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Dear Juror:
You
have been selected for jury service. While the Court is aware of the
inconvenience this may cause, it is extremely important to the justice system
that we have a sufficient number of jurors on hand for jury selection.
We are mindful of the possible difficulty jury service may present, but
we ask that you do your best. We notify you in advance so that you can
arrange your schedule to accommodate jury service.
Letters alleging hardship may be directed to the chief judge, although you may
be required to attend the first session to which you are called and explain
your circumstances to the judge. If you ask to be excused for medical
reasons, you are required to provide a note from your health care
provider. One deferment may be arranged for seasonal employment, planned
vacations or students by calling this office (517) 546-1661.
Please
do not wait until the morning you are to appear to ask to be deferred or
excused!
We recognize that reporting may require you to make special arrangements
for child care and transportation, and that your employer is not required to
reimburse you while you are out, although many do. Excuses are not
routinely granted for those reasons.
Our goal is to minimize inconvenience to citizens serving as jurors, broaden
citizen participation in the jury system, distribute the responsibility of
service among the people in as fair a manner as possible, and minimize the
term of service. If you sit on a jury the first week, you will not be
required to report again. Also, the chance of being seated as a juror is
actually quite slim. If you come in for selection and are not chosen to
serve, you will probably be here for only 2-4 hours and then you may
leave. If you are selected to sit, the judge will explain court hours
and the length of time the trial is expected to last, and give you an
opportunity to speak up if you have a legitimate reason for not being able to
sit. Many times you will report and be present for an hour or two and
then released because the case has settled.
We appreciate your cooperation and believe that if in fact you are chosen to
sit as a juror, you will find the experience interesting, enlightening and
invaluable. BY LAW, YOU MAY BE CHARGED WITH CONTEMPT OF
COURT FOR FAILURE TO ABIDE BY THIS SUMMONS
LIVINGSTON COUNTY JURY COMMISSION
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