Jury Duty
Information
You have received a summons to serve as a juror at the 47th District
Court and almost immediately you have questions.
How was I
selected?
What can I
expect?
How long will
it take?
I have a
vacation scheduled that month; can I get rescheduled to another time?
Will it
affect my job?
What if I’ve
moved? Do I still have to serve?
How do I get to the 47th
District Court?
These and other questions are natural responses to receiving a
summons for jury duty. This information section has been designed
to answer these questions and others and hopefully make you look forward
to your upcoming experience as a juror.
General Overview of the Jury System
In the United States, jury service is a responsibility of
citizenship. In our free society, the jury trial is the ultimate
tool for peaceably and fairly resolving disputes. The goal of a
jury trial is simply to do justice. In a jury trial, the authority
to determine the facts and reach a decision rests not with the
government, but with a jury, which is a small cross-section of the
people in the community.
In the State of Michigan, a jury trial is a matter of right in
criminal cases. In civil law suits, a jury trial is an option
available to the parties, but there is a required fee for requesting a
jury trial in a civil law suit. In Michigan, juries are made up of
six citizens, except for criminal felonies (offenses in which a
convicted defendant may be sentenced to a year of more in prison), which
have twelve person juries.
Questions and Answers Regarding Your Service at the 47th District
Court
 How was I selected for jury
service?
The jury selection process is a random process from start to finish.
Initially, your name was among those from Oakland County randomly
selected from the State of Michigan drivers’ license and state
identification lists. From the initial pool of juror candidates
received from the State, the Oakland County Jury Commission issues
qualification and personal history questionnaires to a randomly selected
sample. Upon receipt of the completed qualification
questionnaires, the Jury Commission reviews and qualifies potential
jurors according to law. Questionnaires for a random pool of
qualified jurors from Farmington and Farmington Hills are then forwarded
to the 47th District Court for summonsing.
What can I expect as a
juror at the 47th District Court?
The 47th District Court conducts jury trials
during one week each month and uses a “one week – one trial” jury
system. This means that your term of service will last for the
duration of the selection process (a maximum of one week, but typically
1 – 3 days) or the duration of one trial if you are seated on a jury.
District Court trials are for misdemeanor criminal offenses (offenses in
which a convicted defendant may be sentenced up to a maximum of 1 year
in jail) and civil law suits in which the amount in dispute is less than
$25,000. Jury trials for these types of cases generally last
anywhere from 1 day to 1 week, although occasionally a trial may
continue beyond 1 week.
The 47th District Court has two judges: the Honorable Marla E. Parker
and the Honorable James B. Brady. During a typical jury week, one
judge is scheduled with criminal jury trials and the other with civil
jury trials. Jury trials are generally scheduled several months in
advance and each judge may have as many as twenty jury trials originally
scheduled for a given jury week. Between the time the cases are
scheduled and the actual selection of a jury, the judges do everything
they can to resolve the cases short of jury trial. Many of the
cases are resolved by settlement, plea or dismissal, which saves money
for the community and time for prospective jurors. Typically, only
a few or the originally scheduled cases are left for each judge on the
day of jury selection.
Of those that are left on jury selection day, many reach resolution
without an actual jury trial taking place. The fact that the jurors are
in the courthouse and ready for selection often drives parties to the
realization that reaching an agreement on their own – even with
compromise – is more attractive than leaving the decision to an
objective third party like a jury. In other words, your mere
presence as a juror helps to resolve disputes, even if you never get in
the jury box.
When you arrive at the 47th District Court on the date and time for
which you have been summoned, you will be checked in by the jury clerk
and provided a juror badge and information manual. Court staff
will provide you with an orientation program outlining specifics about
what you can expect when you are sent to the courtroom for selection.
If I have a schedule
conflict with when I’ve been summonsed, can I get rescheduled?
If upon receiving your summons you realize you have a scheduling
conflict (for example, a pre-purchased or planned vacation, a scheduled
medical procedure, a business trip, etc.), contact the
47th
District Court Jury Clerk for
information on rescheduling your service. No more than one
postponement will be granted.
Will serving on jury duty
affect my job?
Your employer is required by law to release you for jury service.
An employer who discharges or disciplines or threatens to discharge or
discipline an employee because that person is summoned for jury duty may
be charged with a misdemeanor and also may be punished for contempt of
court. In addition, an employer may be charged with a misdemeanor
if he/she forces an employee to work any number of hours during a day
which, in combination with the hours served as a juror that day, exceeds
the number of hours normally and customarily worked by the person during
a day (unless otherwise provided in a collective bargaining agreement).
Although not mandated by State law, many employers today will
continue to pay you during your jury service. As mandated by law,
jurors receive not less than $25/day ($12.50/half day) for the first day
of jury service; $40/day for each subsequent day ($20/half day).
Also jurors are paid $0.10 per mile for roundtrip travel from home to
the 47th District Court. Should your employer continue to pay you
during jury service, he/she may require you to remit your juror
compensation.
Each juror serving at the 47th District Court shall receive a
certificate of appreciation signed by the Chief Judge, which may be used
for verification of service to your employer. Should you need
additional verification, please contact the
Jury Clerk.
What if I’ve moved? Do I
still have to serve?
If you have moved outside the jurisdiction of the 47th District Court
(Farmington and Farmington Hills) you may be excused from service by
forwarding a copy of your driver’s license with the change of address
noted by the Secretary of State’s Office to the
Jury Clerk.
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