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Commonwealth of Massachusetts
OFFICE OF JURY COMMISSIONER
TRIAL JUROR’S
HANDBOOK
You have been summoned for service as a trial 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 trial 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.
(March 2015 Edition)
SPECIAL NOTE: This Large-Type Edition of the Trial
Juror’s Handbook 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: 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 jurors represent a
cross-section of the community. Jurors must be fair
and impartial, and must treat everyone equally
regardless of race, color, creed, or other differences.
The function of the jury is to work together to reach
a decision based on the evidence presented at trial
and the jurors' own common sense and experience.
No one juror's opinion, background, or experience
makes him or her more qualified to serve than
another. Remember, the jury's verdict is a group
decision, not the decision of any one person.
Qualifications: All citizens age 18 and over who are
legal residents of Massachusetts, or who live in the
state for six months of the year or more, are eligible
for jury duty. You may be disqualified if you meet
one of the 10 statutory disqualifications found in the
“Juror Instructions and Information” brochure you
received with your Summons.
Exemptions: There are no exemptions from 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. The Notice will also include your Group
Number and the telephone number of your court’s
Juror Line. You must call the Juror Line after 3 p.m.
on the day before your service to receive final
instructions, including whether or not you still need
to report.
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 a particular 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 jury, your
CJQ is destroyed.
When to report, length of service: Check your
Summons or Reminder Notice to find out what time
you must report for service (usually 8:00 or 8:30
a.m.). Most jurors, but not all, serve for one day.
Most trials, but not all, are completed in three days
or less, so the court will expect you to be available
to return for at least three days if necessary. Before
seating you on a jury, the judge will tell you the
estimated length of the trial.
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, or your service may be
cancelled when you call the Juror Line the day
before you are scheduled to appear. 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, but cancelling is preferable
to bringing people to court when they are no longer
needed to help resolve cases on that day.
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: Although jurors sitting on a case usually
report at 9:00 a.m. and leave by 4:30 p.m., on the
first morning of your jury service you must report
earlier for an orientation program. The exact time is
printed on your Summons and Reminder Notice,
and can be found on our website at
www.MAjury.gov under “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) 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
reschedule your jury service to a date that is
convenient for you, up to a year from the date you
were originally summoned. You can pick your own
date online at www.MAjury.gov or call our Call
Center for assistance. 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 case. If you have
a hardship that prevents you from serving, you can
explain it to the judge and ask to be excused.
Impanelment: If you are sent to a courtroom for
impanelment, the judge will explain the case,
identify the parties and witnesses, and inform you
how long the trial is expected to last. Everyone will
be asked a few general questions, such as whether
you know anyone involved in the case and whether
you can be impartial. In some instances, the judge,
attorneys, or self-represented litigants may ask you
questions of a personal and sensitive nature, such as
whether you or a family member have been a victim
or accused of a crime, in an effort to determine your
ability to serve as a fair and impartial juror in a
particular case. You will be able to speak to the
judge if necessary, and the judge and the attorneys
will discuss whether you can be impaneled on the
jury or if you should be excused.
Only a judge can excuse you from jury duty: If you
have a problem that must be resolved before you
are to go to the courtroom (such as an urgent
medical issue), tell the jury pool officer 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, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02118.
If You Are Impaneled
The judge will explain your responsibilities if you are
selected to sit on a jury. As a juror, you will hear the
evidence and decide the facts. The members of the
jury evaluate the evidence and work together to
reach a decision and render a verdict.
The judge will guide the conduct of the trial, making
sure that the evidence is presented in an
appropriate manner and that the parties follow the
rules. At the end of the trial and before the jury
deliberations, the judge instructs you on the
principles of law applicable to the case. In
deliberations, you and your fellow jurors discuss the
evidence in private and apply the law to reach a
decision, known as a verdict. The verdict is the final
decision of the jury, which resolves the case.
As a sitting juror, you must remain fair and
impartial at all times. Do not communicate with
anyone about the case while it is going on, even
with your fellow jurors or your family. Do not use
online social media to share or read information
about the case or your experience with jury service.
Do not look for information about the case outside
the courtroom, or use the internet to do research
about the case or the people involved in it. If
anyone starts to talk about the case, you should
interrupt them and tell them that you are a juror
and cannot hear any discussion about the case
outside the courtroom. If necessary, tell the court
officer what happened.
After You Serve
Compensation: Your Massachusetts employer is
required by law to pay your regular wages for the
first three days of jury service. After three days, the
state will pay you $50 per day, but some employers
will compensate an employee even after the third
day. 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. After the third day, the
state will pay all jurors $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.
Proof of service: The Office of Jury Commissioner
provides juror service certificates to those who have
performed 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.
Discussing the case after trial: Unless the judge
orders otherwise, the lawyers are not allowed to
contact you to discuss the case once the trial is
over. However, the judge may invite the jury to
meet with the lawyers and the judge together after
the verdict.
After the jury is dismissed, you are no longer
prohibited from talking about the trial. However,
you should avoid revealing the names of other
jurors, how any juror voted, or anything discussed
during jury deliberations. If anyone tries to learn
this confidential information from you, or if you feel
harassed or embarrassed in any way, you should
report it to the court or the Office of Jury
Commissioner immediately. It is very important
that the integrity of our jury system is 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 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 (1-800-843-5879) for assistance.
If you have been impaneled on a jury and cannot
return to court for a subsequent day: You must
make every effort to honor your commitment once
you have been selected as a juror on a case. The
parties, witnesses, your fellow jurors, and the
courthouse personnel are all depending on you, and
the court may impose consequences on an
impaneled juror who does not complete his or her
service. If an emergency prevents you from
returning to court, you must call the courthouse
directly as soon as possible. The court officer will
give you the telephone number after you are
impaneled.
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. You can be contacted at
the courthouse during your service in the event of
emergency. Inform the court officer if you need
assistance. If necessary, the court officer will notify
the judge.
Importance of Jury Service
Under our state and federal Constitutions, all people
are entitled to a jury trial if the government accuses
them of a crime and seeks to take away their
freedom. You may also be entitled to a jury trial to
settle a civil dispute concerning money or property.
Your jury service is a core component in
guaranteeing these constitutional rights for
everyone.
Citizens from all segments of our society participate
in the administration of justice through the jury
system, which is one of the key elements of our
participatory democracy. Other than military
service, jury duty is the one time that your
government will call on you to serve to protect our
constitutional freedoms. When called for service,
please serve with pride.
You can complete the
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.
