Notification of Jury Service

If you received a Notification of Jury Service from the U.S. District Court, your name has been chosen from a random selection of registered voters in your division to serve as a potential juror for a two (2) to four (4) month term of service as a Petit Juror or a twelve (12) month term as a Grand Juror. Refer to your Notification of Jury Service for the specific months of your term.

Complete your juror questionnaires online here.

If you are determined qualified for jury service, you may be summoned for jury selection at any point during your term. If summoned, you will receive a separate mailing titled Summons of Jury Service which will instruct you to call the Juror Information Line at 1-800-240-6366 or 505-348-2073 for instructions on reporting. You will need your Juror Participant Number. This number can be located on your Notification of Jury Service.

What Do You Do Now?

• Make sure to write down your Juror Participant Number and/or keep the Notification of Jury Service. You will need your Juror Participant Number throughout the length of your term.
• Complete the Juror Qualification Questionnaire online through eJuror within ten (10) days of receipt of your Notification of Jury Service. Please answer all questions honestly and completely. If you are found qualified to serve, you may be summoned to appear for jury selection. It is essential you provide your contact phone number(s) to receive reminders and updates on your report dates. Your phone number(s) will be kept confidential.
• Complete the Voir Dire Questionnaire online through eJuror within ten (10) days of receipt of your Notification of Jury Service . Your answers on this questionnaire will help the judge and the attorneys during jury selection.
• Both questionnaires may be completed online through eJuror. If you complete your questionnaires online and also received paper forms with your Notification of Jury Service, you do not need to complete the paper forms. In the event you are unable to or do not wish to complete your questionnaires online, we will mail out paper questionanires one month prior to your term of service. You may complete the paper questionnaires and mail them in the self-addressed, postage paid envelope.

What are the Next Steps?

1. Keep this Notification of Jury Service and/or write down your Juror Participant Number. Your Juror Participant Number will be needed throughout the length of your term.
2. Wait to be contacted by the Clerk’s Office. If you are found qualified to service, you may be summoned to appear for jury selection. If summoned, you will receive a Summons for Jury Service in the mail 7-10 days prior to your reporting date.
3. If summoned, call the Juror Information Line (1-800-240-6366 or 505-348-2073) for your specific reporting instructions. You will need your Juror Participant Number located on your Notification of Jury Service.
4. Do not appear on the first day of your term unless specifically instructed to do so via a Summons for Jury Service.

Requests for Temporary or Permanent Excuse from Jury Service

• Temporary Excuse: A temporary excuse may be granted for dates when you will be unavailable for jury service because of medical appointments, vacations, business obligations, etc. Please provide these dates on the Voir Dire Questionnaire or in eJuror via the Partial Excuse menu option.
  • If your temporary excuse is granted, the Clerk’s Office will ensure that you do not receive a summons to report for the date(s) you are excused.
  • If you request temporary excuse for a significant portion of your term, the Jury Division may determine it is best to defer your jury service for another term. You will be notified if your jury service is deferred.
  • If new dates of unavailability come up during your term of service, you must submit your request for temporary excuse prior to being summoned. You may update your information in eJuror via the Partial Excuse menu option. You may also contact the Jury Division at 505-348-2070. Leave a detailed message with your participant number and the dates you are unavailable.
• Permanent Excuse: Permanent excuses are rarely granted.  Requests to be permanently excused from jury service may be requested on the Voir Dire Questionnaire or in eJuror.
  • If you requested a permanent excuse, you may call the Juror Information Line (1-800-240-6366 or 505-348-2073) two weeks prior to the start of your term to obtain the status of your request. You will need your Juror Participant Number located on the Notification of Jury Service.
  • You may be required to report to the Court to state your reason for permanent excuse on the record during the jury selection process.
• Medical Excuse: In certain circumstances, you may be medically excused from jury service. To request a medical excusal, you must send a current doctor’s note indicating both of the following. Until the note is received, you will be considered an active juror and may be summoned. Requests for medical excuses may not be submitted online. Your doctor may fax the note to 505-348-2117 or mail it to the U.S. District Court, 333 Lomas Blvd NW Ste 270, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Attn: Jury Division. For your doctors convenience, you may have them complete the court's Jury Medical Excuse Form instead of submitting a letter.
  • That you should be excused from jury service, and
  • For what period of time

Compliance Requirements of Jury Service

You must follow all instructions provided in the Notification of Jury Service and on the Juror Information Line when summoned for service. Failure to return the questionnaires or report for service pursuant to a Summons may result in your being held in contempt of court and you may be fined $1,000 and/or imprisoned three days for non-compliance.

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1875, no employer shall discharge, intimidate, or coerce any employee because of the employee’s jury service. If an employer violates this law, they may be subject to a fine of $5,000 and may be ordered to perform community service.

For additional information regarding reporting for jury service, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page or the Summons for Jury Service Information page.