • For actually serving on a jury, jurors are paid $40.00 a day plus mileage.
  • Checks are mailed approximately 3 to 4 weeks after serving.

4. What if I have lost my summons?

  • If you have lost your summons, you will be provided with your bar code when you appear for jury duty.

5. What is the difference between a grand jury and a petit jury?

  • In Marion County, Grand juries are convened every three months to determine whether or not sufficient facts and evidence exist to file charges. Grand jurors serve for a three-month period in Marion County.
  • Each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Petit juries are convened in Marion County to decide questions of fact in civil and criminal cases and to reach decisions in conjunction with those findings. In Marion County these juries consist of either 6 or 12 persons plus alternates. Normally these trials last only one, two or three days.

6. How did you get my name?

  • The law allows the use of many different sources.
  • Currently Marion County is using Indiana driver's licenses, State IDs and Department of Revenue databases.
  • While being a Marion County driver is not a qualification for being a juror, those are the sources from which names are chosen.

7. Why are some people summoned several times and others are never chosen?

  • Because of the random selection process, some names are selected more than others.

8. What if I just don't show up?

  • A person who fails to respond to a summons may be ordered by the Court to immediately appear and show cause for the person's failure to comply with the summons.
  • If the person fails to show good cause for noncompliance with the summons, the person is guilty of criminal contempt and upon conviction may be fined:
    • not more than one hundred dollars ($100)
    • or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than three (3) days,
    • or both.

9. Do you pay for parking?

  • At this time parking is the juror's responsibility.