Western District of Texas

LOCATION:

United States District Courthouse
800 Franklin Avenue
Waco, Texas 76701
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Courthouse Location

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

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ENTERING COURTHOUSE:

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

PARKING:

Parking around the Federal Courthouse is somewhat limited. There is a parking lot directly across from the Courthouse, which requires a fee of $5.00 per day, so please bring cash with you. The Court will reimburse all parking fees at the time the jury checks are issued. Please park in a non-reserved parking space in the parking lot. If you park on the street, please do not park in a 2-hour limit zone as these spaces are closely monitored.

YOUR SUMMONS:

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

 

How will I be informed about when to report?

Under the "Reporting Instructions" section of your summons, it instructs jurors to access our message system each Friday, after 5:30 p.m. 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.

 

What is the expected length and frequency of my service?

Your juror number may be called at any time during the three-month term of service, beginning with the date of your summons. Jury selection proceedings are scheduled for Mondays, with few exceptions. Jurors may be summoned more than once during the panel's term and may also be selected to serve on more than one trial during that same period.

SUMMONS JUROR QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE:

Enclosed with your summons you will find a Summons Juror Qualification Questionnaire. It is very important that you complete this form and return it within ten (10) days. All questions must be answered. It is extremely important that you include your home phone number, so our office may contact you immediately should a change in court schedule occur. If a question does not pertain to you, please mark with a N/A (Not Applicable). Once completed, please return the Questionnaire to this office in the envelope provided in the summons packet.

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. Enclosed in your summons mail-out you will find an excuse form that you can use to submit your excuse in writing. 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 three months you are summoned, you need to submit this information to the Court. Jurors may check the status of their excuse request by accessing the 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 Summons Juror Qualification Questionnaire, you may fax your request to (254) 750-1507 or mail your request to:

Clerk, U.S. District Court
Attention: Jury Clerk
800 Franklin Ave., Room 380
Waco, TX 76701

OR

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

The following occupational classes or groups of persons for whom jury service would entail undue hardship or extreme inconvenience may be granted upon individual request:

1. Persons over 70 years of age.
2. Any student enrolled in a public or private secondary school and any full-time student enrolled at an institution of higher education.
3. Persons who serve without compensation as a volunteer firefighter or member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew for a federal, state or local governmental agency.

DO NOT WAIT TO BE EXCUSED! The Court will only entertain requests for excuses and 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.

The completed Summons Juror Qualification Questionnaire form must be received in the U.S. District Clerk's Office before the Court will make a decision concerning any request for excuse or postponement.

EXCUSE REQUEST STATUS:

The Court's decision regarding your excuse request may be found by accessing the Jury Messaging System at 888-587-9329 or on-line at Reporting Instructions. Please have your Participant Number available when accessing this system. The Jury Messaging System will state whether your excuse request has been granted or denied. Please allow between 3-5 days following the submission of your excuse request before checking on the status of this request.

JUROR FEES:

A $40.00 attendance fee (not applicable to Federal Government employees) is paid for each day you report for jury duty, even if you are not selected to hear a case.

You will also be reimbursed for round-trip mileage from your home to the Courthouse and back. Those of you residing more than 70 miles (one way) from the Courthouse may come to Waco the day before the scheduled jury selection date and spend the night in a hotel/motel of your choice. The Court will reimburse the $40.00 attendance fee for your travel day and will also reimburse you with a per diem amount for lodging. A receipt for the lodging expense must be presented to the jury clerk in order for you to be reimbursed with this per diem amount. (THIS APPLIES ONLY TO THOSE JURORS WHO LIVE MORE THAN 70 MILES ONE WAY FROM THE COURTHOUSE). 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.

Please note that the expenses incurred for parking and lodging will be included in the check for jury attendance fees and will normally be issued 10 - 14 days after the date of jury selection.

Please contact the Jury Clerk for the applicable per diem amount if you qualify for an overnight stay based on your distance from the Court. The per diem amount is a set fee. Any lodging expenses in excess of the per diem amount will not be reimbursed by the Court.

COURTROOM DECORUM:

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

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

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

Jurors who have a change of name, address, phone number and/or employment should submit these changes to the Jury Clerk as soon as possible. A juror submitting such changes must indicate his/her Panel Number and Juror Participant Number along with the change. A current mailing address is required to ensure that your jury check can be delivered by the postal service. The U.S. Post Office will not forward jury checks. A current daytime 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 contact the jury clerk by calling (254) 750-1501 (local call) or toll-free at 1-800-755-7730 during normal business hours.