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JUROR INFORMATION
THANKS FOR SERVING If you are visiting this page because you have been selected for jury service, we wish to thank you for your service. With freedom comes responsibility, and jury service is an important aspect of the rights, privileges and freedoms we all enjoy in this great nation. Your service is greatly appreciated by the Court. In Washington
County, Dennis Weaver, the Clerk of Circuit Court, is responsible for managing
the selection process under the direction of the Honorable Fred C. Wright, III,
Administrative Judge. Under Washington County's Jury Selection Plan, once each
year a pool of 3,500 potential jurors is selected at random from a combination
of the Washington County Voter Registration list and the list of
A new Grand
Jury, consisting of 23 members, is empanelled on the second Tuesday of March
and September each year, and serves for a term of six months. During the six-month
term, the Grand Jury will normally meet seven to ten days. The main function
of the Grand Jury is to hear the prosecutor's evidence in selected criminal
matters and decide whether or not there is sufficient evidence to charge
Petit jurors
serve for a term of one month, beginning on the second Monday of each month.
Each petit jury consists of at least 100 members who will be called for service
during the month on an as needed basis. On average, during the one-month term
each petit juror will be present in the courtroom four or five days. Typically,
at least twice the number of jurors needed are scheduled for a case, and from
that number, the attorneys will select the actual jury - twelve persons in a
criminal case, six in a civil case. The petit jury hears evidence from all parties
in a case and renders a verdict. In a criminal case, the petit jury will decide
whether the person charged is guilty or not guilty of each offense charged.
In civil cases, the issues to be decided vary depending upon the case. Some
examples are: Who, if anyone, was negligent in a traffic accident; What, if
any, money damages should be awarded to an injured person; Both grand and petit jurors will receive, by mail, a summons to appear on the first day of the term. The place to report is the Washington County Courthouse, 95 West Washington Street, Hagerstown, Maryland. After the first day of the grand jury term, the State's Attorney will schedule the sessions, and will mail a notice of the date, time, and place to each grand juror. Grand jurors should check each letter received for the location of each session as the grand jury does not always meet in the courthouse. Petit jurors
are notified of their schedule, after the first day, through a phone-in system.
Jurors call a tape-recorded message every Thursday evening to get their maximum
potential schedule for the next week. They then call again the night before
they are to appear to make sure their service has not been cancelled. Approximately
one half of the petit jurors scheduled during a term will be cancelled. Cancellations
occur because the parties settle civil cases in The phone
number to call for the tape-recorded petit jury schedule is 301-739-3440.
The recording is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The schedule for the
following week is available after 4:30 p.m. each Thursday, so that jurors can
plan their week, notify employers, baby sitters, etc., before the weekend.
Jurors, both
grand and petit, are paid $15.00 per day for their expenses, plus a mileage
reimbursement of $.30 per mile roundtrip from their home to the courthouse.
Each juror in attendance will be given a "voucher" which can be cashed only
at the Washington County Treasurer's Office at 35 W. Washington Street, a half
block from the courthouse. In addition, each juror is given a certificate, indicating
that they were in court on that particular day and how For income tax purposes, Jury pay is includible in taxable income. However, it may be deductible as expense money. Consult your tax advisor to be sure. The court will not provide a Form W-2 or 1099. The Circuit
Court and the Washington County Department of Social Services cooperate in a
program entitled "Generous Jurors Program." Under this program, jurors may donate
all or part of their jury pay to the Department of Social Services' foster care
program. The donations are used to provide, for foster children in the county,
things which state budgets do not support, such as school band uniforms, money
for field trips, birthday and Christmas gifts, etc. If you wish to donate to
the program, simply tell the Treasurer's Office employee when cashing your vouchers.
Some employers do not permit their employees to keep their jury pay, and this
program may provide a solution for that situation.
GRAND JURORS: Parking for grand jurors is financed by Washington County Government at the City Parking Deck in the first block of North Potomac Street. Grand jurors must bring the blue "parking ticket" provided upon entering the parking deck with them to the session. Clerk's office staff will validate the "ticket". When leaving the parking deck, present the validated "ticket" to the attendant and the parking fee will be waived. PETIT JURORS: On the first day of service, because there will be more jurors in attendance than there are free parking spaces available, petit jurors must find parking on their own. The session on the first day of the term is an orientation program that begins at 9:00 a.m. and will last until approximately 11:15 a.m. Some suggestions for parking on the first day are:
The second
parking area available to petit jurors is provided by the Herald Mail Company.
Enter the Herald Mail Company's parking lot through the main entrance off Summit
Avenue, and go to the opposite (southeast) corner. There is a gravel area off
the black top, toward the Baltimore Street Station carwash. Jurors may
Together,
these two areas provide parking for about 50 vehicles. We suggest that you arrive
early to ensure that you get a spot in one of these areas. If all the metered
spaces in the Rochester Lot are taken, and the Herald Mail area is full, parking
is on your own. Your parking permit is not valid at any parking meter other
than those in the Rochester Lot.
Although dress
may be casual, jurors are asked to please dress conservatively. Shorts and cutoff
jeans, hats (except for religious reasons), tank and halter tops, undershirts
and sandals are considered inappropriate.
Jurors, like everyone else, are required to go through the security check point at the entrance(s) to the courthouse. Purses and packages will be manually searched, and everyone must pass through the metal detector. Admission to the building will be denied to persons having a camera phone or a knife of any size. These items will have to be returned to your car or other location outside the courthouse before you will be permitted to enter. Illegal weapons, substances, etc., will be seized and the holder may be subject to arrest or criminal charges.
CELL PHONES
AND PAGERS Requests for
complete excusal from jury service, or for postponement to a later term, must
be in writing and, as required by law, are granted only in the most extreme
circumstances. However, during the term of service, a juror may be excused on
a daily basis for medical appointments, illness, important business or personal
appointments, vacations, etc. To request excusal for certain dates
For questions regarding jury service, pay, schedule, etc., call the Clerk's office at 301-733-8660 and ask for the jury clerk. For more information
on Jury Service, please read the memorandum "Preparation
for Jury Duty." This pamphlet was developed to introduce jury service
to those summoned to jury duty for the first time and to refresh the memories
of those who have had past experience as petit jurors. The pamphlet is in Portable
Document Format. To view this pamphlet, you may be required to download the
free Adobe
Acrobat Reader software. (Many newer browsers already include a PDF
plug-in.) |
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