Here is the text we could read:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
OFFICE OF JURY COMMISSIONER
JUROR
INSTRUCTIONS
AND
INFORMATION
Our jury system is fundamental to
the fair administration of justice in
the Commonwealth. By respond-
ing to your summons - whether or
not you are eligible to serve - you
are contributing to the cause of
justice and the preservation of our
democracy. Thank you for your
participation.
- Chief Justice iKimberly Budd
Supreme Judicial Court
Information About:
Completing the Juror Confirmation Form
Qualifications and Disqualifications
Postponements and Transfers
Parents, Students, Self-Employed Jurors
Accessibility
Compensation
......
YOU CAN RESPOND ONLINE
OR GET MORE INFORMATION AT
www.MAjury.gov
R E A S O N S f o r D I S Q U A L I F I C AT I O N
Read through these disqualifications before completing the Juror Confirmation Form, even if you believe you
are qualified.
Respond Online: Complete the Juror Confirmation Form online at www.MAjury.gov. Your Badge
Number and PIN, located on your summons, will be required to log in.
Respond by Mail: You must provide details at #2A
and #2B on the Juror Confirmation Form.
These are the disqualifications allowed by law. Please visit our website at www.MAjury.gov or fill in the circle at #2A
on the Juror Confirmation Form that corresponds to the number listed below.
(Example: if you are under 18, fill in the circle marked “3” at #2A, and write your birth date at #2B)
REASON 1:
YOU ARE NOT A U.S. CITIZEN
Provide your alien card identification number, visa status, or
any other pertinent information.
REASON 2:
YOU ARE AGE 70 OR OLDER & CHOOSE NOT TO SERVE
Provide your date of birth.
REASON 3:
YOU ARE UNDER AGE 18
Provide your date of birth.
REASON 4:
YOU CANNOT SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND ENGLISH
Provide your primary language.
REASON 5:
YOU HAVE MOVED PERMANENTLY OUTSIDE THE COUNTY
Provide your new address.
REASON 6:
YOU ARE LIVING FULL-TIME OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY AND
WILL NOT RETURN AT ANY TIME FOR MORE THAN 1 YEAR
Provide a brief explanation, e.g., active military service, med-
ical internship. Include your out-of-state address.
REASON 7:
YOU WERE CONVICTED OF A FELONY WITHIN THE PAST 7
YEARS, OR ARE CURRENTLY CHARGED WITH A FELONY,
OR ARE CURRENTLY IN CUSTODY
Provide the specific charge and date of conviction, if appli-
cable. If in doubt, check with the court to learn if your charge
or conviction was for a felony or a misdemeanor.
REASON 8:
YOU APPEARED FOR JURY SERVICE WITHIN THE PAST 3
YEARS, OR ARE CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR JUROR
SERVICE ON ANOTHER SUMMONS
Provide the date(s) and place(s) of prior or currently sched-
uled jury service. Note: This does not include jurors who
were previously summoned but were cancelled by mail or
phone and were not required to appear at court.
REASON 9:
YOU ARE PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY INCAPABLE
OF PERFORMING JURY DUTY
Provide a note from a doctor or Christian Science Practitioner
describing the nature of your illness or disability. The note must
(1) be written on letterhead and include your Badge Number;
(2) state the nature of the disability (the specific diagnosis or con-
dition is not required); and (3) include the physician's opinion that
such disability prevents you from rendering satisfactory jury serv-
ice. If the disability is permanent, the note must include the
physician's opinion that the disability will permanently prevent
you from rendering satisfactory jury service. Guidelines: A per-
son shall be capable of performing jury duty if he or she can per-
form a sedentary job requiring close attention for 6 hours a day,
with breaks in the morning and afternoon, for 3 consecutive days.
REASON 10:
YOU ARE THE PRIMARY CAREGIVER FOR A PERMANENTLY DIS-
ABLED PERSON WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE SAME HOUSEHOLD
Provide a note from a doctor or Christian Science Practitioner
describing the kind of care you provide and the doctor's opinion
on the risk to the health of the disabled person if you are absent.
If you respond online, please note that
Disqualification Reasons 9 & 10 will not be processed until a doctor’s note is received.
49620 REVISED CC2020.indd 1
12/2/21 11:31 AM
A F E W T H I N G S T O K N O W A B O U T J U RY D U T Y. . .
Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S
To be a juror, you must be a U.S.
citizen, 18 years of age or older, and speak
and understand English.
You must live in the county in which you
have been called to serve, and you cannot
have served in the last 3 years.
Please review the
Reasons For Disqualification
on the back for more information.
CALL BEFORE REPOR TIN G FOR SERVICE
Your Reminder Notice will instruct you to call the Juror Line
at your court on the day before your service, to learn if
you must report. Unless the Juror Line states that your
group is cancelled, you must appear as scheduled, resched-
ule online, or call the Office of Jury Commissioner at 1-800-
THE-JURY (843-5879). If you appear without calling, and
your service was cancelled, you will not get credit for serv-
ing.
