Welcome
Lincoln & Otero County
Petit Juror Orientation
We would like to welcome you to jury service and thank you
for being a part of this very special judicial process. This
presentation will cover various matters regarding your jury
service including who may serve as a juror, reporting for duty,
what to expect, payment, the excusal procedure, interpreters,
request for special accommodations, and dress code. We look
forward to working with you over the next few months and
hope you enjoy your service.
Who May Serve
as a Juror
You may serve on a jury if:
1. You are at least 18 years of age;
2. You are a United States citizen;
3. You are a resident of Lincoln or Otero County, respectively; and
4. You are not currently on felony probation or parole.
Term of Service
Although your Summons indicates
a 6 month term of service, you will
only be scheduled to serve 3 months.
You will receive a packet in the mail which will detail
the months you are scheduled to report.
How to Report for Jury Duty
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You are on-call for jury service for a period of 3 months.
Although you are on-call, you will not be required to
come to court every day. There may be days or weeks
that you are not required to come in for jury service.
You will receive a packet in the mail which contains a
letter with your pool number and a calendar.
On the calendar, please locate all the days with your
pool number. These are the days that you are scheduled
for jury service.
Call the juror message phone number listed on your
calendar any time after 5:15 p.m. the night before you
are scheduled for jury duty.
The message will state if you have to report, where to
report, what time to report, or if the trial you were
scheduled for has been canceled. If a trial has been
canceled, you will need to call-in the day before your
next scheduled report date and follow the same steps.
New calendars are mailed each month.
What to Expect
• At the time of a trial, the lawyers and judges
question prospective jurors to determine if
they are qualified to be jurors in that
particular case. This questioning is called
voir dire.
• There are many reasons why prospective jurors may not be qualified to serve on a
particular case. At the time of trial, a prospective juror may be excused by the judge
presiding over the case, by one of the parties for cause, or by using a peremptory
challenge which is their right. This process will be explained further at the jury
selection.
• Only 6 to 12 persons plus alternates will be called to serve on a jury. This means that
you will be called in several times during your term of service but may not actually
serve on a jury panel.
• Throughout a trial, you will hear testimony and review evidence and at the conclusion,
you will be asked to deliberate and reach a verdict. The judge will provide instructions
to you throughout the trial and at the time of your deliberations.
Excusal Procedure
Unless you have been excused by the Court, you
MUST appear when you are scheduled for jury service.
Excusals for Entire Term
• Medical (must provide doctor’s note)
• Caregivers (must provide letter from
healthcare provider)
• Financial hardship (must provide detailed
explanation)
• Students (must provide current school
schedule)
• Non-residents (must complete Affidavit of
Non-Resident)
• 75 years of age or older (must complete
Affidavit of Age)
All requests must be in writing and
accompanied with the Juror Qualification form
and supporting documentation as listed above.
Temporary Excusals
• Temporary excusals are granted for
reasons such as doctor appointments,
short staffed at work, no daycare,
planned vacation, bad weather, sick, etc.
• Please call or e-mail your request. The
phone numbers and e-mail addresses are
listed on your calendar.
• Please include your name, your pool
number, the date needing to be excused,
and the reason for the excusal.
Payment
• If qualified, you will receive payment for attending jury
duty.
• Jurors are paid $6.25 per hour.
• Jurors that request mileage are paid $0.41 per mile. Mileage
is calculated from your home address.
• Payment vouchers are normally processed in our office
within 5 - 10 days after the end of the trial.
• Payment vouchers are issued from Santa Fe within 4 to 6
weeks once submitted from our office.
• City, County, and State employees will not receive juror
payment unless your work beyond your normal work hours.
• Federal employees will be paid and will need a juror
attendance record for their employer.
• Armed Forces personnel will not be paid, and do not
require an attendance record, unless requested.
Interpreters and Other Services
• Interpreters are available for non-English speaking
individuals. Please notify us if you need an
interpreter.
• Sign language interpreters and hearing devices are
also available for individuals that are hearingimpaired.
• If you have any special needs, please let us know
so that we can accommodate you.
Dress Code
You should dress comfortably and conservatively in order
to avoid distracting others. It is not appropriate to wear
shorts, tank tops, sweats, or t-shirts with slogans for jury service.
Some individuals may be sensitive to colognes or performs.
Please use colognes and perfumes in light moderation.
We again welcome you to jury
service and thank you for
fulfilling this very important role.