Jump to the index page and quickly find listings for information on our website.
Choose the first letter of the keyword you would like to search for:
The United States Constitution and the Minnesota State Constitution guarantees all people the right to a trial by an impartial jury. Justice ultimately depends in large measure on the jurors who serve in our courts.
As a juror, you must be fair and impartial. Your actions and decisions must be free of any bias or prejudice. You must apply the law given by the judge to the facts given during the trial to make a decision in a case.
You were selected at random from lists of voter registrations, driver registrations, and Minnesota identification cards for residents of Becker County.
Jurors must:
You cannot serve on a jury if you have been convicted of a felony and your civil rights have not been restored.
Jury duty in Becker County is 3 months or 10 days, whichever occurs first. However, if you are seated on a jury, your service will be continued until the trial is completed. Jurors are required to serve for the duration of a trial.
Yes. However you will need to state the reason, in writing, why you cannot serve on a jury term. If approved, you will be rescheduled to a future 3-month term.
No, unless you are over 70 and request to be excused, or if you don't meet the requirements of Minnesota Statutes for extreme hardship.
Jurors are paid $10.00 per day and $0.27 per mile round trip from home.
Your employer is not required to pay you while you are on jury duty, however, many employers will pay the difference between your jury payment and your salary, but they are not required to do so.
You only report when you receive a Notice To Appear Letter with a specific reporting date. You will usually get one week's advance notice of a trial. If you do not get a notice of a trial, you can assume you will not be needed the following week.
The length of a trial depends on the case. A typical jury trial in Becker County starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends about 4:30 p.m. with a one to 1 1/2 hour lunch break. Some trials finish in less than a day and some go five to six days. On the average trials here last 1 1/5 to 2 days, but any case could go more or less than that.
Please do not park in the two-hour parking spaces on Lake Avenue in front of the Courthouse or Holmes Street on the north side of the Courthouse.
Two parking lots within a short distance of the courthouse will accommodate all day parking:
We hope you don't fail to appear! If you do, please contact Court Administration as soon as possible (218-846-5040). The Court may issue an Order to Show Cause for Failure to Appear/Respond for Jury Duty. Minnesota Statute 593.42(4) states that "any person summoned for jury service who fails to appear as directed without good cause is guilty of a misdemeanor". A misdemeanor is punishable by a maximum $1,000 fine and/or 90 days in jail.
Important: If you have already completed and mailed your paper Juror Qualification Questionnaire back to the court, do not complete the online questionnaire. The website will also allow you to make changes, request a postponement, and update your contact information.
