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Commonwealth of Massachusetts
OFFICE OF JURY COMMISSIONER
GRAND JUROR’S
HANDBOOK
You have been summoned for service as a grand
juror in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This
Handbook is intended to answer some of the most
common questions you may have. Additional
information is available on our website at
www.MAjury.gov.
Please read this Handbook carefully so that you will
be better prepared to serve as a grand juror.
If you are selected to serve, the judge will give you
additional instructions. In the event of a conflict,
you should always follow the judge’s instructions,
rather than the more general directions in this
Handbook.
(February 2014 Edition)
SPECIAL NOTE: This Large-Type Edition is
presented using the APHfont, created by
American Printing House for the Blind.
The court system is committed to treating all jurors
fairly and respectfully, regardless of race, color,
religious creed, national origin, sex, age, ancestry,
ability, or sexual orientation. If you feel that you
have experienced or witnessed discriminatory
treatment during your term of service, please
contact us at 1-800-THE-JURY (1-800-843-5879)
or at JurorHelp@jud.state.ma.us.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please visit our website at
www.MAjury.gov
or call our Juror Information Line: 1-800-THE-JURY
(1-800-843-5879) (within Massachusetts only)
or 617-338-6409 (out-of-state callers only)
Before Going to Court
WHO MUST SERVE
Civic responsibility: Grand jury duty is a civic
privilege and obligation that every citizen must
perform. Doctors, clergy, homemakers, police
officers - even judges and lawyers - must serve
when called. The judge may excuse some people
based on their individual circumstances, but in
general, grand jurors represent a cross section of
the community.
Grand jurors must be fair and impartial, and must
treat everyone equally regardless of race, color, or
creed. A grand jury is a group of 23 persons
working as a unit to hear evidence that is presented
by the prosecutor. Its function is to consider this
evidence, then decide if enough evidence exists to
indict (bring a criminal charge against) a person or
corporation. The grand jury does not decide the
guilt or innocence of the accused. Rather, it decides
if there is probable cause to bring the accused to
trial. Thus, the grand jury's work is a pre-trial
function of the court. No one grand juror's opinion,
background, or experience makes him or her more
qualified to serve than another. Remember, the
grand jury's verdict is a group decision, not the
decision of any single person.
Qualifications: All citizens who are 18 and over and
who are legal residents of Massachusetts, or who live
in the state for six months of the year or more, are
eligible for grand jury duty. You may be disqualified
if you meet one of the 10 statutory disqualifications
found in the “Grand Juror Instructions and
Information” brochure you received with your
Summons.
Exemptions: There are no exemptions from grand
jury service. Massachusetts law requires every
qualified citizen between the ages of 18 and 70 to
serve. (Those over age 70 may request a
disqualification, if desired.) Even residents of other
states (such as college students) must serve if they
live in Massachusetts for six months of the year or
more.
Accessibility: The Trial Court and the Office of Jury
Commissioner are committed to making juror
service as accessible as possible to the broadest
range of eligible jurors. For more information, please
visit our website at www.MAjury.gov and click on
“Accessibility.” You can also contact us at
JurorHelp@jud.state.ma.us or at 1-800-THE-JURY
(1-800-843-5879).
GENERAL INFORMATION
Reminder Notice — directions, parking, etc.: About
10 days before your date of service, you will receive
a Reminder Notice with a map, directions, and
information about parking, public transportation and
accessibility. Call the Juror Line the night before
your service to confirm that grand jurors are
reporting.
Confidential Juror Questionnaire: On the back of
your Reminder Notice you will find the Confidential
Juror Questionnaire (CJQ), which you must
complete and bring to the courthouse. The CJQ
helps the court and the parties decide who is best
suited to sit on the grand jury, and takes the place
of more detailed individual questioning of jurors.
Willful misrepresentation on the CJQ is a crime, so
you must be sure to complete the CJQ fully and
truthfully. CJQs are collected by the court after
impanelment and only the court personnel have
access to them. If you are not seated on a grand
jury, your CJQ is destroyed.
Confidential Financial Questionnaire: In the "Grand
Juror Instructions and Information" brochure you
received with your summons you will find the
Confidential Financial Questionnaire (CFQ), which
you must complete and bring to the courthouse.
The CFQ helps the court decide on your
compensation for grand jury service from the fourth
day of service on. Please see the section in this
Handbook entitled Compensation, and the CFQ
itself.
When to report, length of service: Check your
summons or Reminder Notice to find out what time
you must report for service (usually 9:00 a.m.).
The grand jury sits for a term of three (3) months.
However, the number of days you must report each
week varies greatly from county to county,
depending on the needs of the court. The
prosecutor will instruct you more precisely on your
first day of service. Grand jurors may report for
service for a few hours each day, or else for one to
three days each week, during the 3 month session.
