Juror Information

Jury Selection and Service

What follows is a brief overview of jury selection and service.

People with Douglas County addresses are selected at random from lists provided by the Kansas DMV. They are notified by mail that they are part of the jury pool from which individual juries are selected. Once notified, they must complete the online questionnaire or a paper questionnaire available upon request.

Reporting for Duty

During their two week jury service, qualified jurors need to call the Jury Service Line at (785) 832-5108 after 5:30pm on Fridays and Tuesdays to learn whether they must appear at court, and if so, when and which courtroom the Jury Selection will be taking place in. 

Once the prospective jurors are assembled, a judge will explain procedures and practices in greater detail. Attorneys representing all parties in the case will then ask questions to try to eliminate jurors who may have conflicts of interest or a bias in favor or against one party. The attorneys then make their peremptory challenges, and jurors are sworn to try the case.

The Trial

The trial will begin once the jury is selected. Typically, attorneys for each side make an opening statement. Then, the prosecutor in a criminal trial or the plaintiff in a civil trial presents the case against the defendant. The defendant's attorney then presents the case in favor of the defendant. Each side makes a final argument before the jury.

After both sides have presented their case, the judge instructs the jury on its responsibilities in seeking a verdict, and then the jury retires to a private room for its deliberations.

Juror Exit Survey

After jury service is complete, jurors are invited to give feedback through an exit survey which can be accessed through the JurorPortal by selecting the Juror Questionnaire link.

Directions

When you are told to report for jury service, you will be asked to serve at one of three locations (until the pandemic is no longer a factore):

• Judicial and Law Enforcement Building
• Flory Meeting Hall - Fairgrounds
• County Courthouse (old courthouse)

Juror FAQ

To view frequently asked questions (FAQ's) for potential and existing jurors, please visit a searchable list of Juror FAQ.

Contact Jury Coordinator