You’re up. You knew it would come sometime, and now it’s your turn for jury duty. Understanding what you can expect to happen when you’re called for jury duty in Detroit can help you plan your days ahead.
What to Expect When You’re Called for Jury Duty in Detroit
Several different scenarios can occur when you’re called, particularly if you’re asked to go to the Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit. Different courts may have different procedures, but following are some possibilities.
1. You may be required to make a phone call for several days. The recording may inform you if you are expected to arrive at the courthouse in person. If you are not, you may have to call in the following day. If by the end of a certain amount of days you are not required to attend, this will be considered having completed your civic duty.
2. If you are called to the Wayne County Circuit Court/Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan, you may be required to appear at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center or the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.
Once you arrive, you will likely be seated in a waiting room/jury assembly area until your name is called. This step may take several hours, and individual groups of people may be summoned throughout these hours. If your name is not called, you will likely be dismissed, and this would be considered completing your requirement.
3. If you are named during these hours, you will likely be led to a courtroom. The number of people in your group will generally be more than the number of jurors that are required for the case. This helps to ensure that there are backup candidates if one or more of the candidates cannot serve on the jury.
The judge will explain the next steps to you, and the defense attorneys and prosecuting attorneys will likely ask you a series of question to determine if you are an appropriate fit. These questions may help to identify any life-based biases, predetermined judgment of the defendant, inabilities to complete the trial, and so on. If the attorneys find that you are unfit, the judge will ask you to return to the jury assembly area or dismiss you. This would be considered having completed your duty.
Generally, if you are accepted, you will hear the trial and determine the verdict in the case along with the rest of the jurors. You will be given additional instructions at these times.
Other Factors about Jury Duty
According to the Third Judicial Circuit Court’s website, Wayne County jury service is a “one day/one trial” term of service.
- If you are selected to serve as a juror and complete the trial or are dismissed otherwise, this constitutes completion of your civic duty. The average trial is three or four days.
- If you appear but are not called to be a juror, this one day of service constitutes completion of the duty.
If you are called for jury duty in Detroit or elsewhere and do not respond, this can result in a requirement for you to attend a show cause hearing. You could also be charged with contempt of court, and a bench warrant might be issued.
(The above facts and scenarios are based on past trials and procedures. Procedures may change, and different courts may have different processes. For more information, visit the Wayne County Circuit Court website or the website for the court to which you are being summoned.)
Tags: Jury Duty, Third Judicial Court, Voir Dire, Wayne County Circuit Court, wayne county michigan