Jury Duty

Jury Trials are held monthly in the Temple Municipal Court.

Please contact the court office at 254-298-5687 within 24 hours of your scheduled time to serve to verify that a jury trial is still scheduled, or if you have any questions. If you need to reschedule your jury service, you must notify the court in writing prior to your scheduled day to appear and must have the change approved by the Judge.

What to expect

• Bring your Jury Summons to Court. You may be able to have it printed by the Clerk
• You will sign-in with a court clerk at the Municipal Court window in the lobby
• You will be summoned to the Courtroom to hear Class C Misdemeanor cases, punishable by fine only
• You should expect to answer pre-qualification questions, touching upon your ability to serve
• You should expect to be at the court for at least 2-3 hours
• Most cases are completed in one day o You will be required to adhere to the Municipal Court Dress Code

Juror Qualifications

Per Texas Government Code 62.102, a juror:

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Must be a citizen of the United States.
• Must be a resident of this state and of the county in which the person is to serve as a juror.
• Must be qualified under the Constitution and laws to vote in the county in which the person is to serve as a juror.
• Must be of sound mind and good moral character.
• Must be able to read and write.
• Must not have served as a juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in a district court.
• Must not have been convicted of misdemeanor theft or a felony.
• Must not be under indictment or other legal accusation for misdemeanor theft or a felony.

Juror Exemptions

Per Texas Government Code 62.106, a juror may establish an exemption from jury service if the person:

• is over 70 years of age;
• has legal custody of a child younger than 12 years of age and the person's service on the jury requires leaving the child without adequate supervision;
• is a student of a public or private secondary school;
• is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an institution of higher education;
• is an officer or employee of the senate, the house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch of government;
• has served as a petit juror in the county during the 24 month period preceding the date the person is to appear;
• is the primary caretaker of a person who is an invalid unable to care for himself or herself; or
• is a member of the United States military forces serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from the person's home station and out of the person's county of residence.

NOTE: it is a best practice to make a request for exemption in writing prior if you think you are exempt, so that the judge may rule on the matter prior to court

Failure to Answer Jury Summons/Juror Contempt

Per Texas Government Code 62.0141: In addition to any criminal penalty prescribed by law, a person summoned for jury service who does not comply with the summons as required by law or who knowingly provides false information in a request for exemption or to be excused from jury service is subject to a contempt action punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000.

For additional information, please contact the Municipal Court at 254-298-5687