Louisiana - Jury Duty Laws, Jury Selection, Juror Qualification

Jury Duty in Louisiana - What to Expect

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| Juror Qualifications in Louisiana - Who Can Be Summoned?

In the American court system, criminal defendants are guaranteed the right to trial by a "jury of their peers". In Louisiana, a pool of potential jurors is randomly selected from the local population of individuals eligible for jury duty.

A prospective juror must be:

a citizen of the United States

a resident of the county/parish in which summoned, for a least one year

at least 18 years old

able to read, write, and speak the English language

not be deemed incompetent due to medical or physical infirmity

not under indictment for a felony, nor convicted of a felony for which a pardon has not been granted.

| Juror Selection in Louisiana - What to Expect?

How Are Potential Jurors Chosen in Louisiana?

The first stage in jury selection is summoning a pool of potential jurors from the list of local citizens eligible to serve on a jury in Louisiana, as described above.

Jury-management computer system operated by the clerk of court received names of licensed drivers and registered voters yearly. Address changes, name changes, additions, and deletions are updated yearly, and merged with existing records to emilimate duplicated.

Receiving a Jury Duty Summons in Louisiana

If your name is randomly selected for the jury pool through the process described above, you receive a jury summons in the mail instructing you to appear for jury selection on a pre-set day.

While there are a few excuses for getting out of jury selection in LA, most people summoned will have to report to the courthouse for the next stage of the juror selection process, voir dire.

The Juror Selection Process, or "Voir Dire"

Just because you qualify to be a juror and are summoned for jury selection, doesn't mean that you will be selected to be a juror on a case. The process of "Voir Dire", the actual act of jury selection, is how judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors actually choose the individuals who will sit on the juries for upcoming criminal and civil cases.

During the voir dire process, each lawyer will ask the pool of potential jurors a series of questions about their background, beliefs, prejudices, or relationships with any party to the case. While the goal is to select an impartial jury to render a verdict, each attorney will also seek to exclude any jurors who seem to be more likely to vote against their client's interests. While jury candidates are instructed to be open and truthful when answering such questions, the juror selection process is also where most individuals who don't wish to serve on a trial find a way to be excused from further juror duties.

What Happens After Jury Selection Day

If you are selected to serve on a jury, you will be provided with the trial date, and must return to serve on the jury for the duration of the trial and deliberations. If you were not selected to serve on any jury during the voir dire process, you can go home, and your Louisiana jury duty obligations are complete.

You will receive nominal Louisiana jury duty pay for the jury selection day, as well as for any days served on a jury. Once your service is complete, you won't be summoned for jury duty again until Louisiana re-adds you to the potential juror pool.

| Jury Duty Attire (Dress Code) in Louisiana

Jurors reporting for jury duty or jury selection in the state of Louisiana are expected to dress professionally, in a manner appropriate for a court room.

Most courthouses suggest dress ranging from business casual to business attire. For men, this means slacks or khakis and a polo or button-down shirt, potentially with a tie or suit jacket. For women, this means a professional-looking pair of pants or a skirt, cardigan, sweater, twinset, or shirt.

As a juror, you are expected to maintain a professional and respectable appearance while performing your duties. Hats should never be worn in a courtroom, and you should avoid wearing shorts, t-shirts, tanktops, or anything printed with logos or slogans.

| How Frequently Can I Be Called for Jury Duty in Louisiana?

While jury duty is a civic requirement for all eligible citizens in Louisiana, the state restricts how often you can be summoned for jury duty in order to ensure a fresh jury pool and prevent undue hardship by being summoned too frequently.

Louisiana Jury Duty Summons Frequency:

Jurors in Lousiana may be selected once every two years.

| What Happens If I Fail to Appear for Jury Duty in LA?

While there are a number of ways to be legally excused from jury duty in Louisiana, failing to appear when summoned for jury selection or jury duty without an excuse is illegal, and can result in legal repercussions.

Jurors failing to appear will be contacted by the Clerk’s Office and may be ordered to appear in court before a judge. Any fine for failure to appear for jury duty will be imposed by a judge during an open session of court, and the summoned juror will be given the opportunity to explain the failure to appear.

Employers in Louisiana are also forbidden from penalizing employees who miss work for jury duty.

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