- Jurors must meet certain requirements in order to serve on a jury.Legal Law Justice image by Stacey Alexander from Fotolia.com
Jury trials are an important part of our American judicial system. Jurors must meet a certain set of requirements to be eligible for jury duty. The requirements may differ according to the kind of jury panel being seated, but all jurors must be U.S. citizens. The jury summons lists the requirements and exemptions for jury service. - The juror must be a U.S. citizen. Non-citizens, regardless of whether they are here legally or not, are not eligible to serve on a jury. You do not need to be registered to vote in order to serve.
- Jurors must be able to read and write and to understand English. The jury may need to review court documents during the course of the trial, and jurors who cannot read and write will not be able to complete this task. In most instances, U.S. courts are conducted in English, but the court may provide an interpreter for the defendant and for witnesses.
- Jury requirements state that the juror must be at least 18 years old. Senior citizens over the age of 75 may claim an exemption and be excused from jury service in some areas.
- The juror must live in the same area as the court. Some areas require that the juror must have lived in the area for a specific length of time and others do not.
- The court requires that jurors must be of moral character and sound mind. Juror candidates who have been convicted of a felony, who are currently indicted for a felony, or who have been indicted for certain crimes like theft are not eligible for jury service.
previous post
next post