On other days, grand jurors are not required to
attend. The term of your service may be extended
beyond the 3 month period if it is necessary to
finish hearing a particular matter.
Cancellations: Sometimes, the needs of the court
will change after the jurors have already been
summoned to appear. You may receive a
cancellation notice in the mail a few days or even
weeks before your service. If your service is
cancelled, you should report to work if you are
employed. Only those who are actually required to
appear at the courthouse receive credit for serving,
and are then disqualified for three years. We regret
the inconvenience to jurors who make plans to serve
and are then cancelled.
Employment issues: Your Massachusetts employer is
required to pay your salary for the first three days
of service, and cannot unreasonably interfere with
your jury service. You cannot be fired or penalized
for going to jury duty, and you cannot be required
to work a night shift during jury service. If you
have questions or problems related to your work,
call the Office of Jury Commissioner at 1-800-THE-
JURY (1-800-843-5879) and ask for the Legal
Department.
At the Courthouse
Hours: If you are impaneled on a grand jury, the
court will determine the scheduled hours your
particular grand jury will meet. The exact time is
printed on your summons and reminder notice, and
can be found on our website at www.MAjury.gov
under "Juror Courthouse Information." You will be
dismissed from the courthouse as soon as possible
after the court knows with certainty that jurors are
no longer needed.
What to bring: You should bring your completed
Confidential Juror Questionnaire (found on the back
of your Reminder Notice, and on our website), your
completed Confidential Financial Questionnaire
(found in the "Grand Juror Instructions and
Information" brochure you received with your
summons, and on our website), and your Summons
or Reminder Notice. Because you may have to wait
before being sent to a courtroom, you may want to
bring reading materials, work, or something else to
occupy your time. You should also bring a bottle of
water and money for snacks and lunch, or you can
carry these food items with you.
What not to bring: You will have to pass through a
security checkpoint to enter the courthouse, and
certain items are prohibited at some courthouses.
Call the courthouse to find out if cell phones,
laptops, cameras, knitting needles, or similar items
are permitted in the jury pool at that court.
Weapons are not allowed. You cannot bring children
or pets with you to jury service (although certified
service animals are allowed).
What to wear: Jurors consider serious matters of
great importance to the parties, and their clothing
and attitude should reflect an appreciation of the
serious nature of the cases. While business attire is
not required on the first day, you should dress
respectfully in clean, neat attire suitable for court.
Hardships: Remember that you have the right to
request a deferment of your service to a date that is
convenient for you up to a year from the date you
were originally summoned. Prospective grand jurors
may request deferment of their service to either
January, April, July, or October, as most grand juries
are convened only during those months. You should
try to resolve any hardships by picking a date that
will minimize any inconvenience and allow you to
meet your civic obligation. You will also have an
opportunity to speak to a judge before being
impaneled on a grand jury. If you have a hardship
that prevents you from serving, you can explain it
to the judge and ask to be excused.
Only a judge can excuse you from jury duty: If you
have a problem that must be resolved before you
are considered for impanelment (such as an urgent
medical issue), tell the court officials when you
arrive. If you are in the rare situation where coming
to the courthouse is itself a severe hardship, explain
your circumstances in writing and mail your request
to us at Office of Jury Commissioner, 560 Harrison
Avenue, Boston, MA 02118.
If You Are Impaneled
How the grand jury operates: On the first day of
service, a large group of prospective grand jurors
will appear at a designated courthouse as scheduled.
From this group, a total of 23 persons will be chosen
to form the grand jury. Alternates may be selected
in case a grand juror must be replaced due to illness
or emergency. The grand jury elects its own
foreperson and clerk to assist in the proceedings.
The grand jury will hear evidence presented by the
prosecutor. The judge and the prosecutor will
explain the proceedings in greater detail. The judge
and prosecutor will also explain your responsibilities
if you are selected to sit on a grand jury. The
members of the grand jury evaluate the evidence
and work together to determine if there is enough
to indict someone for a crime. The prosecutor will
guide the conduct of the proceedings, calling
witnesses and presenting evidence.
Do not communicate with anyone about the grand
jury proceedings, even with your fellow jurors or
your family. Do not use online social media to share
or read information about the proceedings of the
grand jury. Do not look for information about any of
the cases outside the courtroom, or use the internet
to do research about the cases or the people
involved For more information about Grand Jury
Service, in them.
