Jury Selection

Every day throughout the state, trial courts need hundreds of citizens to report to the courthouse for jury duty. The role of a juror places you in the center of Georgia’s justice system. Even though there are a few differences between civil and criminal courts, the role of the jury generally remains the same.

The popular belief that the pool of potential juror names comes only from voter registration records is a myth. Voter registration encompasses just one of the many rosters used by the state to create lists provided to each of the 159 counties. In May, 2011, Gov. Nathan Deal signed the Jury Reform Bill ultimately creating a statewide jury pool. The Department of Driver Services, the Secretary of the State and the Department of Public Health provide some of the lists used to add or remove potential juror names. Thus, fear of jury duty should not keep you from registering to vote.

And that’s just the first step toward serving on a jury. If you get a summons, you will be further vetted during a process called voir dire. The courts use this method to obtain an unbiased group of people who are truthful and will deliver a clear and just judgment. This basically means that if you are called for jury duty, you will go through a questioning process. This weeds out those who might have connections to the case preventing them from having an unbiased opinion. So even if you’re summoned for jury duty, you might not actually hear a case.

You must meet several qualifications in order to be considered for the jury. For example, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county where the case is held, 18 years old or older and understand/speak English. You must not have a mental illness, and you can’t be a convicted felon (unless you have had your civil rights restored or have been pardoned).

If you work in a position that is necessary to the public health, are a full-time college, university, or other post-secondary school student, are the primary caregiver for a child 6 years old or younger, are 70 or older or are in certain positions in the military, then you can become exempt from jury duty.