What it’s like to serve on a jury in the United States

From the initial notice to the verdict, here's what Americans do for their jury service

Today's expression: Check in
Explore more: Lesson #703
August 22, 2024:

It starts with a notice from a court: "You have been summoned." American citizens are occasionally required to appear for jury service. Most people called don't have to serve on juries. Here's what the experience is like, for selected jurors and for those who are excused.

Take control of your English

Use active strategies to finally go from good to great

Listen

  • Learning speed
  • Full speed

Learn

TranscriptActivitiesDig deeperTalk about it (11)
No translationsEspañol中文FrançaisPortuguês日本語ItalianoDeutschTürkçePolski

You have been summoned . Here’s what happens when we get that letter from the local court system , the letter that says we have been called to serve on a jury

Lesson summary

Hi again, it’s Jeff and you are listening to Plain English. At Plain English, we use stories to help you upgrade your English skills. When you listen to stories, you think in English and you get lots of great ideas for how to communicate in the real world.

The story we’ll talk about today: Juries in the United States. There are lots of dramatic courtroom scenes on the news and in the movies. Today, you’ll get the real story of what it’s like to serve on a jury.

In the second half of the episode, you’ll hear what it means to “check in.”

This is lesson number 703, so that means the full lesson content is at PlainEnglish.com/703.

Jury duty: what it’s like

Anyone accused of a crime in the United States is entitled to an open trial in front of a jury of their peers . A jury is comprised of twelve citizens who listen to the case and then decide, together, as a group, if the defendant is guilty or not.

Who are these twelve people? Go to any American town or city and look around you: there’s your answer.

Any citizen can be called to serve on a jury . Celebrities are called; people 100 years old are called. Barack Obama was called—and showed up —for jury duty after his term as president had ended.

Courts get a list of every citizen who lives in their jurisdiction . And the courts draw names at random and they summon the selected citizens to appear for jury service. This is called “jury duty,” because it is required . Most citizens are summoned to jury duty several times in their lives.

The notice comes in the mail. It includes the date, the time, and the location of service.

Being called for jury duty doesn’t mean you’ll sit on a jury. Courts call in groups of citizens every week, but they don’t know in advance how many trials there will be. So the night before, prospective jurors call a phone number. A recorded message tells them if they’re required to go in or not.

If they are required to go in, they go to the courthouse in the morning. There is no dress code for jury service; some people dress up , but most people wear whatever they’re comfortable wearing. When potential jurors arrive at the courthouse, they go through security and they check in at the jury room. There’s often a short orientation —a video or a quick talk by a courthouse employee.

And then begins the number-one activity of being a potential juror: the waiting.

Some people wait all day and are dismissed at the end of the day. Their service was not needed. Others are called into a courtroom, where a trial is in progress. The judge calls groups of potential jurors forward by number. The judge and the attorneys for both sides can ask potential jurors questions. Usually, each potential juror has to answer two or three questions.

Most of the questions are about whether they can be impartial as a juror in the case at hand . For example, in a case involving domestic abuse , the attorneys might ask a potential juror if they’ve ever been a victim of domestic abuse. Any potential juror with a connection, even a loose connection , to the crime is usually excused .

Jurors can be excused for any number of reasons , at the judge’s or the attorneys’ discretion . Some potential jurors try to get out of serving . They answer the questions in a way that will cause the judge or the attorneys to dismiss them.

For example, during questioning , they might say they’re really busy at work, they have childcare responsibilities , they don’t think they can be impartial, they hold a variety of terrible prejudices , they have trouble concentrating , they suffer from back pain and can’t sit down for long periods—they’ll say anything to convince the judge to let them go. Here’s a great way to get out of jury service: just tell the judge that if someone has been arrested, they must be guilty .

But listen, most people don’t do this. Most people answer honestly. The judge and attorneys select twelve people, including, usually, two alternates , to be on a jury for the trial.