Discussing the cases before and after your grand
jury service: As a sitting grand juror, you must
remain fair and impartial at all times. You should
not talk to anyone about the cases brought before
you, even your family. The proceedings of the grand
jury are confidential and must remain that way,
even after your service is completed. If anyone
starts to talk about any of the cases you have
considered, you should interrupt and tell them that
you are a grand juror and cannot hear any
discussion about the case outside the grand jury
room. If necessary, tell the prosecutor what
happened.
Compensation for the first three days of your grand
juror service: Your Massachusetts employer is
required by law to pay your regular wages for the
first three days of jury service. Know your
company’s policy before reporting for jury service.
Self-employed jurors must compensate themselves
for the first three days of service unless they can
demonstrate extreme financial hardship to the
judge. Travel expenses for employed jurors are not
reimbursed.
Reimbursement: Generally, jurors are not
reimbursed for expenses. If you are a student or not
employed, you may be reimbursed for reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses (excluding food) incurred
during the first three days of jury service, up to a
maximum of $50 per day. You must request a
reimbursement form from the court officer as soon
as possible. You may have to explain your expenses
to the judge.
Compensation from the fourth day onward: If you
are on the grand jury for more than three days, the
state will pay you $50 per day after the third day.
Many employers will compensate an employee even
after the third day so that the employee will not
suffer financial loss because of juror service. It is
very important that you complete the Confidential
Financial Questionnaire form and bring it with you
when you appear. More details about compensation
from the fourth day onward will be given to you if
you are impaneled on a grand jury.
Proof of service: The Office of Jury Commissioner
provides grand juror service certificates to those
who have performed grand juror service, generally
within one to two weeks. The certificate includes a
copy for your employer. You should give your
employer this copy of the certificate as soon as you
receive it. The certificates are issued on a weekly
basis.
After You Serve
When your term as a grand juror is completed:
Unless ordered or authorized by the court, no
person has the authority to question you about your
work as a grand juror. Unless otherwise ordered or
authorized by the court, you must not reveal the
names of the other grand jurors, how any juror
voted at any point, or any of the discussions or
other sensitive matters that occurred during your
secret deliberations. If anyone should seek
information to harass or embarrass you or another
grand juror or to seek to learn what occurred in the
privacy of your deliberations, you should report this
to the court immediately. It is very important that
the integrity of our jury system be maintained.
In Case of Emergency
Weather emergencies: Court is rarely cancelled due
to weather or other public emergency, but jurors’
safety always takes priority. Depending on the
circumstances, court cancellations will be announced
on the Juror Line phone number listed on your
Reminder Notice, on our website at
www.MAjury.gov, on the Trial Court website at
www.mass.gov/courts, and/or on local radio and
television stations.
If you cannot appear for your first day of service: If
you cannot report for service as scheduled you can
postpone your service on our website at
www.MAjury.gov. You will need the Badge Number
and PIN from your Summons or Reminder Notice,
and your ZIP Code. You can also call us at 1-800-
THE-JURY (843-5879) for assistance.
If you need to attend to an emergency while you
are at the courthouse: A judge can excuse you from
jury service at any time. In an emergency, you may
be contacted via the District Attorney's Office. The
person in charge of the grand jury will provide this
number to you on your first day of service. You
should also use this number if you cannot attend on
a scheduled meeting day.
Legal Terms
AFFIDAVIT - a written declaration or statement of
facts, made voluntarily, and confirmed by oath or
affirmation.
DEFENDANT - the person defending or denying; the
accused in a criminal case.
GRAND JURY - a body of citizens whose duties
consist of determining whether probable cause
exists that a crime has been committed and
whether an indictment should be returned against
one for such a crime. Its function does not include
determination of guilt.
INDICTMENT - an accusation in writing presented
by a grand jury, charging that a person has done
some act, or been guilty of some omission, which by
law is a public offense. An indictment is referred to
as a "true bill," and a refusal to indict is called a "no
bill." An indictment is only an accusation. Its sole
purpose is to identify the defendant's alleged
offense, and it is not evidence that the offense
charged was committed or that the person charged
committed that offense.
PRESENTMENT - the formal delivery of indictments
and no bills to a judge in open court session in the
presence of all members of the grand jury.
PROBABLE CAUSE - reasonable cause; an apparent
state of facts found to exist upon presentation of
evidence to members of the grand jury that would
lead a reasonably intelligent and prudent person
tobelieve that the accused person has committed
the crime charged.
PROSECUTOR - one who commences an
investigation by making an affidavit charging a
named person with an offense on which a warrant is
issued, or an indictment or information is based.
The prosecutor may be the Attorney General,
Assistant Attorney General, the District Attorney, or
an Assistant District Attorney.
You can complete the
Grand Juror Confirmation Form
online at
www.MAjury.gov
You will need your Badge Number and PIN,
located above your name on the Summons,
and your ZIP Code.
You will be guided through the process.
