Juror Appreciation Week | Judicial Branch of California

In 1998, the California Legislature designated the second full week in May each year to honor the important contributions of citizens who devote their time and effort "making the cherished right of trial by jury a reality and to raise awareness about their contribution to our courts."

Each year, the Judicial Council and the superior courts team up to recognize the millions of Californians who answer the call to serve their communities and put into practice the fundamental American ideal of justice.

“Millions of Californians are called each year to fulfill their civic duty by reporting for jury service,” said Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero. “Jurors play a critical role in our justice system by ensuring everyone can take advantage of the fundamental right to a jury of their peers. Jurors help deliver that fundamental right and the promise of fair and equal access to justice for all Californians.”

Over the past several years, the judicial branch has continued working to improve the juror experience. This has meant leveraging new technology, implementing innovative pilot programs, and exploring changes to the jury service process. This is because without juries, our legal system would not be able to function. There is no replacement for the role jurors provide in our democracy and the impact they have on our society.

Why Celebrate Juror Appreciation Week?

To celebrate our jurors for their outstanding and important service;
To recognize the sacrifices jurors make in order to fulfill their civic duty;
To honor the relationship between jurors, courts, and their local communities; and
To join with our justice partners and other courts in acknowledging and thanking jurors.

Why Participate in Jury Service?

You have the opportunity:

To make a difference in your local community by supporting fair trials
By helping ensure access to justice for everyone, including yourself;
To fundamentally contribute to our American system of law and order;
To discover how empowering jury service can be, how treasured the connections you will make with others during the course of your service can be; and
To directly affect an individual’s life by weighing evidence, taking part in a trial, and rendering a verdict.

Did you know?

Statewide, Californians participate in jury service each year in the following ways:

Over 10 million people are summoned, or 1 in 4 people statewide;
More than 4.5 million people complete jury service, either in-person, on call, or standby;
Approximately 96,000 are sworn in as trial jurors; and
70%+ of prospective jurors who arrive in person complete their service in one day.

As a group, jurors comprise the largest volume of visitors to courts across the state. Over the last 24 years, the judicial branch has continued to look for ways to improve the juror experience. For example:

Seven courts have begun implementing a groundbreaking pilot program to see if increases to juror per diems improves juror diversity and participation.
New legislation has allowed courts to provide up to $12 per day beginning on the first day of in-person service as a reimbursement for all jurors who use public transit rather than a personal car. Courts are also now authorized to partner with public transit agencies to develop programs that improve access for jurors to mass transit in the court's jurisdiction.
An updated juror orientation video, entitled Justice For All: Jury Service, is being shown in courtrooms across the state. With a diverse cast of characters, the video provides jurors with the information they need to understand their role and responsibility, as well as basic facts about courtrooms and the trial process. There are also two companion videos available. A History of Jury Service: A More Perfect Jury provides a history of jury service in the United States and in California more specifically, highlighting the ways in which courts have increased access to jury service for all citizens. Jury Service and Fairness: Understanding the Challenges of Implicit Bias serves as a guide and a tool for jurors to identify whether they may have preconception that would impact their ability to serve.
The Stanislaus Superior Court has been participating in a pilot project to test the feasibility of paying juror per dimes using an e-payment platform through Zelle. Currently, over 300 participants have used this option in lieu of receiving a paper check. This has shortened the time for jurors to get paid at the conclusion of their service, as well as reduced administrative costs for the branch.
The Tulare Superior Court has created a virtual public counter that allows jurors to log in through a court's website using Zoom rather than calling a standard telephone line or sending an email. Jurors can speak with a staff member, go over their jury service information, submit postponements and/or hardships, as well as get answers to any questions they may have about jury service.

Public Resources

To learn more about jury service, please read our Jury Handbook.
To get information and instructions for responding to your juror summons, check out our Court and Community pamphlet.
For more information about how juries reach a verdict, take a look at our reference Guide to Jury Deliberations.
If you are currently serving or recently served as a juror and are having difficulty adjusting, you may want to review our Jury Service Stress guide.
Employers and employees should read through our Better for Business pamphlet on how investing in jury service pays dividends for all of us.
As technology continues to take an integral place in our daily life, our resource on Navigating Social Media and the Internet for Jurors can help ensure everyone is using it appropriately while completing their jury service.
Focus on the Courtroom posters that are displayed in jury assembly rooms to remind jurors that inappropriate use of social media and the internet is prohibited during a trial. What jurors “tag” or “tweet” and who they “friend” could be grounds for a mistrial or an appeal, adding cost to taxpayers for a new trial and delaying justice for all of us.
The Judicial Council has continued to develop our plain language jury instructions in criminal and civil trials, and jurors can ask permission to question witnesses as well as take notes during trials.
To get local your court’s web address and other contact information, please use the Find My Court option
To get jury information from your court, use our website’s local jury information tool. Each court is responsible for the content on their website.
Don’t forget to check out all our resources for the public, attorneys, court staff, and even judges on our website at the Jury Service page!

Jury Service & Other Games

How much do you know about jury service? A crossword puzzle.
What’s the first thing that comes to a juror’s mind? A wordsearch puzzle.
Test your civics knowledge in this matching game.
Take a ride on the Justice Express and explore the legal system in Court Quest, by iCivics.
Check out the award-winning virtual jury service experience from Jury Games.
Do you have what it takes to reach The Verdict? Try this interactive online drama from Logic Locks.

Jury News Fit to Print

*Please note that all third-party links are shared here for informational purposes only. The Judicial Council of California is not responsible for any third-party website and does not endorse its content.*