Jury Information Line: 1-800-877-0551
Federal Juror Frequently Asked Questions
I received an eJuror Qualification Questionnaire Letter.
1. Is this a scam?
The Court's eJuror letter is a one-page letter, printed front and back, with a recent date at the top of the letter. The website address in the letter will always direct you to the Court's homepage, which is https://www.tned.uscourts.gov.
2. Where did you get my name?
The United States District Court currently obtains the names of its jurors from the voter registration and driver license lists for all the counties located within the Eastern District of Tennessee. Tens of thousands of names are drawn every four years in the year following a presidential election.
3. Why do I have to give information about my race and gender (male or female)?
Race and gender are not factors in determining eligibility to serve as a juror. We ask these questions to assure there is a proper racial and gender balance among our jurors.
4. If I submit a request to be excused, do I still need to complete the juror qualification questionnaire?
Yes. We need the information contained on your juror qualification questionnaire for statistical purposes, even if you are asking to be excused.
5. I feel like I need to be excused, but my reasons do not fit any of the listed reasons on the juror qualification questionnaire.
You may list your reasons, in your own words, in the "Remarks" section. A decision will be made promptly and, if granted, you will not receive a summons for jury service in the future.
I received a Summons for Jury Service in the United States District Court.
1. Should I call the court to be excused from service?
No. You (not your employer) must submit a request to be excused in writing, using the mail or email to the respective jury email box listed in your summons packet. You will be notified of the decision regarding your request for excuse via email, or US mail, if you do not have an email address.
2. What if I have vacations or important events scheduled during my term?
The court will make every effort to work around personal commitments, such as medical/dental appointments, business appointments, and vacations; however, you must notify the jury administrator at least fourteen (14) days prior to the requested date(s).
3. When am I supposed to serve on jury duty?
You will be notified 10-14 days in advance of your reporting date by email/text/phone call when your jury number is randomly selected. However, you may check your status at any time by calling the Jury Information Line or logging into eJuror with your nine-digit Participant Number, found near your name on the summons.
4. How long is my term of service?
The term of service for a trial juror in the Chattanooga, Greeneville, and Knoxville divisions is six months, with a maximum of fifteen days. In the Winchester Division, it is a nine-month term, with a maximum of fifteen days. If a trial on which you are serving runs past the end of your term, you are required to complete your service for that trial.
Grand jurors serve for eighteen months.
5. When I have completed my term of service as a juror, will I be called to serve again?
The court's pool of juror names is replenished every four years; it is unlikely that you would receive a summons a second time.
6. If I am not selected to serve on a trial, how do I know what to do next?
You will be given instructions before you leave the courthouse. If you are excused until further notice, you will receive notification of your reporting date by email/text/phone call when your jury number is again randomly selected within your term of service.
7. I don't live in the county where court is held, why was I selected as a prospective juror?
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is comprised of four divisions: Chattanooga, Greeneville, Knoxville, and Winchester, The Court draws jurors from forty-one counties in East Tennessee.
The Chattanooga Division is comprised of Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie counties.
The Greeneville Division is comprised of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties.
The Knoxville Division is comprised of Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union counties.
The Winchester Division is comprised of Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Moore, Van Buren and Warren counties.
8. How much are jurors paid?
The attendance fee is $50.00 per day, plus mileage reimbursement to and from your home at the current government rate. In the Chattanooga and Knoxville divisions, parking is also reimbursed at a set rate.
9. How will I receive payment for my jury service?
US Treasury checks are mailed to your home address; therefore, please confirm the court has your correct address so you may be compensated fairly for your mileage and so your Treasury check gets to you in a timely manner.
10. Does my employer have to pay me or make up the difference when I serve on a jury?
TCA 22-4-106(b) provides as follows:
". . .[T]he employee shall be entitled to such employee's usual compensation received from such employment; however, the employer has the discretion to deduct the amount of the fee or compensation the employee receives for serving as a juror. Moreover, no employer shall be required to compensate an employee for more time than was actually spent serving and traveling to and from jury duty. If an employer employs less than five (5) people on a regular basis or if the juror has been employed by an employer on a temporary basis for less than six (6) months, the employer is not required to compensate the juror during the period of jury service pursuant to this section."
