The City of Beverly Hills, Texas

JUROR'S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The United States Constitution guarantees all people, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status, the right to a trial by an impartial jury.

A juror’s services are needed when a defendant who has been charged with a Class C Misdemeanor in the Municipal court enters a plea of not guilty and requests a trial.

Juror Selection

Jurors who serve on the Beverly Hills Municipal Court trials are randomly selected residents of the City of Beverly Hills. The jury panel will result in a jury of six (6) persons.

Juror Duties

Your duty as a juror is to be fair and impartial and able to make decisions free of any bias or prejudice. Jurors are charged with carefully listening to and evaluating the evidence presented in the case. The jurors must agree unanimously that the defendant is guilty or not guilty to the offence alleged and set the appropriate fine amount.

Payment for Jury Services

If you are chosen for jury service, you will be paid $6.00 per day for each day you serve. Most cases in a municipal court are concluded within a few hours. Your employer is not required to pay you for the time away from work while serving on jury duty. However, an employed is prohibited by law from terminating any employee serving as a juror.

Right to Reemployment: A private employer may not terminate the employment of a permanent employee because the employee serves as a juror. An employee whose employment is terminated in violation of this section is entitled to return to the same employment that the employee held when summoned for jury service if the employee, as soon as practical after release from jury service, gives the employer actual notice that the employee intends to return. (Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Section 122.001). Terminating an employee who performs jury duty is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $2000 (Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Section 122.002).

Failure to Answer Summons and Penalties: Any person summoned who fails to attend or who fails to remain in attendance until discharged by the court may be fined an amount not to exceed $100 for contempt (Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 45.027). Additionally, a person shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $100 if the person: (1) fails to attend court in obedience to the notice without reasonable excuse; or (2) files a false claim of exemption from jury service (Government Code, Section 62.111).

Proper Clothing Required: All persons entering the courtroom should be dressed in clothing reasonably befitting the dignity and solemnity of the court proceedings.

Exempt or Disqualified: You do not need to appear in person if you are exempt or not qualified for jury service. To claim an exemption or report your disqualification you must complete the exemption form, sign it and mail or personally bring it immediately to the address printed on the front of the summons.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR JURY SERVICE
(Gov't Code, Section 62.102 except where noted)

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

be at least 18 years of age;

be a citizen of this state and a resident of the county in which you are to serve as a juror (NOTICE: By claiming a disqualification or exemption based on lack of citizenship or lack of residence in Travis County, Texas, you might no longer be eligible to vote in Travis County);

be qualified under the Constitution and laws to vote in the county in which you are to serve as a juror (Note: you DO NOT have to be registered to vote to be qualified to vote);

be of sound mind and good moral character;

be able to read and write;

not have served as a juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court;

not have been convicted of a misdemeanor, theft or any felony; and

not be under indictment or other legal accusation of a misdemeanor theft, felony theft or any other felony charge.

be a resident of the municipality for which the court is established. (Government Code, Section 62.501; specific to municipal courts)

EXEMPTIONS FROM JURY SERVICE*
(Gov't Code, Section 62.106)

You may be excused from jury service if:

you are over 70 years of age;
you have legal custody of a child or children younger than 10 years of age and service on the jury would require leaving the child or children without adequate supervision;
you are a student at a public or private high school;
you are enrolled and attend college;
you are an officer or an employee of the senate, the house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state government;
you are the primary caretaker of a person who is an invalid unable to care for himself or herself. (This exemption does not apply to health care workers.)
you have served as a juror in the county during the 24-month period prior to the date you are required to appear for this summons. (Applies only to counties with populations of at least 200,000 unless the county uses a jury plan under 62.011, Government Code, and the period authorized under Section 62.001(b)(6) exceeds two years.)
you have been summoned for service in a county with a population of 250,000 and you have served as a petit juror in the county during the three-year period preceding the date you are to appear for jury service
you are a member of the U.S. military forces serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from your home station and out of your county of residence.

* You are not required to claim an exemption. It is your choice.