Curious Iowa: How are Iowans chosen for jury duty?

Iowans are summoned each year to serve on juries in the county where they live, but how is someone selected to fulfill this civic duty? And how often will they have to serve? These are questions court clerks receive every day.

A Hiawatha resident wondered the same thing. She sent her question to Curious Iowa, a series from The Gazette that answers readers’ questions about our state, its people and the culture. We spoke with the jury manager with the Linn County Clerk of Court Office to understand the process of selecting juries for state court.

Each of Iowa’s eight judicial districts receives a list of names from their district’s counties called a “Master Jury List.” The list is compiled by the Iowa Judicial Branch. It includes Iowans over the age of 16, registered voters, and/or people who have a driver’s license or a state-issued photo identification.

Voter registration information is obtained from the Iowa Secretary of State, and the Iowa Department of Transportation provides information about driver’s licenses and state-issued identifications to the state court officials.

The most recent master list was updated Oct. 1, 2024. It will be updated again in April, according to the branch website.

Steve Davis, state court administrator, said the courts’ information is based on what the secretary of state’s office and the transportation department provides.

Each county uses a computer program to randomly draw a pool of names for the upcoming juries, Taylor Poduska, a jury manager and trial court supervisor, said. Those residents are then sent a summons postcard for jury duty to serve on a trial in magistrate, associate district or district courts. The trials can be in civil or criminal — misdemeanors and felony — cases.

Each prospective juror is told to check in the Friday before trial to find out if they will be required to report for jury duty. They are also directed to fill out a jury questionnaire, which provides more information about the individual to help the defendants, defense lawyers and prosecutors choose a fair jury.

Excuses from jury duty

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Typically, some people try get out of jury duty but the excuses accepted by Poduska or another court clerk are limited. Some of the acceptable excuses include: Not being a citizen of the United States; unable to communicate in English; not a resident of the county; under age 18; and a medical excuse with a doctor’s note.

Poduska said residents also can postpone or be excused from service if they are solely responsible for the daily care of another person with a permanent disability living in their home, and if a breastfeeding mother doesn’t work outside the home and is responsible for the daily care of a child.

Anyone summoned can call the clerk’s office or request a postponement online at least 10 days before the scheduled reporting date and ask to postpone service for up to 12 months for hardship, inconvenience, temporary physical or mental illness, education or scheduled vacation.

If an individual has served within the past two years, they will be excused.

Someone doesn’t necessarily have to be selected for a trial to have served their duty, Poduska said. If someone reports to the courthouse when summoned, but isn’t chosen to serve on a jury, their service is complete and they won’t be called for at least two years.

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Excuses that don’t work

There isn’t an automatic excusal based on age in state court, as there is for a federal court trial. This has caused some confusion and is a common question when an older person receives a jury summons.

These excuses are different from what a judge and the lawyers might excuse or disqualify during voir dire — questioning during jury selection process.

It’s also no longer an automatic disqualification from jury duty if someone is a felon, depending on various facts such as not being on probation and parole or currently registered as a sex offender or serving a special sentence of parole for a sex conviction, Poduska noted.

In 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court amended procedural rules to allow someone with a felony conviction to serve on a jury if that person has completed their sentence.

If a prospective juror fails to appear the first time, jury duty will usually be postponed, but if it happens a second time, they will be on an “order to show cause” status. The person must show if summoned the next time or they will have to go before a judge to explain why. The judge may give the individual a lecture about the importance of civil duty or hold them in contempt if they fail to appear. The person could face jail time or a fine.

Poduska said usually about 60 percent of those called for jury duty in Linn County show up. Last year, just under 58 percent reported for jury service.

Along with fulfilling a civic duty, jurors do get paid for their service — $30 per day. If a trial goes into an eighth day and beyond, jurors are paid $50 per day. They also receive round trip mileage from their home to the courthouse at a rate of 50 cents per mile.

More information about jury duty can be found on the Iowa Judicial Branch website, iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/jury-service.

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Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com