11. What rules govern my excuse from work when I am serving on a jury?
TCA 22-4-106 (a) provides as follows:
". . .Upon receiving a summons to report for jury duty, any employee shall on the next day the employee is engaged in such employee's employment exhibit the summons to the employee's immediate superior, and the employer shall thereupon excuse the employee from employment for each day the employee's service as a juror in any court of the United States or the state of Tennessee exceeds three (3) hours. If an employee summoned for jury duty is working a night shift or is working during hours preceding those in which court is normally held, such employee shall also be excused from employment as provided by this section for the shift immediately preceding the employee's first day of service. After the first day of service, when such person's responsibility for jury duty exceeds three (3) hours during a day, the person whose circumstances fall within the parameters of this subdivision (a)(2) shall be excused from the person's next scheduled work period occurring within twenty-four (24) hours of such day of jury service. Any question concerning the application of this subdivision (a)(2) to a particular work shift or shifts shall be conclusively resolved by the trial judge of the court to which the employee has been summoned."
12. Do you have a breakdown of the payment amounts on the Treasury check?
We do not itemize each amount on the check for your days of service. It is one lump payment for each day of attendance, plus mileage and parking (if applicable). However, upon request, the Clerk's Office will furnish you with an attendance certificate stating the date(s) you served and that you were paid a $50 attendance fee for each day. Your employer may not claim the entire jury service check, nor may the employer deduct the expenses for mileage and parking (if applicable) from your wages. Mileage and parking are expenses you incurred for attending.
13. What happens if my employer wrongly reduces my pay, requires me to change my schedule or otherwise attempts to interfere with my jury service?
By statute and order of this Court, an employer may not discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate, or coerce any permanent employee because of the employee's jury service, or the attendance or scheduled attendance in connection with jury service. If you believe your employer has engaged in such prohibited conduct, you should inform the judge or a member of the clerk's office immediately.
14. What is the Jury Information Line?
The Jury Information Line simply provides recorded information pertaining to your status during jury service. Generally, you are to call after 5 p.m. the evening before your reporting date to confirm there have been no changes to the court schedule.
You do not have to call the Jury Information Line every night you are “on call,” only when you are instructed to do so.
Jury Information Line: 1-800-877-0551
15. On the first reporting day of jury service, what happens? How long will I be there?
On the first day you report, jury staff will conduct an orientation. You will then proceed to the courtroom to participate in jury selection (also called voir dire) for a trial beginning that day. Court usually begins at 9 a.m. (except on your first day when it begins at 8 am) and ends by 5 p.m., with an hour for lunch and brief breaks approximately every 1.5 hours.
If you are not selected to serve on this day, you will be dismissed by the judge once the jury is selected and sworn. This could take as little as 30 to 45 minutes, or in the rare event of a multi-party case, involve an entire day.
16. Will I ever be required to serve late in the evening or stay overnight?
Sometimes trials will run past 5 o'clock, for example, to complete the testimony of a witness. If that happens, you will have time to make any necessary arrangements and advise your family. Sequestration is extremely unlikely; in the last sixty years, we have not sequestered a single jury.
17. How many days do the trials last?
Jury trials can last anywhere from less than one day to weeks. Most trials take two to three days. In the event of a lengthy trial, the court will consider special hardship requests for excusal.
18. Where do I park?
Parking information is described more fully in links on the Jury Information page and the Court Information > Court Locations page.
19. May I bring a cell phone, laptop, or other electronic devices into the courthouse?
Jurors may not bring cell phones or electronic devices into the courthouse on the first day. If you are selected to sit on a jury, you may bring your cell phones or other electronic devices through the security gate. However, the court requires jurors to sign a "Use of Electronic Devices by Jurors" Agreement before doing so. Jurors' phones will be locked in the jury room during the trial but may be used during juror breaks in the jury room.
If you use your smartphone as part of your healthcare (i.e. glucose monitoring), please contact the jury administrator in advance of your reporting. Special arrangements with the US Marshal Service are required.
20. What is the difference between a trial (petit) juror and a grand juror?
A trial juror's function is to determine issues of fact, apply the law as given by the court, and deliberate and reach a verdict. They hear both civil and criminal matters.
A grand juror's function is to determine whether the facts and accusations presented by the United States Attorney's Office (the prosecutor) warrant an indictment in a criminal case.
21. What types of cases will jurors decide in federal court?
Both civil and criminal cases are heard. Examples of civil cases are contract disputes, civil rights, and motor vehicle accidents. Criminal trials involve a party (or parties) who are alleged to have violated a federal criminal law and who have been charged by an indictment by the grand jury.
22. Whom should I contact if I have additional questions?
You may call the Jury Information Line at 1-800-877-0551. You will have an option to speak with the jury administrator.