Cumberland County Jury Service
Length of Service
Jury service operates on a daily reporting plan which means that a new group of jurors are summoned each day of the week. If selected to serve on a jury, a juror will serve for the duration of that trial. Most trials last several days. If a trial is expected to take longer than several days, the presiding judge will discuss the anticipated length of the trial with the potential jurors.
If a juror is not selected for a trial and the presiding judge excuses them, then their jury service will be completed for a two-year period. Any juror who serves on a trial or anyone who reports for jury service and is not selected and is excused by the presiding judge will be ineligible for jury service for a two-year period.
When and Where to Report
Each juror receives a jury summons. On the back of that summons is information on the time and place to report for jury service. In addition, there is a telephone number listed for the "jury line."
Jurors must call this number for the jury line anytime after 6:00 p.m. on the evening before the service date indicated on their summons. A recorded message will inform jurors if their appearance will be required. This message will play the entire night until normal opening hours the following morning. Sometimes the court is able to release some or all jurors when the need for them is less than anticipated.