Western District of Texas

LOCATION:

United States District Courthouse
410 S. Cedar Street
Pecos, Texas 79772
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Courthouse Location

You will report for jury duty to the Jury Assembly Room on the Second Floor of the courthouse.

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ENTERING COURTHOUSE:

Please have a picture identification card available to present when entering the courthouse building.

PARKING:

Parking is available in the front and south side of the courthouse.

YOUR SUMMONS:

Your summons includes important information about your jury service in Federal Court.

How long will I serve?

Your jury panel is subject to being called during a three month period. This three month period begins from the date you are first scheduled to report. This date is listed on your summons.

 

What day do I begin my service?

Your Summons will instruct you to report on a certain day and time (Allow the entire day for your jury service.)

 

How will I be informed about when to report?

Under the "Reporting Instructions" section of your summons, jurors are instructed to access our message system after 5:30 p.m. the day before they are scheduled to report. When accessing our message system via phone or the web, you must enter your Juror Participant Number. The Participant Number can be found on your summons.

Jurors will also receive a courtesy automated phone call reminder regarding when they are scheduled to report.

 

What is the expected length and frequency of my service?

Jury selections are scheduled on Tuesdays with very few exceptions. Jurors can be summoned more than once during the particular month of their initial summons. If you are selected for a trial and it lasts more than one day, the judge will dismiss the jury each evening and instruct you as to what time you will need to report in for the next day. Most of the trials are estimated from 1 - 3 days. If the trial continues later into the evening than expected, you will be given enough time to get in touch with your family to make arrangements.

SUMMONS JUROR QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE:

Enclosed with your summons you will find a Summons Juror Qualification Questionnaire. Please complete this form and return it as soon as possible. All blanks must be answered. It is very important that you include your phone number, in the event our office needs to contact you should changes in the Court's schedule occur. If a question does not pertain to you, please mark with a N/A (Not Applicable). You will receive a self-addressed, postage paid envelope to be used when returning the completed Summons Juror Qualification Questionnaire.

EXCUSES:

Federal Law allowing the granting of excuses is very strict. Request for excuses and postponements should be mailed with the completed Summons Juror Qualification Questionnaire form in the return envelope provided.

Your request must indicate the Jury Panel and Juror Participant Number assigned to you. If you have any prior commitments such as trips, meetings, doctor's appointments, etc. during the month you are summoned, you need to submit this information to the Court. A juror can check the status of their request by accessing our Jury Messaging System (see section on "Excuse Request Status", below). You are not to assume your request has been granted. If a situation arises after you have submitted your completed juror qualification questionnaire, you may mail your request to:

Clerk, United States District Court
Attention: Jury Clerk
410 S. Cedar Street
Pecos, Texas 79772

OR

you may also submit your excuse request on-line:   Request Postponement or Excuse.

The Court will only entertain requests for excuses/postponements for emergency situations on the day you are directed to report. If the Court grants your request, you will not be reimbursed the attendance or mileage fee.

Jurors who fail to report for jury duty and who have not been excused by the Court may be served a Show Cause Order by a Deputy United States Marshal. Those jurors will be ordered to appear before the Court to show cause why they should not be held in contempt of the Jury Service and Selection Act. Contempt penalties range from a $1,000 fine, imprisoned not more than three days, ordered to perform community service, or any combination thereof.

EXCUSE REQUEST STATUS:

The decision of the Court will be made available to you by accessing our Jury Messaging System at 888-587-9329 or on-line at Reporting Instructions. Please make sure you have your Participant Number available when accessing the message system. When an excuse request is submitted to our office, the Jury Messaging System will either state that your request has been granted or denied. Allow 3-5 business days before accessing the Jury Messaging System to check the status of your excuse request.

JUROR FEES:

• A $40.00 daily attendance fee is paid for each day you report for jury duty (with the exception of Federal Government employees).
• Mileage is paid for the distance traveled to and from a juror's residence by the shortest, practical route going to, and returning from, the place of service. The allowance shall be at the maximum rate established.
• Jurors who travel 70 miles or more, one way, from Pecos are eligible to receive a subsistence allowance for lodging if they choose to stay overnight. The subsistence allowance shall be at the maximum rate established. You will need to provide the jury clerk with your hotel receipts. If an on-line hotel booking service is used, the following two documents must be provided to the jury clerk: 1) Receipt from the on-line service and, 2) Receipt from the hotel detailing when the juror checked-in and checked-out. This documentation can be provided in a letter from the hotel. A lone receipt from the on-line service will not satisfy the documentation our office needs to reimburse you in a timely manner.

COURTROOM DECORUM:

The following is a guideline for courtroom decorum which jurors are asked to observe:

1. Rise when addressing or being addressed by the Judge and always begin your answer to a question by stating your juror number.
2. No tobacco in any form at any time,
3. No propping of feet on tables and/or chairs,
4. No bottles, beverage containers, paper cups or food shall be brought into the Courtroom,
5. No gum chewing, reading of newspapers and/or magazines (except as part of evidence in a case),
6. It is recommended that male jurors wear a coat and tie and that all female jurors wear suits or dresses for jury duty. Jeans are not considered appropriate.

CHANGE OF NAMES, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER AND/OR EMPLOYMENT CHANGES:

A current mailing address is important and required so that your jury check can be delivered by the postal service. The U.S. Post Office will not forward jury checks.

Jurors who have a change of name, address, phone number and/or employment after they have submitted their Summons Juror Qualification Questionnaire should submit these changes to the Jury Section as soon as possible. Be sure to indicate the Panel Number and Juror Participant Number with the change being submitted.

A current day time phone number is also important in the event we need to contact you by telephone.

If you have additional questions regarding your service to this Court, please feel free to call the Clerk's Office at (432) 445-4038.