Jury Duty and a Felony

What is Jury Duty?
Jury duty is serving your local or Federal government in legal proceedings. Jury duty is not optional and is a required service when you receive notice that you have been called to task. You may request an extension or dismissal depending on the circumstances.

During juror selection, you will either be selected to serve on the jury or dismissed from service. The time between being called for jury duty service will vary from state to state. Your employer is not able to fire you because you have been called to serve on jury duty.

Jury Duty History
Jury duty service goes back to the Magna Carta. In the United States, Jury duty has always been a process even before the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were put into place. Grand Juries were used in colonial America to help write laws, and determined who should be put to trial and who should not. Jury Duty has been used as a tried and true form of government since the United States was created.

Felons and Jury Duty
In most cases, if you have been convicted of a felony, you can not be called for jury duty service. Names for Jury Duty service are pulled from the registrar of voters. Since felons can not register to vote, their names will not be on the registrar list. This may vary from state to state.

Crime and Serving
A felony is a serious crime where in most cases, the person convicted has served time in person and are known as felons. Normally, felonies require a term in prison greater than one year. Regardless of the crime, if you have been convicted of a felony, you may still be disqualified form serving for Jury Duty.

Each state has different rules and regulations for felons serving on Jury Duty, so the state in which you reside may have more specific guidelines for felons serving on Jury Duty.

State Requirements
In some states, once a felon has served their time and completed probation successfully, their rights are reinstated. The felon is now once again allowed to vote, and therefore, their name will now appear on the registrar of voters. Because of this right, felons that have completed all probation requirements may be called to serve on Jury Duty.

For example, in California, a felon whose civil rights have not been restored is not allowed to serve on Jury Duty. If you have received a pardon, or had your records expunged, you may be able to serve on Jury Duty.

Federal Requirements
The Federal requirements for serving on Jury Duty are similar to most states. A convicted felon is not able to serve on a Federal Jury Duty. If the felon has had their records expunged or erased, they are no longer considered a felon and can now serve on Jury Duty at all levels, Federal, State and Local. The main thing for felons to remember is they must complete their probation requirements in order to be eligible to serve.