Atascosa County, Texas

February 3rd Jury Selection

Questionnaire should be completed at least 1 week prior to the reporting date.

Attention!
Please double check your jury summons DATE.

Jury Duty Information

Right to Reemployment

A private employer may not terminate the employment of a permanent employee because the employee serves as a juror. An employee whose employment is terminated in violation of this section is entitled to return to the same employment that the employee held when summoned for jury service. If the employee, as soon as practical after release from jury service, gives the employer actual notice that the employee intends to return. (Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Section 122.001)

NO shorts or tank tops

NO handbags or backpacks

NO food or drink allowed in the court room

Qualifications for Jury Service
You do not need any special skills or legal knowledge to be a juror!

To be qualified to serve as a juror you must:

be at least 18 years of age;
be a citizen of the United States;
be a resident of this state and of the county in which you are to serve as a juror;
be qualified under the Constitution and laws to vote in the county in which you are to serve as a juror (Note: You do not have to be registered to vote to be qualified to vote);
be of sound mind and good moral character;
be able to read and write;
not have served as a juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court; and
not have been convicted of, or be under indictment or other legal accusation for, misdemeanor theft or a felony.
*Note that the completion of deferred adjudication is not a disqualifying "conviction".

(Texas Government Code § 62.102. General Qualifications for Jury Service. Code of Criminal Procedure, Articles 35.16 et. seq.)

If you have any doubts as to your eligibility to serve on a jury, contact the judge or court as indicated on your jury summons.

Exemptions from Jury Service
You are not required to claim an exemption from jury service.

However, you may choose to be excused if you:

Are over 75 years of age (You may also request a permanent age 75 exemption.);

Have legal custody of a child younger than 12 years of age and your service on the jury requires leaving the child without adequate supervision;

Are a student of a public or private secondary school;

Are a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an institution of higher education;

Are an officer or an employee of the senate, house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch of government;

Have served as a petit juror in the county during the 24-month period preceding the date you are required to appear for this summons. (Applies only to counties with a population of at least 200,000 unless the county uses a jury plan under § 62.011, Gov't Code, and the period authorized under § 62.011(b) exceeds two years.);

Are the primary caretaker of a person who is unable to care for himself or herself (This exemption does not apply to health care workers.);

Have been summoned for service in a county with a population of at least 250,000 and you have served as a petit juror in the county during the three year period preceding the date you are to appear for jury service. (This does not apply if the jury wheel has been reconstituted since your service as a petit juror.); or

You are a member of the United States Military Forces serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from your home station and out of your county of residence.

(Texas Government Code § 62.106. Exemption from Jury Service)

You must follow the instructions on your jury summons or contact the judge to find out what you need to do to be exempted from jury service.

Failure to Answer the Summons
A person who receives a summons for jury service and fails to answer the summons as directed by the summons, is subject to a contempt action that is punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000.

(Texas Gov't Code § 62.0141. Failure to Answer Jury Summons.)

Failure to Attend Court/Filing a False Exemption

A juror who is lawfully notified to attend court is subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 if that juror either:

fails to attend court in obedience to the notice without a reasonable excuse; or

files a false claim of exemption from jury service.

(Texas Gov't Code § 62.111. Penalty for Defaulting Jurors.)

(Supreme Court Rule of Civil Procedure 226a)

The judge will instruct you to adhere to the following basic rules:

Do not mingle with nor talk to the lawyers, the witnesses, the parties, or any other person who might be connected with or interested in the case, except for casual greetings. They will have the same instructions and you will understand it when they do.

Do not accept from, nor give to, any of those persons any favors however slight, such as rides, food, or refreshments.

Do not discuss anything about this case, or even mention it to anyone whomsoever, including your wife or husband nor permit anyone to mention it in your hearing until you are discharged as jurors or excused form this case. If anyone attempts to discuss the case, report it to the judge at once.
Do not even discuss this case among yourselves until after you have heard all of the evidence, the court's charge, the attorneys' arguments and until I have sent you to the jury room to consider your verdict.

Do not make any investigation about the facts of this case. Occasionally, we have a juror who privately seeks out information about a case on trial. This is improper. All evidence must be presented in open court so that each side may question the witnesses and make proper objection. This avoids a trial based upon secret evidence. These rules apply to jurors the same as they apply to the parties and to me. If you know of, or learn anything about, this case except from the evidence admitted during the course of this trial, you should tell me about it at once. You have just taken an oath that you will render a verdict on the evidence submitted to you under the judge's rulings.

Do not make personal inspections, observations, investigations, or experiments nor personally view premises, things or articles not produced in court. Do not let anyone else do any of these things for you.

Do not tell other jurors your own personal experiences nor those of other persons, nor relate any special information. A juror may have special knowledge of matters such as business, technical or professional matters or he may have expert knowledge or opinions, or he may know what happened in this or some other lawsuit. To tell the other jurors any of this information is a violation of these instructions.

Do not discuss or consider attorney's fees unless evidence about attorney's fees is admitted.

Do not consider, discuss, nor speculate whether or not any party is or is not protected in whole or in part by insurance of any kind.

Do not seek information contained in law books, dictionaries, public or private records or elsewhere, which is not admitted in evidence.

At the conclusion of all the evidence, the judge may give you a written charge that asks you some specific questions. Because you will need to consider all of the evidence admitted by the judge, it is important that you pay close attention to the evidence as it is presented at trial. You will not be asked, and you should not consider, whether one party or the other should win.

Note that jurors and others can be called upon to testify in open court about acts of jury misconduct. As a result, you need to follow all of the jury instructions given by the judge throughout the case very carefully.