 |
Photo by Jaci Mairs (Court Administrator 1995-2003)
|
The right to a trial by a jury of one’s peers has become a cornerstone of the individual freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights. The Missouri State Constitution also guarantees the right to trial by jury.
On behalf of the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri and our State’s citizens, thank you for responding to the call to jury service. Each year approximately 20,000 prospective jurors, selected at random from throughout Jackson County, report for jury service at either the Court’s Kansas City or Independence courthouse locations. As citizens, we all enjoy the rights of due process and the right to a trial before a jury of our peers. Your service as one of the Court’s jurors makes this possible. If selected as a juror for a particular case, your role will be to decide the facts of the case, along with the other jurors serving on that case.
Trial by jury represents the very essence of freedom under our system of government. By your participation, you will help preserve and perpetuate our fundamental freedoms. We hope you will find the experience interesting and educational. Thank you for your service.
When you arrive for jury duty - and depending on the particular conditions in our community and guidance provided by the CDC and local health officials, you may see a variety of precautions being taken to protect your health and safety, including: Temperature screenings; required or recommended wearing of masks in the courthouses; the availability of disposable gloves and hand sanitizer; and spaced seating and other methods of encouraging social distancing. You may also see sanitization of the jury room, courtrooms, and other public areas.
Given current circumstances, if you would prefer to be postponed to a later date, please log into eJuror and postpone yourself up to six months. If you are unable to postpone yourself through eJuror, please contact the jury office as soon as possible via phone or e-mail (Contact Us).
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or are actively caring for someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, DO NOT COME TO THE COURTHOUSE. Instead, please contact the jury office and we will work with you on postponing your jury service.
If you have not already done so, please opt in to receive either text messages and/or e-mail notices from us through our eJuror system (eJuror). This will allow us to notify you if your service is cancelled, and could prevent you from making an unnecessary trip to the courthouse.