WELCOME TO JURY DUTY
You have been summoned to appear for jury selection in the United States District Court for the District of Maine. Serving as a juror is a fundamental obligation we all share as citizens of the United States. Only by having individuals, such as yourself, participating in the process we can be ensured that all litigants in federal court will be afforded the constitutional right of having their case heard by a jury of their peers. We appreciate your willingness to accept this important responsibility. The following information will answer many of your concerns; however, if you have additional questions after reading this, please feel free to call the Clerk’s Office. We are here to help you.FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How
was my name selected?
Is jury duty mandatory?
What is my term of service?
How long is the typical trial day?
Will food or refreshments be provided?
Why must I call the evening before I appear for jury
duty?
How can I request to be deferred or excused from jury
service?
Does the law protect my employment?
What can I bring with me to the courthouse?
Is there a dress code?
Why must I serve in Portland or Bangor?
How will I be compensated?
Are juror fees reportable income?
What should I bring with me when I report?
How can I contact the court?
Where is the Courthouse located?
Will I have to pay for parking?
What is the penalty for failure to appear?
How was my name selected?
The names of prospective
jurors were selected at random from all the voter registration
lists in Maine.
Is jury duty mandatory?
Yes, unless you have been excused by the Court. The United States Constitution guarantees the right
to a trial by jury in both criminal and civil cases. Your participation as a juror makes that possible.
What is my term of service?
If you have been summoned
to appear in Portland Your
term of service is two months, which begins upon your first appearance. During that two-month period,
you may be notified to appear twice for jury selection, typically, the
first Monday of each month. If you are selected to serve on a case,
your jury duty will continue until the case for which you were selected
concludes. If you are not selected as a
juror you will be notified by mail when you should next report.If you have been summoned
to appear in Bangor Your
term of service is usually three to four months. In that time period, you may be notified to
appear once each month for jury selection. If you are selected to
serve on a case, your jury duty will continue until the case for which
you were selected is concluded. If you are not selected
as a juror you will be notified by mail when you should next
report.
How
long is the typical trial day?
A trial
day typically runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with no
lunch break. You will
be given two or three short breaks during that period of time. Impanelment
days and jury deliberation days may run until at least 5:00 p.m. Because
delays in trial proceedings are unpredictable, you may want to bring
items which can occupy your time: books,
magazines, needlework, etc.
Will food or refreshments be provided?
The
only refreshments provided by the court are coffee, tea
and hot chocolate. Each jury room is
equipped with refrigerators and microwave ovens for your use. You
should bring with you whatever you need to sustain you as you will not
have time to run out and buy anything. Meals will be
provided for you during deliberation.
Why must I call the evening before I appear for jury duty?
The court’s schedule sometimes changes at the last minute. Rather than have you make a
trip to the courthouse to find out if you are still needed, we ask that you call the Clerk’s Office the night before you are to report. You will hear a recorded message. The message may direct you
to report as summoned or you may be notified that your appearance is not necessary. If
you are summoned to appear in Bangor call: 1-800-697-6907 at
the message, press 1. If you are summoned to appear in Portland call: 1-800-578-5708 at
the message, press 6. Those jurors who only have access to a rotary phone must call the jury clerk during the work
day prior to your scheduled appearance to find out if there have been any changes to the court’s schedule.
If you do not call and court has been cancelled, you may not be paid for
your appearance.
How can I request to be deferred or excused from jury service?
Temporary Absences or Deferments. The
Court realizes that from time to time jurors may need to request
a temporary absence or deferment from jury service. The absences
are generally for scheduled vacations, business obligations, graduations,
etc. If you need to
be temporarily excused or deferred to another date, you
must:
- put your request in writing,
- the written request must
come from the juror, not your employer,
- return the written request
with completed questionnaires well before your scheduled appearance date,
- you may also e-mail your request to sue@med.uscourts.gov for Portland, and brenda@med.uscourts.gov for Bangor.
- put your request in writing,
- the written request must come
from the juror, not your employer,
- return the written request
with completed questionnaires well before your scheduled appearance date,
- you may also e-mail your request to sue@med.uscourts.gov for Portland, or brenda@med.uscourts.gov for Bangor.
Does
the law protect my employment?
Employment
protection
Title
28 United States Code, Section 1875, provides that no employer
may discharge intimidate or coerce any permanent employee because
of jury service. If you are experiencing
difficulties with your employer, please contact the Court immediately. You
should understand that your employer is not required by law to
compensate you when you miss work to perform jury service.
Attendance slips
Attendance
slips for your employer will be provided upon request.
Are
there restrictions on what I can bring into the courthouse?
For
your protection, all persons entering the Courthouse must pass
through the magnetometer and have their personal belongings (purse,
bag, etc) x-rayed. Please do not bring
the following items to the courthouse:
| Cell Phones | Beepers |
| Cameras | Radios |
| Mace | Tape Recorders |
| Knives | Pepper Spray |
Leaving these items at home will speed your entry into the courthouse.
Is
there a dress code?
While no formal dress code
exists, jurors are requested to dress in a manner respectful to
the litigants and the Court. The courtrooms are generally
very cool, you may want to bring a sweater or jacket.
Why
must I serve in Portland or Bangor?
