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Phone: (415) 444-7120
Email: jury@marincourt.org
Location: Civic Center, Hall of Justice, Room 244
Office Hours: 8:30am - 4:00pm
The Court has adopted a one-day, one-trial system for jury service in Marin County, as many other trial courts
have done. This means that jurors are not on-call for an entire week, which was the system in all California
counties just a few years ago. Now, jurors are summoned for a "date certain", and if they are not needed, they
are released until summoned again. In some rare instances, jurors' dates may be changed, or continued, after
they receive their summons. The Court believes that one-day, one-trial is a superior alternative to the old
system, as it is less burdensome on jurors. The Court is very appreciative of the participation of summoned
jurors in ensuring that a sufficient number of jurors are available to ensure fair and impartial jury trials.
The Court receives regular updates to its master list of Marin County residents eligible to perform jury service.
These updates come from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Marin County Registrar of Voters. Tens of thousands
of juror names are provided by each agency. The Court randomly selects a subset of jurors from the master list and
sends jury summons notices to those prospective jurors. This process is completely random, meaning that the same
name may be chosen several years in a row or may not be chosen for many years and, in some cases, may never be chosen.
Summoned jurors must confirm with the Court whether they are required to appear for jury service after 5:00
p.m. (including weekends) the day before they are scheduled to appear. Please note that prospective
jurors may be required to stay at the courthouse for the entire day while jury selection proceeds on one or many
cases. To verify an appearance as a prospective juror, reschedule the date summoned or hear the answers to
frequently asked questions, please call the Jury Services Automated System at (415) 444-7120 or use the
ONLINE System for Jurors.
Prospective jurors, when sent to a courtroom, are required to pass through court security screening on the Court
Floor of the Civic Center. For a list of items that will not be permitted in the courtrooms, please click here. Please note that any items confiscated
by security personnel will not be returned to you.
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Overview
A trial by a jury of one's peers is among the fundamental democratic ideals of our nation. It is the duty and
responsibility of all qualified citizens to participate as jurors.
In order for the justice process to be fair, equal and accessible to all, judicial officers and jurors must
consider the cases before them in a way that is thoughtful, involves sound judgment, is impartial and fair, and
demonstrates integrity.
In each trial, the judicial officer determines the rules of law that govern the case. For example, the judicial
officer decides what evidence may be presented and admitted during the trial. After listening carefully and
considering all of the testimony and evidence presented, jurors receive instructions from the judicial officer
as to the laws that apply to the case. At this time, the responsibility switches to the jurors and they decide
which facts in the case are most credible and then apply the law as instructed by the judicial officer in order
to reach a verdict.
"A very pleasant experience. Glad to see our justice system at work."
Former Juror Jennifer W.
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