New Hampshire - Jury Duty Laws, Jury Selection, Juror Qualification

In the American court system, criminal defendants are guaranteed the right to trial by a "jury of their peers". In New Hampshire, 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 in which summoned
• Be able to read, speak, and understand the English language
• Not be subject to any physical or mental disability which would impair the prospective juror's capacity to render satisfactory jury service
• Not be a convicted felon whose conviction has not been annulled or whose conviction is not eligible for annulment under New Hampshire law

How Are Potential Jurors Chosen in New Hampshire?

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 New Hampshire, as described above.

Master list comprised annually of registered voters, driver's licence holders, and holders of the department of safety identification card. Names are randomly selected for jurors in each county.

Receiving a Jury Duty Summons in New Hampshire

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 NH, 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 New Hampshire jury duty obligations are complete.

You will receive nominal New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire re-adds you to the potential juror pool.

While jury duty is a civic requirement for all eligible citizens in New Hampshire, 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.

New Hampshire Jury Duty Summons Frequency:

Jurors who have attended court will be taken off the master jury list for at least 3 years.

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

A summoned juror who neglects to attend without good cause may be found in contempt of court and charged with misdemeanor.

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