Information on serving as a Juror for the Durham County Court System.

Every two years, a three-person Jury Commission supervises the compilation of a master jury list of county residents who are registered voters, licensed drivers, or both. Persons selected for jury duty are selected at random from the master list.

Who is eligible to serve as a juror in North Carolina?

To be eligible to serve as a juror you must meet the following qualifications:

• You must be a citizen and resident of Durham County, North Carolina;
• You must be 18 years of age or older;
• You must be physically and mentally competent;
• You must be able to hear and understand the English language;
• You must not have been convicted of a felony or pled no contest to a felony unless you have had your citizenship restored pursuant by law;
• You must not have been adjudged incompetent;
• You must not have served on a jury within the last 2 years.

Do I have to respond to the jury summons?

Yes. Jury service is the solemn obligation of all qualified residents. Failure to comply with this Summons is punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.

What if I can't serve on the date I have been told to report to the courthouse?

Excuses from jury service will be granted only for reasons of compelling personal hardship or because requiring service would be contrary to public welfare, health, or safety. Applications for excuse from jury service must be made by submitting a written request to the Chief District Court Judge no later than 10 days before the first day of service.

Any person summoned as a juror who is age 72 or older may establish an exemption from jury duty without appearing in person by providing the ground or reason for their exemption and forwarding it to the Chief District Court Judge at least 5 working days before the date summoned to appear. G.S.9-6.1

Form AOC-G-400 to be excused or deferred from jury service is printed on the back of your Summons. This may be mailed with supporting documentation to:

Honorable Clayton J. Jones Jr.

Chief District Court Judge

510 S. Dillard St.

Durham, North Carolina 27701

OR

REQUEST EXCUSAL/DEFERRAL ONLINE

Online Jury Excuse

SCAM ALERT! Our Office Will NEVER Call You for a Payment

The Durham County Clerk’s Office is aware of recent fraudulent calls and emails being made to residents across North Carolina from individuals impersonating Clerk’s Office employees to solicit payments.   

Please remember that the Clerk's office will never contact you by phone or initiate an email to ask you to send money or provide your personal information. We never process payments over the phone.

If you get a scam email, do not open any attachments. If you receive a phone call, write down as much information as you can about the call and provide it to the Durham County Sheriff's Office at 919-560-0900.

• Scammers are very convincing and often have your name and address, use the name of a real judge and/or law enforcement officers, and refer to local locations to make you believe the call is legitimate. They may even have faked the phone number of the courthouse or Sheriff’s Office.
• In North Carolina, jury summonses are issued by U.S. mail. If you fail to appear for jury service, you cannot be fined by telephone or email. Any phone call stating that a (bench) warrant has been issued for your arrest due to not reporting for jury service is a scam.
• It is a scam if payment by telephone is demanded to satisfy the bench warrant. Court staff and/or the Sheriff's Office does not call or email citizens requesting Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, money, pre–paid debit card numbers, payments by money grams, or any other sensitive financial information.
• If you receive such a call, HANG UP without providing any information about yourself or taking any action.
• You can confirm if you have been selected for jury service or failed to appear by contacting the clerk of superior court office 919-808-3010.
• Report any suspicious calls (or emails) to your local Sheriff's Office. Victims may also report it to the N.C. Attorney General's Office or call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.