P O S T P O N E M E N T
You may postpone your date of service to any available day
up to a year from your original date. You can select your
own date online and be confirmed immediately. You can
also request a date at #4 on the Juror Confirmation Form: if
the date you select is unavailable, you will be scheduled for
the next available court date. You should choose a date no
more than 11 months from your original date, in case you
must postpone again.
H A R D S H I P T R A N S F E R
If necessary, you can request a hardship transfer to another
court within your county. You must have a serious hardship
that prevents you from appearing at your original court.
Inconvenience and distance are not eligible hardships.
Briefly explain your hardship online, or at #3 on the Juror
Confirmation Form.
M A P & D I R E C T I O N S
You will receive a map and directions to the courthouse about
ten days before you are to serve. Maps, directions, and other
information about your courthouse are also available online.
C O M P E N S A T I O N
By law, your Massachusetts employer must pay you for
work hours you miss during the first three days of jury serv-
ice. This applies to all employees: full-time, part-time, tem-
porary and casual. Failure to compensate employees is a
crime. From the fourth day on, the Commonwealth pays all
jurors $50 per day. Some employers will continue to pay
wages to seated jurors even after the third day: check with
your employer.
N I G H T S H I F T W O R K E R S
Night shift workers cannot be required to work past midnight
of the night before their first day of jury service. You also
cannot be required to work if you are impaneled on a trial.
You cannot be required to work on your last day of service if
you are released by the court after 4 pm.
R E S I D E N T S / I N H A B I T A N T S / STUDENTS
Regardless of whether you are a registered voter, you are
qualified to serve if you are a resident of a county OR an
inhabitant of a county for more than 50% of the time.
Examples: (1) Students who study in Massachusetts
(inhabitants) must serve, even if they are residents of anoth-
er state; (2) Students who live in one Massachusetts coun-
ty (residents) but study in another (inhabitants) can be sum-
moned to serve in either county; (3) Massachusetts resi-
dents who study out of state must serve in their home coun-
ty when they return to Massachusetts.
S T U D E N T S / P A R E N T S / C H I L D C A R E
There are no exemptions from jury service. Everyone is eli-
gible, including students and parents of young children.
Only a judge can excuse you from service for hardship.
If
you are seeking to be excused for hardship, you must report
to the courthouse on your scheduled date of service and
speak with a judge. Remember: you can postpone your
service to minimize conflicts with your academic schedule,
childcare responsibilities, or other personal issues.
H E A L T H
If you are ill or disabled, you may postpone your service,
transfer to an accessible location, or request a disqualifica-
tion by providing a doctor's certification. See REASONS
FOR DISQUALIFICATION, REASON 9 on the other side of
this brochure.
YOU CAN RESPOND TO THE JUROR CONFIRMATION FORM ONLINE at
www.MAjury.gov
A G E
If you are 70 or older, you may choose to serve or not. If you
choose not to serve, please complete the Juror Confirmation
Form online, or by mail as follows: #2A: fill in Circle 2.
#2B: provide your date of birth. #7: sign your name, and
mail. If you are under 18, follow the same procedure but fill
in Circle 3.
S E L F - E M P L O Y E D
There are no occupational exemptions from jury service.
Everyone is eligible, including the self-employed. Only a
judge can excuse you from service for hardship. If you are
seeking to be excused for hardship, you must report to the
courthouse on your scheduled date of service and speak
with a judge. You can postpone, but self-employment does
not qualify you for a hardship transfer.
F E L O N Y C O N V I C T I O N
If you have been convicted of a felony within the last 7 years,
or are currently charged with a felony, or are presently in the
custody of a correctional institution, please see REASONS
FOR DISQUALIFICATION, REASON 7 on the other side of
this brochure. If you were convicted more than 7 years ago,
you are eligible to serve.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y
The Trial Court and the Office of Jury Commissioner are
committed to making the courts accessible to all.
Accessibility includes the right and the obligation to perform
jury service. Please visit our website at www.MAjury.gov
and click on "Accessibility" for more information. You can
also contact us at JurorHelp@jud.state.ma.us, or 1-800-
THE-JURY(843-5879). Deaf and hard of hearing callers can
contact us either through their preferred Video Relay Service
(VRS) provider or via TTY/TDD to the Massachusetts Relay
Service at 711. If you require an FM Assistive Listening
Device, please complete #5 on the Juror Confirmation Form.
F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N . . .
…be sure to review ALL of the information contained in this
summons packet: this brochure, the summons, and the Trial
Juror’s Handbook. Most of our frequently-asked questions
are answered here. You can get more information on our
website at www.MAjury.gov or by calling us at
1-800-THE-JURY (843-5879) (within Massachusetts only) or
617-338-6409 (out-of-state callers only). The OJC takes
calls M-F, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM, and pre-recorded information
is always available.
You can e-mail us at
JurorHelp@jud.state.ma.us , or write to us at:
OFFICE OF JURY COMMISSIONER
560 HARRISON AVENUE, SUITE 600
BOSTON, MA 02118
(Your Badge Number and PIN will be required to log in)
You can also visit our website at www.MAjury.gov
49620 REVISED CC2020.indd 2
12/2/21 11:31 AM
