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Video: Jury Duty

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INFORMATION FOR JURORS | FAQs

 

CALL IN
The courts use a call-in system with a recorded message to inform you when and where to report, or to tell you when to call in again. Please listen to the entire message carefully. Begin calling the weekend immediately before your term of service. Call any time after 5:00 P.M. on Friday, or as instructed on the recorded message. Please keep trying until you reach the recorded message.

The call-in number is 360-336-2188.

POTENTIAL JUROR SCAMS
Several states, including Washington, have issued public warnings about scams involving false claims from court officials or law enforcement officers.
Court personnel may contact you by phone, but they will never ask you to provide your personal information such as a social security number or bank or credit card information by phone or email.

More information about this issue can be found here.

If you have questions about your jury service, please contact the court directly at (360) 416-1200.
The court is open Monday – Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm not including government holidays.

JURY QUESTIONNAIRE
Please complete and return the juror questionnaire within 10 days of receipt.  Please answer the questions, sign, detach, fold the form, and then mail or deliver it to Skagit County Superior Court.

EXCUSAL FROM JURY DUTY

Requests to be excused from jury duty must be in writing on the summons provided.  You may only be excused from jury service upon a showing of undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, public necessity, or any other reason deemed sufficient by the court for a period of time the court deems necessary. (RCW 2.36.100) [LINK: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=2.36.100]  Persons over 80 years old may be excused for a health condition without requiring additional documentation.

POSTPONEMENT

You may request to reschedule your jury service.  Postponements of jury duty must be made prior to your scheduled service dates and are granted at the court’s discretion.  You may request to postpone your service to a time within three to twelve months.  Jury duty may only be rescheduled once. Please include your juror number and the date you would like to begin service for your request to be considered.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
If an emergency occurs, such as a sudden illness, accident, or death in the family that prevents you from serving, you should tell the court staff immediately, or call Skagit County Superior Court at (360) 416-1200.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
It is the policy of this court to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal and meaningful access to the judicial system.

Please contact Superior Court Administration at 360-416-1200 in advance of your jury service to make arrangements for your accommodations.  If you arrive for your jury service and encounter barriers related to sight, hearing, or mobility, please contact a member of court staff.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We understand that you may have some questions about your upcoming jury service.  We cannot give you specific information about the case you might serve on, but some general information about jury service is below:

 

 

HOW LONG WILL I SERVE?
It depends on each case.  If you are placed on a jury, you will serve until the trial is done.  Trials can vary from one day to several weeks.  The judge will inform you as to the expected length of the trial early in the jury selection process.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Dress comfortably. Suits, ties and other, more formal wear are not necessary. Jeans are permitted, however you should not get too informal.  For example, beach wear, shorts, halter or tank tops are not appropriate in court. Hats are not allowed unless worn for religious or medical reasons.

Due to allergies, please refrain from wearing any strongly scented perfume or cologne.

WHAT ABOUT MY JOB?

Employers must provide sufficient leave of absence from employment when an employee is summoned for jury duty.  Employers may not deprive an employee of employment or threaten, coerce, or harass an employee or deny an employee promotional opportunities for serving as a juror.  The law does not require your employer to pay you while you serve.
Guidelines for employers can be found here.

HOW WAS I CHOSEN FOR SERVICE?
Once per year, Washington Technology Solutions in Olympia merges the voter registration, driver’s license, and “identicard” records, creating a new list of names for Skagit County.  This list is called the “jury source list”.  Your name was selected at random from this list of names.  For additional information about the jury source list please see  RCW 2.36.054 and  GR 18 Jury Source List .

MORE INFORMATION
Additional information about jury service may be found here:

Video: Jury Duty English | Spanish

Thank you for your service.

Skagit County Superior Court Judges

Brian L. Stiles, Judge
Department 1

Laura M. Riquelme, Judge
Department 2

Elizabeth Y. Neidzwski, Judge
Department 3

Thomas L. Verge, Judge
Department 4