There is only
one federal court (U. S. District Court) in the State of Maine,
but there are two places of holding court. Portland
Jurors who reside in
the following counties serve at the Portland location:
| Androscoggin | Oxford |
| Cumberland | Sagadahoc |
| Knox | York |
| Lincoln |
Jurors who reside in the following counties serve at the Bangor location:
| Aroostook | Piscataquis |
| Franklin | Somerset |
| Hancock | York |
| Kennebec | Waldo |
| Penobscot | Washington |
How
will I be compensated?
Attendance Fee
A $40.00 attendance
fee is paid for each day you are required to report for jury duty. Federal
employees will not receive any attendance fee since they will continue to
receive their regular pay while they are performing jury service.
Mileage
Mileage is paid at a
rate of 50.5 cents per mile round trip from your residence to the court,
or the cost of public transportation. Please check your odometer readings
on your first trip so that you can furnish the court with the number of miles
traveled upon your arrival. You will also be compensated for any tolls
that you incur round trip between your residence and the courthouse.
Overnight
If
you travel more than one hundred miles from your residence to the courthouse,
you may stay overnight on the evening prior to your report date, and while
you are serving. You
are responsible for payment of any bills you receive for lodging and meals,
and you must submit your hotel receipt to the jury clerk in order to be
reimbursed at the current per diem rate.
Payment
Typically your check for
jury service will be mailed to you within one week from the completion of your
service.
Are juror fees reportable income?
The IRS considers juror attendance
fees to be Other Income and must be reported. At the end of each year,
a 1099 MISC form will be mailed to all jurors who earn $600 or more in
attendance fees in the calendar year. This applies only to the “attendance
fee” and not for reimbursement for travel expenses (mileage, tolls,
etc).
What
should I bring with me when I report?
Please bring
the top portion of your Jury Summons which includes your Jury Badge,
this expedites your entry into the courthouse. You may also
want to bring a sweater or light jacket as it is often cool in the
courtrooms.
How can I contact the Jury Clerk?
| Portland | Bangor |
| Susan Durst | Brenda DeRoche |
| Jury Administrator | Jury Clerk |
| U.
S. District Court 156 Federal Street Portland, Maine 04101 |
U. S. District
Court 202 Harlow Street Room 357 Bangor, ME 04401 |
| (207)780-3356 ext 2207 (800)578-5708 |
(207)945-0575 ext 3223 (800)697-6907 |
| sue@med.uscourts.gov | brenda@med.uscourts.gov |
Where is the Courthouse located?
Portland
The Edward T. Gignoux
Courthouse is located at 156 Federal Street, Portland, Maine.When traveling on Interstate
295:Exit on Franklin Street Arterial
At the fourth traffic light
turn right onto Congress Street
At the first light take a
left onto Pearl Street
Take the first right onto
Federal Street
The courthouse will be on
your left.
Bangor
The Margaret Chase Smith
Courthouse is located at 202 Harlow Street, Bangor.
From the North:
Take I-95 South to Union Street
Exit #184
Turn right onto Union Street
Turn right onto 16th Street
Turn right onto Ohio Street
At the first traffic light turn
left onto 14th Street Extension
14th Street becomes
Harlow Street
Continue on Harlow Street, the
courthouse is on your right at the first traffic light.
From the
South:
Take I-95 north to the Ohio/Union
Street Exit #184
Turn right onto Union Street
At the first traffic light turn
left onto 14th Street Extension
14th Street becomes
Harlow Street
Continue on Harlow Street, the
courthouse is on your right at the first traffic light.
From Route
1: Take either
395 to I-95 North, following the above directions, or:
Route 1 to Chamberlain Bridge
into Bangor
Turn right onto Main Street
Turn right at the third traffic
light
Turn left at the next light
Continue through the next light
(Harlow Street)
Will I have to pay for parking?
Portland
No. In Portland free
parking for all federal jurors is available at one of two parking facilities.
Cumberland County Parking Garage – Entrance on Newbury Street
Traveling on Interstate
295Exit on Franklin Street Arterial
At the fourth traffic light
turn right onto Congress Street
At the first light take a
left onto Pearl Street
Take the first left onto
Federal Street
Follow this to the parking
garage, take the second entrance.
Temple
Street Parking Garage – Entrances on Exchange Street and Temple Street
Traveling on Interstate
295
Exit on Franklin Street Arterial
At the fourth traffic light turn right onto Congress Street
At the second traffic light take a left onto Temple Street
Between Bagel Works and Nickelodeon Movie Theater, turn left into parking garage.
Bring the parking ticket issued at the garage with you when you report for
jury duty so that it can be validated when you check in. You should not
park on the street or at a parking meter. You will not have time to leave
the courthouse to pay meter charges and the court is not responsible for reimbursing
you for any parking violations you may receive..
Bangor
In Bangor free
parking for all federal jurors is available at Abbott Square parking lot,
which is 100 yards beyond the Federal Building across from the Bangor Library.You
should bring the parking slip issued at the parking lot with you for validation.
You should not park on the
street as you will not have time to feed the meter and the court will not be
responsible for parking violations.
What is the penalty for failure to appear?
Any person summoned for jury service who fails to respond or appear may
be ordered by the Court to appear at their own expense to show good
cause for their failure to comply with a summons. Any
person failing to show good cause for non-compliance with the jury summons
may be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned for not more than three days,
or both, pursuant to Title 28,United State Code, Section 1866.