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Summons

Supreme and District Courts - Information for jurors

The Summons to a juror specifies the jury service period and when you are required to attend court.

You may not be required to attend on the first day of your service period.

You should read your summons to find out how to check if you are required on any given day.

The law requires that you must attend court as directed by the sheriff or his/her delegated officer as stated in the summons.

Common questions

When do I receive a summons?

You may receive a summons if:

you did not apply to be excused from service
your application to be excused was not granted.

If you are employed, you should immediately show the summons to your employer so that arrangements can be made for your absence.

Things have changed since I sent back my questionnaire, and now I have a summons – can I still apply to be excused?

If you have received a summons and your circumstances have changed significantly since you completed your questionnaire, you can still apply to be excused from jury service.

Work commitments are not generally a sufficient reason to be excused.

You or your employer will be required to establish that your circumstances have changed significantly, and that an absence from work will cause serious inconvenience.

You will need to write to the courthouse where you are required to attend and explain in detail how your situation has changed.

You will need to supply documentation to support your application to be excused from jury service.

If I am selected as a juror, what will I have to do?

During the summons period, you will be required to attend on certain days to participate in the empanelling process.

For a criminal matter, the empanelling process places a panel of 30 or more prospective jurors before a court to form a panel of 12 jurors to consider the charges presented.

You may not have to attend on the first day noted in the summons. You will not be required to attend every day of the noted period. The summons will tell you how to find out which days you are required to attend.

If you are empanelled on a trial you will be required for the whole day and every day of that trial until it is completed.

What time will I be required each day?

The summons will tell you:

how long your period of service lasts (usually no more than four weeks, unless a trial runs longer)
the date your period of service begins
when you should attend court. You are not automatically required to attend on the date noted on your summons. The summons will tell you how to find out which days you need to attend court.

During the period of service, trials may commence that will run longer than the notice period. The court staff will advise you if you are required for a longer period.

The attendance time will vary from court to court.

Your attendance time will be noted at the bottom of the summons. The recorded jury message may also advise you to attend earlier. You should follow these directions.

Although the start time in Brisbane is 9:15am, on your first day required you should arrive at the jury assembly area by no later than 8.45am to participate in an orientation process.

The time you are required to stay at court will depend on whether or not you are empanelled on a jury.

If you are not empanelled, you may be required to stay until approximately 11:30am and will then be free to go back to your normal daily activities.

If you are empanelled, you will be required to start on the trial immediately and will need to stay until court finishes for the day, usually around 4.30pm.

What transport should I use?

Consider the public transport available in your area, and the time you will need to leave home to ensure you get to the court on time.

Jurors within the Brisbane area can visit www.translink.com.au for more information about public transport options.

What happens when I attend the courthouse?

You should call the evening before to see if you are required the following day (see the instructions on your summons).

You should keep your summons with you at all times and carry an accepted form of identification such as a driver’s licence or passport.

When you arrive at the courthouse, your attendance will be confirmed by a bailiff or other court officer or you may be asked to check-in via a computerised system.

You should follow these steps top check in via the computerised system.

Scan the barcode on the top right-hand corner of your summons under the barcode reader
Enter the day and month of your birth by touching the corresponding buttons on screen
Answer any other questions presented on the screen.

In Brisbane and some other centres you will be asked to arrive at 8.45am on your first day.

Court staff will take you through an orientation process that:

shows the layout of a courtroom
explains the process of selecting a jury (empanelling)
includes a short information video.

You should ask the court staff if there is anything you do not understand.

Last updated Saturday, 8 December 2007 16:14