Jurors are selected from a randomized list of residents who are registered to vote in the county and/or have a Texas driver’s license or a Texas ID card.

You may be selected for and actually serve on a jury the day you are summoned, so it is important that you dress appropriately. Business attire is recommended. When in doubt, dress professionally but with comfort in mind. Our office recommends that you wear socks, given the fact you will have to take off your shoes when you go through the security screening.

• Bring your completed jury summons with you when you report.
• Free wireless internet is available to you in the Jury Assembly Room, so you may want to bring a laptop with you to use while you wait on the jury selection process.
• It is advisable to eat breakfast as we do not know when or if the court will break for lunch.

All visitors to all Harris County Courts are subject to security screening by Harris County Constable Precinct 1. Click here for a list of all prohibited items.

Contact the jury room staff at jury@hcdistrictclerk.com. If after you are selected to serve on a jury, you would need to contact the court in which you are serving. See www.hcdistrictclerk.com for contact information.

Jurors will receive $30 for the first day of service and $58 per day after the first day until released. Jurors serving more than one day of jury service will be compensated at a rate calculated by the State Comptroller based upon available state funding. Payment is processed at the end of jury service, and a check is mailed to jurors within a week of jury service, unless the juror elects to donate their jury pay to a qualifying charity.

The law protects your job while you are fulfilling your jury service; you cannot be fired for serving. Your employer is not required to pay you for the time missed from work while serving.

If you have been assigned to downtown for your jury service, you are to report to the El Franco Lee Public Service Plaza located at 1201 Congress. Free parking will be provided if you park in the 1401 Congress parking garage. Please arrive early to secure a parking spot as this garage tends to fill up early. You must bring your ticket in with you in order to have it validated. Entrances to this garage are located on both La Branch and Austin streets. There are no in and out privileges. If you are to report to a Justice of the Peace Court, parking is available at the respective courthouse address shown on the summons. The 1401 Congress garage can be easily identified by the colorful mural as shown below.

Click here to view a map of the courthouses.

Identity thieves have been contacting Harris County residents and threatening them for failing to report for jury service. The local courts and Jury Assembly Room staff will never call you or email you and ask for Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or banking information, nor will we call and demand payment over the phone of a fine for failure to appear, including the placing of any amount of money on a green dot card to pay any fine. The District Clerk’s Office and local courts will only contact you by e-mail or text to let you know when and where to report for jury service as well as to remind you of your upcoming service.

Any special circumstances will need to be brought up with the judge at the time of jury service or by emailing jury@hcdistrictclerk.com and your request will be forwarded to the judge for consideration. The law does not allow persons to be excused because they are the sole owner of a business, nor because their employer will not pay for jury service.

If you have lost your summons, you may print a copy of your summons at www.hcdistrictclerk.com. Or upon arrival please request a copy at check-in.

Bailiff: An officer from the sheriff’s department who maintains courtroom order and jury custody.

Civil case/civil suit: A lawsuit that is between two or more individuals or corporations involved in a dispute and that is usually seeking a judgment awarding monetary damages.

Counsel: One or more lawyers who represent a client.

Criminal prosecution/criminal case: The act of pursuing a criminal trial where the state charges someone with a crime.

Jury Summons: The papers sent to potential jurors that require their attendance in court for possible service on a jury.

Jury Selection: The process by which jurors for a trial are selected from the larger group of potential jurors summoned to the courthouse.

Perjury: A false statement made willfully and knowingly while the speaker is under oath in a court proceeding.

Verdict: The formal decision or finding made by a jury, which has been impaneled and sworn for the trial of a case and reported to the court.

Voir dire: French for “to speak the truth” or “to see them say.” Voir dire is the preliminary examination of a prospective juror by a judge or lawyer in the case to decide whether that person can serve on the jury.