Service starts with a summons in the mail showing the date, time, courthouse location and contact numbers for questions. The summons might instruct you to call the courthouse the day before you are scheduled to report to find out whether the court still needs you to come in. The summons could also come with a questionnaire asking about any relationship you might have with the cases scheduled for trial. This helps whittle down the jury pool.

It is important to remember that when you are summoned for jury duty, the service is mandatory, and you must appear unless the court specifically tells you that you have been released from service. Failing to report could result in penalties.

The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is always here to answer any questions you may have regarding your jury summons.  But we also encourage you to review all information in your summons packet before calling the jury staff with questions.  If you have questions after reading them completely, please click here to contact the Jury Administration Office. 

For more helpful tips regarding jury summons, check out the following frequent asked questions:

Summons Questions and Answers