Jury trials are a hallmark of the American legal system. Each day around the state, trial courts require hundreds of ordinary citizens to report to the courthouse for jury duty. Both a right and responsibility, service as a juror places the individual citizen in a central role in the justice system.
In DeKalb County, jurors are randomly selected by computer from a master list compiled by the Council of Superior Court Clerks of Georgia.
Qualifications of Jurors
Georgia law says you are qualified to be a juror if you:
Qualifications of Grand Jurors
Georgia law says you are qualified to be a grand juror if you:
Georgia law says you are qualified to be a juror if you:
All qualified individuals are added to the DeKalb County Juror Source List if they have any of the following:
Georgia Driver’s License, Georgia State ID, or a Voter’s Registration
In DeKalb County, jurors are randomly selected by computer from a master list compiled by the Council of Superior Court Clerks of Georgia.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must provide official documentation showing that you are not a citizen to be exempted from jury service. The following list of official documents are acceptable:
Please email your official documentation to info@dekalbjury.com in either .pdf or .jpg format, indicating your Participant Number in the Subject Header Line.
If you are not a DeKalb County resident, you must provide official documentation showing that you are not a resident to be exempted from jury service. The following list of official documents are acceptable:
Please email your official documentation to info@dekalbjury.com in either .pdf or .jpg format, indicating your Participant Number in the Subject Header Line.
If you have been convicted of a felony and have not had your civil rights restored, you are not eligible to serve jury duty; however, you must complete a felony affidavit. The affidavit must be notarized. The Jury Management Office provides this service free of charge for jurors.
Once you have completed the form and had it notarized, please email it to info@dekalbjury.com in either .pdf or .jpg format, indicating your Participant Number in the Subject Header Line.
Your right to serve as a juror is not automatically restored upon release from prison and/or parole. You must apply to the Georgia Department of Pardons and Paroles to have the right to serve jury duty restored. https://pap.georgia.gov/parole-consideration/pardons-restoration-rights
If your conviction was under Georgia’s First Offender Act and you successfully completed probation, you are eligible to serve.
No one is exempt and/or deferred from jury service because of their job, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, or economic status.
Upon completion of the proper affidavit, certain exemptions and deferrals are allowed. All affidavits must be notarized (Jury Management offers this service free of charge to jurors). The categories for exemption and/or deferral from jury service are listed below. Please click on the hyperlinks for more information.
If you have been convicted of a felony and have not had your civil rights restored, you are not eligible to serve jury duty; however, you must complete a felony affidavit. The affidavit must be notarized. The Jury Management Office provides this service free of charge for jurors.
Once you have completed the form and had it notarized, please email it to info@dekalbjury.com in either .pdf or .jpg format, indicating your Participant Number in the Subject Header Line.
Your right to serve as a juror is not automatically restored upon release from prison and/or parole. You must apply to the Georgia Department of Pardons and Paroles to have the right to serve jury duty restored. https://pap.georgia.gov/parole-consideration/pardons-restoration-rights
If your conviction was under Georgia’s First Offender Act and you successfully completed probation, you are eligible to serve.
Anyone who is permanently mentally or physically disabled shall be permanently excused upon presentation of a doctor’s affidavit.
Persons seventy (70) years of age or older shall be permanently excused upon request and presentation of an appropriate affidavit.
If you are a full-time student, you may be excused from jury service for one year upon providing a Verification of Enrollment of your status as a full-time student on your date of service. You may obtain your Verification of Enrollment by contacting your school’s Registrar’s Office or, in some cases, your school may have it available in your student account. Your Verification of Enrollment must show that your date of service falls within the term or semester for which you are enrolled, so please verify the information.
Please note we cannot accept expired Verifications of Enrollment for previous terms, student account information, transcripts, contracts to attend school, or class schedules – only a Verification of Enrollment for the term during which you are summoned for jury duty may be presented for excusal from jury service.
Once you have your Verification of Enrollment, please email it in .jpg or .pdf format to the Jury Management Office at info@dekalbjury.com.
Persons who are the primary caregiver of a child six (6) years of age or younger and have no reasonably available alternative child care shall be excused or deferred upon presentation of an appropriate affidavit. Please see the qualifications below. The affidavit must be notarized. Jury Management provides this service free of charge.
