Howard County Jury Service

Howard County Trial Jurors are summoned for one-week.  Trial Jurors hear Civil and Criminal cases.  You may have to report more than once during your term.  You will be informed of the expected length of trial, including the time it will take to seat a jury, while you are in the courtroom during the selection process. If selected, you are to serve for the duration of the trial. To avoid unnecessary appearances please call the recorded telephone message at 410-313-4462 or 410-637-5222 before your reporting date. The message is updated FRIDAY evening and is on all weekend. Listen for instructions for your GROUP NUMBER. Your GROUP NUMBER is on the bottom right portion of your summons. If your GROUP NUMBER is not called to report, continue to call the recorded message each evening after 5:00 p.m. to receive instructions for the following day. If your GROUP NUMBER is not called at all to report during your assigned week, your jury service is complete. PLEASE MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE MESSAGE.

Jury service is one of the most important civic obligations that citizens have. If you have received a Summons and Juror Qualification Form, you may use our online system to confirm the date you are to report for jury service and to fill out your Qualification form. You may also reschedule your jury service date online (ONE TIME ONLY). Please complete the qualification form online by selecting the above box.  You can upload your documentation online. You may also return the completed form by mail within ten days of receipt to the Office of the Jury Commissioner at the address above. Be sure to attach any required documentation. Save the lower portion of the form to bring with you when reporting for jury duty. 

If you have further questions about your upcoming jury service, please call the Jury Office directly at 410-313-3804 during the hours of 8:00AM – 4:30PM or email [email protected]. Please have your Juror Identification number, located above the barcode, available when you call.
 

 

Howard County Grand Jurors serve for a four-month time period, reporting every other Wednesday. Grand jury cases are usually criminal and require jurors to determine if there is enough evidence to issue an indictment.

GRAND JURY vs TRIAL JURY
The American judicial system has two primary types of juries: the Grand Jury and Trial Jury. Trial juries are sometimes called "petit" juries because, in French, "grand" means large, and "petit" means small. When the jury system began, a Grand Jury had a larger number of members than a petit jury, thus their traditional names. The Grand Jury in no way serves a more significant (or larger) role than the trial jury. Rather, each performs a distinct but equally important function. 

The Grand Jury does not hear both sides of the case and does not determine the guilt or innocence of the accused. This is determined by a trial jury. The Grand Jury only determines whether there is probable cause that the accused committed the crime. If the accused is later tried by a jury, it is a trial jury that determines whether a defendant is guilty of a crime.

Grand Juries generally review criminal cases, while trial juries consider civil cases as well as criminal cases.

Your service as a Grand Juror is important to all the citizens of Maryland. It is an obligation and a responsibility that ensures equal treatment under the law for all.

Few people are selected to serve on a Grand Jury. Thank you for your dedication and willingness to serve.

If you have further questions about your upcoming jury service, please call the Jury Office at 410-313-3804 during the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Please have your Juror Identification number, located above the barcode, available when you call.

Brochure – Serving on a Maryland Grand Jury 

Jury service is one of the most important civic obligations that citizens have. If you have received a Summons and Juror Qualification Form, you may use our online system to confirm the date you are to report for jury service and to fill out your Qualification form. Please complete the qualification form online by selecting the above box.  You can upload your documentation online. You may also return the completed form by mail to the Office of the Jury Commissioner at the address above. Be sure to attach any required documentation. Save the lower portion of the form to bring with you when reporting for jury duty.

You were selected at random from a fair cross section of citizens residing in Howard County. The cross section is drawn from a consolidated list of Howard County residents who are registered to vote, licensed drivers, or identification card holder’s aged 18 and over.

• Jurors summonsed to serve on Trial Jury Duty in Howard County are on call for 1 Week or 1 Trial. That does not mean that a juror will be in court every day during their term. Not every juror will be instructed to report on the first day of their service. All prospective jurors must follow the reporting instructions during their week/term of service. The length of a jury trial varies but is currently averaging two to three days.
• Jurors summonsed to serve on Grand Jury Duty in Howard County are to report on the mandatory orientation date listed on the summons. If you are randomly selected to serve for the 4-month time period, you will be directed to follow the Grand Jury schedule. All prospective jurors must follow the reporting instructions at the bottom of the summons form.

Please read the form in its entirety. Complete the top half of the form Part B, and please return that portion to The Office of the Jury Commissioner along with any required documentation to be excused or rescheduled within ten days.

Yes you can. Click on the Complete Juror Qualification Form box above or visit https://ejury.mdcourts.gov. Follow the online instructions.

If you no longer live in Howard County, please see Question 12 on the qualification form. Provide the documentation requested and you will not have to report.

If you are not a citizen please see Question 11 on the qualification form. Provide the documentation requested and you will not have to report.

