Jury Selection
All jury selections will be cancelled up to and including September 7, 2020, everywhere in the province. If you received a summons to attend a jury selection, the summons is cancelled.
If you are a juror on a trial that is currently already underway, the presiding judge will determine whether the trial should continue or be stood down for a period of time.
The jury selection process (also called a jury panel) happens at the courthouse listed on your jury summons.
What to bring:
- The top portion of your summons document
- Picture ID
- Water and snacks
- Reading materials
If you’re driving to the courthouse and chose to park in metered parking, please be aware that you may not be able to leave the jury selection to pay the meter for 4-5 hours (depending on the length of juror selection). Parking and travel expenses are not reimbursed.
When you arrive at the courthouse, follow directions/signs to the area where you can sign in with the sheriff. The sheriff will explain where to go and what to do.
The selection process will begin in the courtroom and can take anywhere from half a day to a full day. The judge may ask some people to return the following month for a second jury selection.
Disabilities and accommodations
If you need accommodation for a disability, contact your local sheriff office immediately to discuss your needs.
Every effort will be made to provide necessary accommodations for people with disabilities to participate in the jury process. For example: a judge may allow you to use technical, personal, interpretive or other support services to enable you to serve on a jury.
What if I don’t attend?
Everyone summoned for jury duty must attend jury selection at the courthouse location for the date and time indicated on the summons – unless they are exempt or disqualified in advance. Anyone who does not attend without valid exemption or disqualification may be subject to a fine set by the court.
If you are selected to be a juror
Anyone who is selected as a juror for a trial will be sworn in or affirmed and then seated in the jury box.
If you are not selected to be a juror
A separate selection process takes place for each jury trial and several juries may be selected in one day. On the day of jury selection, anyone not selected to sit on a jury is dismissed. However, you may be required to come back for an additional selection date. If this happens, the judge will let you know before you leave the courtroom. In rare circumstances, a judge may order the Sheriffs to contact panellists at a later date to attend an additional selection process.