For those persons who are the primary caregiver of a child six (6) years of age or younger, please note that:
If you do not qualify for a Childcare Affidavit and the day to which you have been assigned proves a hardship for you to get alternative childcare, or you have a special needs child, please contact the Jury Management Office at 404-371-2022 and press 0. Telephone hours are Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
If you have a newborn or are exclusively breastfeeding, rather than using the Childcare Affidavit, please have your doctor or your child’s pediatrician fill out the medical affidavit attached to your jury summons. The affidavit must be notarized. Jury Management provides this service free of charge.
Any person who is a primary unpaid caregiver of a person over the age of six (6),
shall be excused or deferred upon presentation of an appropriate affidavit and statement from a physician as to the limitations.
Persons who are the primary teacher in a home study program and have no reasonably available alternative for child or children in the home study program shall be excused or deferred upon presentation of an appropriate affidavit.
A Home Study Program Declaration of Intent from the Georgia Department of Education must accompany the affidavit.
Any service member on ordered military duty, or the spouse of any such service member on active military duty, may be excused or deferred upon request and presentation of an appropriate affidavit.
Location
Hours of Service
Attire
Casual business attire is required. Shorts, tank tops, bare midriffs, shirts with controversial depictions or wording, or similar dress are not allowed in the courtrooms. Police, military or firefighter uniforms may not be worn. The temperature in the courtroom is unpredictable, please dress accordingly. Shoes must be worn at all times; beach sandals or flip-flops are prohibited.
Jurors who are hearing and/or visually impaired are not prohibited from serving on a jury. For ease of accommodation, please notify Jury Management prior to your service if you need assistance by emailing info@dekalbjury.com. The Jury Assembly Room and most courtrooms are equipped to accommodate the hearing impaired.
All jurors scheduled for service will receive a brief orientation conducted by the Jury Management Staff. After the orientation is completed, jurors are administered an oath and will remain in the Jury Assembly Room until called to report to a courtroom. Throughout the day, jurors may be selected randomly to report to a courtroom for either a civil or criminal case.
Jury service in DeKalb County operates on the one day/one trial system. A new group of jurors is summoned each day of the week. If selected to serve on a jury, the juror will serve for the duration of the trial. If a person is not assigned to a case, their jury service will be complete at the end of the day. If sent to a courtroom or selected to sit on a trial, jurors will serve until released by the judge.
Jurors are paid daily expenses. An expense check will be mailed within 12-14 days after the date(s) of service. Jurors are paid $15.00 for the first day of service and $25.00 for each additional day.
Grand jurors are paid daily expenses in the amount of $50.00 for each day of service.
No employer may discharge or demote any employee because the employee has been called for jury service or is serving as a juror. Jurors should notify their employer immediately of their jury service. Jury Management will provide jurors with proof of service upon request.
Jurors who fail to appear as directed and to attend until duly discharged are subject to a fine as well as potentially subject to the contempt powers of the Court. The Court may sentence a person to confinement in the DeKalb County Jail under its contempt powers.
If you failed to appear on your date of service you should contact the Jury Management Office as soon as possible by emailing info@dekalbjury.com in order to reschedule your service date. If you are unable to email, you may call 404-371-2022, ext. 0, Monday through Friday between 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Parking is available in the deck behind the Courthouse for a flat fee of $6.00
For individuals summoned for jury service: Free parking is available in downtown Decatur in the parking deck located at 125 West Trinity Place (attached to the rear of the Courthouse). If you park in any other parking garage, you are in the wrong place. Handicap parking is available on all levels of the parking deck, near the elevators, with the exception of the 2nd and 3 rd levels. There is one elevator in the parking deck, located in the stairwell adjacent to the handicapped parking spaces.
The handicap entrance is located on the basement level of the courthouse (use the employee entrance).
NOTE: The parking deck cannot accommodate oversized vehicles. You should not park in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot (you will be towed), nor should you park in the paid parking spots directly in front of the Courthouse.
MARTA: (itsmarta.com) Decatur is on the blue line, located below Decatur’s public square. A bus loop is on the west side of the station. Decatur Square is an active area with popular dining, and shopping outside the station entrance. DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court, Magistrate Court of DeKalb County and Decatur City Hall are next door. Agnes Scott college has a shuttle pick-up for their students and faculty.
In the event of inclement weather, jurors should tune to WSB-TV, Channel 2 and/or WSB-Radio 750AM or call the Jury Information Reporting line – 404-371-2030.
