The state court system now has an on-line system to help those who’re called to serve on a jury. Court Communications Officer Steve Davis says the " e-Juror " system now allows you to take care of everything on-line. He says once you get a summons in the mail, you go to the website and type in the number on the summons, and the website asks you a series of questions to see if you’re qualified for jury duty.
Davis says the system can also answer a lot of your questions once you get called to serve. Depending on your county, it will direct you to a page that tells you where the courthouse is, courthouse hours, where you can park, how much you’ll be paid. "Takes kind of the mystery out of jury duty," Davis says. He says this is part of an ongoing effort to improve the process for jurors.
Davis says the state has been doing a lot of different things to try and make it easier and more convenient for jurors. The courts randomly select prospective jurors from a master list that includes licensed drivers and registered voters.
Davis says an estimated 148,000 summons are issued each year, about six percent of the population, and the actual number of people who serve on a jury is about 6,500, or three percent of the population. Davis says he was called to serve jury duty a few years ago and ended up spending one day on the job.
He says that’s pretty typical, a one to three-day commitment. And once you’ve served, you don’t have to serve again for two years. To learn more visit the Iowa Judicial System’s website.