Welcome to the internet website for jury service in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. We hope you find this information useful and believe that you will find your time spent as a juror both satisfying and rewarding. Jurors perform a vital role in the American system of justice and your service is one of the highest duties of citizenship.
It is also an important part of our heritage. The protection of our rights and liberties is largely achieved through the teamwork of judge and jury who, working together in a common effort, put into practice the principles of our great heritage of freedom. The judge determines the law to be applied in the case while the jury decides the facts. Thus, in a very important way, jurors become a part of the court itself. It is also some of the most important work that any of us will ever do.
Our court is grateful for your willingness to accept this responsibility. We wish to extend our sincere appreciation for your jury service and hope that you leave with a greater understanding of our jury system in this country.
Please review the information contained in this site carefully. If you have any specific questions regarding your jury service, please telephone the Jury Staff in the division where your jury service is to take place.
How You Were Selected to Serve as a Juror in the Western District of Virginia
The court uses a two-step process to select jurors. First, a master jury wheel is created by selecting names at random from the Registered Voters List for the State of Virginia. Then, names are randomly drawn periodically from the master jury wheel to receive juror qualification questionnaires. Individuals' answers to these questionnaires determine whether they are legally qualified to serve. If so, the names of those persons are put on a second wheel, a qualified jury wheel. As prospective jurors are needed for a specific trial or grand jury, juror summonses are sent to persons randomly selected from the qualified wheel.
If you are randomly selected to serve as a prospective juror for the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, you will receive a Summons for Jury Service for service on a Petit Jury Panel or a Grand Jury Panel. The summons gives you the period of service and dates that you will be "on call”. You will be instructed to go on-line and update your personal information using our electronic jury system known as eJuror or complete the enclosed Juror Information Form and return to the Court by mail within ten (10) days of receipt.
Each time your name is drawn, you will receive a Notice for Jury Service that will give you the specific date to report for service. There will be a toll-free number for you to call to find out if your trial or grand jury session will begin as scheduled or has been cancelled for that specific date. ALL jurors must call the telephone recording system at the time and date instructed; usually that will be after 6:00pm the evening before you are scheduled to appear.