What is Jury Duty?
You received a Blue Postcard Summons requesting you to respond to Superior Court about your ability to participate in jury duty.
Jury duty is one week or until dismissed by the court. Your term of jury service is generally one week. This time may be extended if you are selected for a trial which may take longer than your original service requirement.
What does “or until dismissed by the court” mean?
Once you are assigned to a jury panel, you will stay on that case until the court releases you from your commitment.
Now What? Here are 4 things for you to review to better understand how our process works and the expected commitment.
If you can not make this commitment, you will need to provide a letter from your employer, health care provider or let us know of other reasons. postponement/excusal link
Your Time Commitment
We are asking if you can make the commitment to be on a trial that could last a few days, a week or more.
- Orientation and voir dire may last all day, or possibly 2 to 3 days.
- Cases are 2 to 10 days long on average.
- Jurors come in Monday through Thursday.
- You are only here on a Friday if you are in deliberation.
- Once again, plan to be here most of the week or even into next week.
- Listen carefully when you are in court for the time commitment expected for that specific trial.
Please Respond
We need to know who is coming and who is excused. Here are just a few reasons why you may not be able to serve, or if we need to provide an ASL interpreter so you can serve:
- Due to work reason or not paid by your employer while at jury duty.
- You have or care for someone with health issues.
- You do not live in Pierce County any longer.
- You have small children.
- You are not a citizen.
- You do not speak and understand English well enough to sit on a court case.
- You are hearing impaired and an American Sign Language Interpreter is needed.
Location - 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402
- Jury service occurs on the first floor in the County-City Building in Room 123 located at 930 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma, WA 98402.
- Jurors will be asked to report in small waves to ease congestion in the jury assembly room.
- Jurors should double check their reporting date, time, and Group Number on the RED & WHITE JURY SUMMONS to ensure correct reporting. If you have a blue card, please follow the instructions on the blue card.
- Public entrance to the County-City Building is limited to the 2nd floor entrance off of Yakima Avenue and Nollmeyer Lane. Until further notice, the 1st floor entrance on Tacoma Avenue S is closed to the public.
- Once you have gone through security screening, make your way to Room 123 on the 1st floor to be scanned-in by jury staff.
Please wear a mask on the first day you check-in. You will be provided masks for use while on jury duty. KN95’s will be available but not required and a cloth mask is acceptable.
Masks are required at all times during jury service unless eating, drinking or responding to direct questions.
We have secured the Tacoma Amory building located between the County City Building and the jury parking garage on 10thand Yakima. We are bringing in several waves of jurors in smaller groups, please double check the correct time when your group number has been requested to appear.
The jury entry door is located on the corner of 11th and Yakima. Once you arrive and park in our garage or the Blue Parking Lot in front of the Jail, walk south to the corner of 11th and Yakima where you will come through security into the building. Please keep 6’ between jurors while waiting in line. There will be markings on the ground to assist you.
Once inside, you will go through security, receive a health screening and then scan-in with jury staff. You will then enter a very large 22,000 sq. ft. auditorium that will safely seat 190 jurors at a time. We will have Social Distancing marks indicating where to stand or sit.
Once you are seated you will have orientation. You will then be assigned to a case, directed where to line-up and proceed with an escort to court which is down the hill to the County City Building. You will be escorted back up to the Armory once you are released from your courtroom. There will be cleanings throughout the day.
Please plan to keep your belongings with you at all times.
Please wear a mask on the first day you check-in. You will be provided masks for use while on jury duty. KN95’s will be available but not required and a cloth mask is acceptable.
Masks are required at all times during jury service unless eating, drinking or responding to direct questions.
We have secured the Tacoma Amory building located between the County City Building and the jury parking garage on 10thand Yakima. We are bringing in several waves of jurors in smaller groups, please double check the correct time when your group number has been requested to appear.
The jury entry door is located on the corner of 11th and Yakima. Once you arrive and park in our garage or the Blue Parking Lot in front of the Jail, walk south to the corner of 11th and Yakima where you will come through security into the building. Please keep 6’ between jurors while waiting in line. There will be markings on the ground to assist you.
Once inside, you will go through security, receive a health screening and then scan-in with jury staff. You will then enter a very large 22,000 sq. ft. auditorium that will safely seat 190 jurors at a time. We will have Social Distancing marks indicating where to stand or sit.
Once you are seated you will have orientation. You will then be assigned to a case, directed where to line-up and proceed with an escort to court which is down the hill to the County City Building. You will be escorted back up to the Armory once you are released from your courtroom. There will be cleanings throughout the day.
Please plan to keep your belongings with you at all times.
What time do you need to be available?
Regular Court hours are 8 am to 4:30 pm. However, circumstances can change when you are expected to be here. We will always provide information for when you are expected.
We are bringing in several waves of jurors in smaller groups, please double check the correct time when your group number has been requested to appear.
- On the Friday before your report date, after 5:00 p.m., check our web – Next Day Call Groups for when, and if, your group is called to come in.
- The first day your group is called in: Come before 7:30 a.m. for best parking. The building opens for jurors only at 7:30 a.m. You need to have the Juror paperwork with you.
- Orientation starts at 8:00 a.m. – Be ready
- Give yourself extra time to find the correct location, where the parking is, time to walk the block (or more) into the building, come through security, use the restroom and find a seat in the Jury Orientation Area.