Jury Duty

YOUR SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY, ESPECIALLY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Providing you with a safe jury duty experience is our top priority. The Superior Court is dedicated to protecting your health and the health of our employees, visitors, and community members. As we begin to resume jury proceedings, our commitment to fighting the spread of COVID-19 has not changed. We have put a plan into place that adheres to public health guidelines, modifies check-in procedures, changes the location for juror reporting, reconfigures courtrooms, and seeks to educate all prospective jurors concerning the measures we are taking. It is important to the proper functioning of our court system that jury trials resume, but it is also important that we do all that we reasonably can to protect you during your jury service. For more information concerning the safety measures we are implementing, review the Muscogee County Guide For Resuming Jury Proceedings. For a personal message from Chief Justice Harold D. Melton of the Georgia Supreme Court concerning the importance of jurors and the Court's efforts to protect them, please watch the Justice Needs Jurors PSA video.

JUROR QUESTIONNAIRE

We want to know about you and any issues that may affect your jury service. If you have been summoned for jury service, please click the Juror Questionnaire button below and fill out the questionnaire. Filling this out before your jury service will expedite the jury selection process and help the Court efficiently administer justice.

THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY AND THE JURY MANAGER'S RESPONSIBILITIES

The United States Constitution guarantees everyone the right to a trial by a jury of his/her peers, and therefore juries have a longstanding tradition in America's jurisprudence. In short, juries are the backbone of our justice system and are critical to the delivery of justice for all. The Jury Manager's Office is responsible for summoning Muscogee County citizens to serve as jurors on petit and grand jury panels. Petit jurors can serve on either criminal or civil trial juries, while grand jurors hand down indictments in criminal cases and perform other investigatory functions.

The Jury Manager is responsible for providing jurors to all of the courts in the county that conduct jury trials. Administrative duties include issuance of summons, payroll, deferment, orientation, and oath of jurors. Approximately 13,000 jurors are summoned each year. Jurors are paid $25 per day for their service.

REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS AND LOCATION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all petit jurors will report to the Columbus Ice Rink located at 400 Fourth Street, Columbus, Georgia {adjacent to the Columbus Civic Center). On the date that you have been summoned, you will be checked in and given an orientation on the petit juror process and what will be expected of you. You will also need to call the Jury Manager's phone line, 706-653-4312, to receive additional instructions at the end of each day. PLEASE DO NOT BE LATE.

All jurors will go through a metal detector, and all jurors will need to wear a mask. Please do not bring any pocketknives, mace, pepper spray, or weapons of any type. Jurors who are 70 years of age or older and would like to have their name taken out of the jury box should call our office, 706-653-4310, for an age certificate.

MEDICAL EXCUSES

If you have a medical excuse, send a doctor's letter to:

Jury Manager
P.O. Box 1340
Columbus, GA 31902

GEORGIA STATE LAWS FOR JURY DUTY EXEMPTIONS

Under Georgia law, exemptions are granted to the following properly documented persons:

• Persons age 70 or older who do not wish to serve may file an affidavit requesting that their name be removed from the jury list.
• Full-time students at a college, university, vocational school, or other postsecondary school who request to be excused or deferred should provide a class schedule.
• Any person who is the primary caregiver for a child six years of age or younger who has no alternative child care available must sign an affidavit to be excused from service.

Your employer may not discriminate against you in any manner due to your jury service. If you need a copy of the law, OCGA §34-1-3(a) and (b), you may contact the law library located in the Columbus Consolidated Government Center.

Thank you for serving! We need you, and we appreciate your service!