How Are Potential Jurors Chosen in Minnesota?
The first stage in jury selection is summoning a pool of potential jurors from the list of local citizens eligible to serve on a jury in Minnesota, as described above.
Annually, the source list is comprised of licensed drivers, state identification card holders, and registered voters residing in the county. Department of Health provides the names of any deceased to be removed from the source list. Individuals are then randomly selected by computer.
Receiving a Jury Duty Summons in Minnesota
If your name is randomly selected for the jury pool through the process described above, you receive a jury summons in the mail instructing you to appear for jury selection on a pre-set day.
While there are a few excuses for getting out of jury selection in MN, most people summoned will have to report to the courthouse for the next stage of the juror selection process, voir dire.
The Juror Selection Process, or "Voir Dire"
Just because you qualify to be a juror and are summoned for jury selection, doesn't mean that you will be selected to be a juror on a case. The process of "Voir Dire", the actual act of jury selection, is how judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors actually choose the individuals who will sit on the juries for upcoming criminal and civil cases.
During the voir dire process, each lawyer will ask the pool of potential jurors a series of questions about their background, beliefs, prejudices, or relationships with any party to the case. While the goal is to select an impartial jury to render a verdict, each attorney will also seek to exclude any jurors who seem to be more likely to vote against their client's interests. While jury candidates are instructed to be open and truthful when answering such questions, the juror selection process is also where most individuals who don't wish to serve on a trial find a way to be excused from further juror duties.
What Happens After Jury Selection Day
If you are selected to serve on a jury, you will be provided with the trial date, and must return to serve on the jury for the duration of the trial and deliberations. If you were not selected to serve on any jury during the voir dire process, you can go home, and your Minnesota jury duty obligations are complete.
You will receive nominal Minnesota jury duty pay for the jury selection day, as well as for any days served on a jury. Once your service is complete, you won't be summoned for jury duty again until Minnesota re-adds you to the potential juror pool.
Jurors reporting for jury duty or jury selection in the state of Minnesota are expected to dress professionally, in a manner appropriate for a court room.
Most courthouses suggest dress ranging from business casual to business attire. For men, this means slacks or khakis and a polo or button-down shirt, potentially with a tie or suit jacket. For women, this means a professional-looking pair of pants or a skirt, cardigan, sweater, twinset, or shirt.
As a juror, you are expected to maintain a professional and respectable appearance while performing your duties. Hats should never be worn in a courtroom, and you should avoid wearing shorts, t-shirts, tanktops, or anything printed with logos or slogans.
While jury duty is a civic requirement for all eligible citizens in Minnesota, the state restricts how often you can be summoned for jury duty in order to ensure a fresh jury pool and prevent undue hardship by being summoned too frequently.
Minnesota Jury Duty Summons Frequency:
Potential jurors may be selected no more than once every four years.
While there are a number of ways to be legally excused from jury duty in Minnesota, failing to appear when summoned for jury selection or jury duty without an excuse is illegal, and can result in legal repercussions.
Any person summoned for jury service who fails to appear as directed shall be ordered by the court to appear and show cause for failure to comply with the summons. Juror failing to show is guilty of a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor is punishable a fine of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail or both.
Employers in Minnesota are also forbidden from penalizing employees who miss work for jury duty.
