Most Frequently Asked Questions on the Jury Line When do I get paid? Jurors are paid once a week. Cut-off day is Wednesday. Thursday and Friday attendance will appear on the next week’s check. Why wasn’t I excused if I checked off the box on the questionnaire requesting an excuse? Excuses are not automatically granted. They are based on your specific circumstances. You must elaborate your reasons in the space provided. You are to call (800) 327-3296 no earlier then 10 business days prior to your summons date to find out your status (excused, postponed or qualified). If qualified, you must call (800) 327-3296 after 7:00 P.M. the night before your reporting date to verify your required appearance. You would normally call on Monday after 7:00 P.M. Jurors who live 80 miles or more one way from the courthouse must call after 11:00 a.m. the day before their report date to confirm their appearance. May I still mail in my questionnaire even though my five days to return it to your office have elapsed? Yes, you may return your questionnaire after the five days have passed; however, this will give the court less time to process your questionnaire. If you are requesting to be excused or postponed, please fax your completed, double-sided questionnaire to (213) 894-3751. You may also complete your questionnaire on-line from this website. Why did I receive a Follow-up letter, if I returned my questionnaire to your office as requested? You were found qualified and did not follow instructions. A Follow-Up letter is automatically sent out to all qualified jurors who are absent on their initial reporting date. You are qualified UNLESS after you called (800) 327-3296 and you were excused or postponed. If qualified, you must call (800) 327-3296 after 7:00 P.M. the night before your reporting date. Failure to abide by the reporting instructions may result in a Follow-Up letter. Failure to abide by the Follow-Up letter may result in a $1,000.00 fine, 3 days in prison, an order to perform community service or any combination thereof. [28USC 1886(g)]. May I postpone my jury service a second time? Yes. A juror may be postponed 3 times within a 12 month period beginning with the initial appearance date. May I request to be transferred to a court that is closer to my home? No. There are four districts in California. They are located in San Diego; Los Angeles; San Francisco and Sacramento. You have been summoned to appear at the Federal Court closest to your home. May I request an excuse or postponement over the telephone? In order to maintain an official record, requests to be excused must be submitted in writing by fax, email or standard mail. Requests for postponement may be requested in writing or managed over the telephone. However, your questionnaire must be received by the Court before any request for postponement can be granted. If I serve on a trial, is my service over after the trial is completed? Yes. If you serve as a juror or alternate juror on a trial (regardless of its duration), your service is complete. What time will I leave at the end of the day? A typical jury day begins at 9:00 A.M. and ends at 5:00 P.M. Your schedule will depend on the court’s schedule. Why must I be available for eight days when I report? Although most jury trials last less than eight days, time must be allowed for deliberation. When reporting, all jurors must be available to serve for eight days over a two week period. Jurors do not generally meet on Monday. What should a juror do if he cannot make it to jury duty on the day he was required to appear? You are expected to contact the jury section at (213) 894-3644, between 3:30 and 4:30 P.M. so that we may be aware of your situation. If you are a juror on a specific trial you will be given a least one emergency contact number. At this stage it becomes absolutely necessary that you call if you are going to be late or absent. A trial cannot proceed unless all jurors are present. Failure to appear as scheduled may result in a bench warrant.