For Howard County residents that are over the age of 70, jury service is optional. If you would like to be temporarily exempt (or excused) from jury service, please selected YES to Question 19. If you would like to be permanently exempt (or excused) from jury service, please select YES to Question 20b.

1. To avoid unnecessary appearances, Trial Jurors are asked to call the recorded message the evening prior to your summoned date. Listen for instructions for your group number. The lower the group number the earlier in the week you will report. For example, on Monday groups 1-10 may be called, Tuesday groups 11-20 may be called, and so on.
2. Grand Jurors are asked to call the recorded message the evening prior to your summoned date. You are to report on the mandatory orientation date listed on the summons.

1. Trial Jurors may reschedule jury service (ONE TIME ONLY). Click on the Complete Juror Qualification Form box at the top of this page or visit https://ejury.mdcourts.gov for a one-time rescheduling of your service. Additional requests to be rescheduled for vacations, business trips, etc., are granted on a case-by-case basis. Any request to be excused or additional requests to be rescheduled must be in writing and submitted with your completed juror qualification form. You may email your request to be rescheduled to [email protected]. Requests to be excused are granted rarely and only for extreme hardship.
2. Grand Jurors may not reschedule jury service. Any request to be excused must be in writing and submitted with your completed juror qualification form either online at https://ejury.mdcourts.gov under the upload documents section or to [email protected]. Requests to be excused are granted rarely and only for extreme hardship.

1. Trial Jurors may reschedule your jury service date online (ONE TIME ONLY) for a medical appointment. Click on the Complete Juror Qualification Form box above or visit https://ejury.mdcourts.gov for a one-time rescheduling of your service. Any additional requests to be rescheduled must be in writing and submitted with your completed juror qualification form. You may email your request to be rescheduled to [email protected]. Additional requests to be rescheduled are granted on a case-by-case basis. To be excused, a written statement from your healthcare provider explaining that you are not able to satisfactorily perform jury duty even with a reasonable ADA accommodation and indicating the length of time you will be disabled is required (refer to Code G on the back of your Jury Summons).
2. Grand Jurors may not reschedule jury service. A request to be excused must be done in writing and submitted with your completed juror qualification form. You may email your request to [email protected]. To be excused, a written statement from your healthcare provider explaining that you are not able to satisfactorily perform jury duty even with a reasonable ADA accommodation and indicating the length of time you will be disabled is required (refer to Code G on the back of your Jury Summons).

You will receive expense money in the amount of $30.00 per day. If you wish you may donate your $30.00 to the Howard County Generous Jury Program. The program benefits children in Foster Care through Howard County Social Services.

Proper courtroom attire is business attire. No uniforms, shorts, cut-off jeans, t-shirts with logos, gym clothes, tank tops, halter tops or hats (except for religious or health reasons) are allowed.

Everyone entering the Courthouse will pass through a metal detector. Food and drink may be brought into the jury assembly room. Coffee, tea and water are available. There is a refrigerator in the jury assembly room where food may be stored during jury selection and for grand juries. There is a small refrigerator available for juries during deliberations in the individual jury deliberation rooms. There are vending machines and a café available on site. The café hours are: 7:30AM - 10:30AM and 11:00AM - 2:30PM. Jurors may not leave the Jury Assembly Room to retrieve food unless on a break directed by the court. No weapons (scissors, mace, knives etc.) of any kind will be permitted in the building. Knitting needles are not allowed. Electronic devices such as cell phones and laptop computers are allowed but must be turned OFF while in the Courtrooms. The court provides some wireless service, but connectivity is not guaranteed. Possession and use of electronic devices may be limited or prohibited in designated areas of the Courthouse.

Reasonable accommodations for a person with disabilities can be requested online or on the qualification form. You may also call or email the Jury Commissioner’s Office. The jury assembly room is on the second floor. Handicapped parking spaces are available.

Maryland law recognizes no excuses on the basis of occupation. If you have a job related conflict during your assigned jury service, you may ask to be rescheduled.

An employer may not deprive an employee of his/her employment solely because of time lost by an employee while serving as a Grand or Trial juror.

There are no provisions for childcare. Please do not bring children to Court with you.

There is a Wellness room for jurors that need a private space for a limited period of time. The room has a chair, sink, and small refrigerator.

Please check the Maryland Judiciary website for weather related closings or delays. The courthouse will open as scheduled unless listed otherwise on the closings and delays page. Information on closings and delays regarding jury service is available by calling the Howard County jury line at 410-313-4462 or 410-637-5222 the message is updated around 6:30 a.m. Keep in mind that even if the court is operating on a delayed opening/closure, you must continue to call each evening throughout your scheduled week of Jury Service to determine reporting instructions for your Group Number. 

For driving directions, see our directions page. Parking is available in a garage next to the courthouse. Parking for jurors is free. Designated handicapped parking is available.