Jurors are required to come to court in the morning every day the trial is in session . The jurors have a special room , away from the attorneys and other courtroom employees , where they meet in the morning and spend their downtime . Most trials are just a single day or a couple of days. Others can be a week or longer.

Jurors listen to the evidence presented in the trial . Taking notes is optional, but no electronic devices are allowed. The judge occasionally asks the jurors to leave the courtroom, while the attorneys argue about evidence and procedure . Court usually goes from 9:30 or 10:00 in the morning until about 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon, with a break for lunch . Jurors can bring their own lunches or go out to a restaurant, if there is one nearby.

When the trial is over, the judge gives the jury instructions. This is when the judge explains the law and reminds jurors of their duties. Each jury has a foreman , a leader. In some trials, the judge appoints one juror to be the foreman; in others, the jurors select a foreman among themselves.

The jury’s job, in a criminal trial , is to determine whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty of each charge. Those are the two options: guilty or not guilty. A verdict must be unanimous , meaning that every juror must agree with the decision. This might sound like an impossible bar to clear . But about 94 percent of juries reach a unanimous verdict .

The jury’s private discussions are called deliberations . Deliberations can last from just a few minutes to several days. They take place in a private room . Nobody else is allowed in the room during deliberations—not the judge, not a security guard , nobody.

Most juries deliberate for about three hours. After the jury reaches a verdict, the jury foreman fills out a form with the verdict and sends the form to the judge.

It’s not quite as dramatic as what you see on television, but the basics are the same. Everyone comes back into the courtroom. The defendant is there; all the attorneys are there; sometimes there are spectators .

The announcement of the verdict is different, depending on the type of court. Sometimes the judge reads the verdict out loud . Other times, the judge asks the jury foreman to announce the verdict. Sometimes, the judge asks each and every juror to confirm, verbally , that they agree with the verdict.

When the trial is over, the jury’s job is done. The judge thanks them for their service. Just one more thing: jurors go to the cashier to get a check . Juries are paid a very, very small amount for their time—usually just enough to cover lunch and parking , but it is something.

Jeff’s take

I’ve been called several times, but only served on one actual jury. This was in New York City. It was a case of first-degree assault . It was a serious case ; the defendant could have gone to jail for a very long time if she had been found guilty.

Ultimately , our verdict was not guilty. But this was a hard choice. We deliberated for almost two full days. Twelve of us in a windowless room , around a conference table , for almost two full days. And that was a very long time—the average is three hours. We deliberated for probably 14 or 15 hours. The judge was getting impatient with us. The attorneys were visibly nervous , wondering what was taking so long .

But we needed the time. Not everyone on the jury saw the case, saw the evidence the same way. We talked; we debated ; we asked questions; we heard everyone’s opinion; we asked for transcripts of witness testimony ; we asked for clarification on the law.

And we came to a verdict. And I was really proud of our jury, of how seriously everyone took it , of how we looked at everything. It took a while, but we all agreed with the decision . It was a good experience.

Great stories make learning English fun

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

Free trial

We speak your language

Learn English words faster with instant, built-in translations of key words into your language

QuizListeningPronunciationVocabularyGrammar

Free Member Content

Join free to unlock this feature

Get more from Plain English with a free membership


Free trial

Test your listening skills

Improve your listening and learn to understand every word with this interactive listening exercise that gives you immediate feedback


Free trial

Upgrade your pronunciation

Improve your accent with voice-recorder exercise that lets you compare your pronunciation to a native speaker’s

Free trial

Build your vocabulary

Learn how to use advanced English vocabulary in this interactive exercise based on the Plain English story you just heard


Free trial

Improve your grammar

Practice choosing the right verb tense and preposition based on real-life situations



Free Member Content

Join free to unlock this feature

Get more from Plain English with a free membership

Practice writing about this story

Get involved in this story by sharing your opinion and discussing the topic with others

Expression: Check in