Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon Judicial Department Logo

Juror Resources



Juror Orientation

jurors in a courtroomThe Jury Orientation Videos, Juror Orientation and Implicit Bias, are to be watched before reporting for Jury duty. On the first day of your jury term, you will either be selected for a jury panel or excused.  

Jurors can call the jury line every Friday after 5:00pm or anytime on Saturdays or Sundays to get the trial schedule for the next week and to see if they have been called in for a trial.

Terms of Service

There are four terms per year and each term lasts for 3 months:
  • 1st Term: Jan/Feb/Mar,
  • 2nd Term: Apr/May/Jun,
  • 3rd Term: Jul/Aug/Sep,
  • 4th Term: Oct/Nov/Dec.
Once a juror has served as instructed by the court, the juror's obligation is complete for a two-year period. 

We thank those who have spent the time -- and completed the hard work -- of serving on a jury.

FAQs

​​If you are unable to report on the day stated on your summons, you may ask that service be deferred. You may only defer jury duty for up to one year. This request should be made within ten days of when you receive your summons.  ​You will be notified only if your request to be excused or deferred is denied.​

​If you are age 70 or older or are a woman breast-feeding a child and you ask to be excused, the Court must excuse you from service. Please make the request on the online response questionaire and you will be excused from jury service. The Circuit Court may also excuse you if:

  1. jury service causes you, your family, or your employer undue hardship or extreme inconvenience; or,
  2. you are the sole caregiver for a child or other dependent, personally attend to the dependent during the Court's normal hours, and are unable to afford daycare or make other arrangements for the care of the dependent.

The Court will weigh the basis for your excuse against its need for jurors. You must show good cause to the Court why you should be excused under these standards. The Court may deny a request for excuse under (a) or (b) above and require you to serve or defer your jury duty to a later date.

If you no longer live in the county in which you were chosen to serve, are not a citizen of the United States, or are under the age of 18, you do not qualify to serve as a juror. Contact the jury coordinator by email or hard copy in writing, and you will be excused from jury service. You will be notified only if you request to be excused is denied.

​A person is ineligible to serve if the person has had rights and privileges withdrawn and not yet restored under ORS 137.281.  ORS 137.281 explains that someone’s rights and privileges, including that of being a juror, are withdrawn if the person has been sentenced to incarceration in a county jail, a state prison, or a federal prison because of a felony sentence, and

  • the conviction has not been set aside or
  • the person has not been discharged.
If the conviction is later set aside or once the person is discharged, the person can serve
  • on a civil trial jury,
  • on a criminal trial jury or a grand jury, if enough time has passed.  (See below.)
ORS 10.030 (3)(a)(E) and (f) say that a person cannot serve on a criminal trial jury or on a grand jury if the person has been
  • convicted of a felony or served a felony sentence within the 15 years immediately preceding the date the person is required to report for jury service; or
  • convicted of a misdemeanor involving violence or dishonesty, or has served a misdemeanor sentence based on a misdemeanor involving violence or dishonesty, within the five years immediately preceding the date the person is required to report for jury service.
ORS 10.030(3)(b)(A) defines “felony sentence” as any incarceration, post-prison supervision, parole or probation imposed upon conviction of a felony or served as a result of conviction of a felony.
 
ORS 10.030(3)(b)(A) defines “misdemeanor sentence” as any incarceration or probation imposed upon conviction of a misdemeanor or served as a result of conviction of a misdemeanor.
 
ORS 166.270 defines “Has been convicted of a felony.”

​​Please submit a letter from your physician or specialist no later than ten (10) days after you receive this summons. Your medical letter can be submitted via email at GRA.Jury@ojd.state.or.us​​ or HAR.Jury@ojd.state.or.us​.

Your 10-digit Juror ID number is located on the front of the Juror Summons postcard sent to you in the mail. This is NOT the same as your 5-digit Juror No.

Your Juror ID number is located underneath the barcode on the front side and under Step 1 Respond to Summons on the back side. You will need your Juror ID number for completing the Online Response Questionnaire, and following submission of your Online Response Questionnaire, you can request to be Deferred to another date, or submit your request for a Qualifying Excusal.

If you are unable to complete the questionnaire online call, contact the Jury Coordinator at 541-575-1448​ for Grant County or 541-573-5207​ for Harney County.

​Your 5-digit Juror No. is located on the front of your jury summons postcard underneath your Juror ID number and under Step 2 on the back side in the shaded box on the bottom right where you will find your Start Date, Term of Service, Juror No. and Reporting Location.

You will need your Juror No. when checking our website or calling in after 5:00pm. Check every Friday evening during your term of service and follow the instructions to receive the most current reporting information. ​

​Court rules require anyone in court to dress and act with respect. This includes court staff, attorneys, parties to a case, jurors, witnesses and the public. The Court can remove people from the courtroom who do not dress or act with respect. You don't need to bring anything with you, but please know your juror number.

You are welcome to bring a book, magazine, etc.

​​Oregon law provides that your employer may not discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate or coerce you by reason of your service as a juror. Please report any such problems to the court, which has jurisdiction to prevent or restrain any such violations. However, your employer's policies or agreements with you regarding payment of wages during times of jury service are not affected by the Oregon law.​

​​The Court has the power to order that you appear in Court and explain why you were unable to report for jury service. Citizens who don't appear for jury service may be punished for contempt.​

​​Yes. Each juror will be paid $10 per day and 20¢ per mile for round-trip mileage from their home. Jurors are entitled to $25 per day for the third and subsequent days of service.​

​​Let the Jury Coordinator know if your employer requires verification of your jury service. Each day you report, we will have a verification form available for you.​

​​The court will provide ADA accommodation​ and assistive devices upon request of jurors with disabilities. Please notify the jury coordinator of special needs. Hearing impaired callers may use the Oregon Relay Service phone number 711.​

​​Items such as knives, chemical sprays, knitting needles, recording devices and cameras are not allowed inside the courthouse. Cell phones are permitted.​

Security

Security at the Courthouse is provided by Grant or Harney County Sheriff’s Office. Security equipment in use at the Courthouse includes magnetometers (walk-through metal detectors), x-ray scanners, and hand held metal detectors. If you have a pacemaker, tell the security officer about it before you enter the metal detector. The security screening process can create long lines of people waiting to enter the courthouse during peak hours.
 
The main objective of Courthouse security is to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone in the building. Everyone’s cooperation is needed in order to achieve this very important goal. Weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited and may be confiscated. Among items prohibited from court facilities are guns, knives, ammunition, pepper spray, mace, razor blades, illegal drugs and any other type of dangerous or hazardous material or property. A variety of items may be prohibited because they are hazardous or could be used as potential weapons. These include any object that is sharp, pointed or with a cutting blade regardless of length. If you are unsure if an item is allowed or not, the safest option is to not bring it into the courthouse.
 
Courthouse security will not hold unauthorized items for return later. Any prohibited item that is brought to the courthouse will be taken from you and permanently destroyed.