Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions have been asked by citizens in the past. If you have other questions, please call Jury Services using the Contact page.

• The Summons Letter
• Eligibility for Jury Service
• Online versus In-Person Impaneling
• Receiving an Assignment
• General Questions

The Summons Letter

1. I received a letter in the mail. Now what do I do?

You have several options for providing your response:

1. Reply online.

Using this system, you may be excused, claim a disqualification or schedule your jury assignment around your personal conflicts.

2. Reply at in-person impaneling.

The date, time, and location of the in-person impaneling session for your summons is listed at the top of your summons letter. If you do not reply online or by mail, you must appear in person.

3. Reply by mail.

If you are eligible for an exemption or disqualification, circle the option that applies to you. Sign and date the form. Mail the completed summons letter to the Jury Services Office (see the Contact page for the address).

2. I received a letter in the mail, but I lost it.

Please contact Jury Services for more details on your summons. Their contact details are listed on the Contact page.

3. What is a jury summons?

A jury summons is a notice to report to the courthouse or court building to possibly serve on a criminal or civil jury trial.

Eligibility for Jury Service

1. How was I selected for jury service?

The list of potential jurors is created from the Department of Public Safety Records (i.e. your driver's license or Texas ID) and/or Voter Registration Records. Periodically, a random cross section of the Brazos County population is summoned from this list.

2. What are the qualifications for jury service?

According to Government Code, Section 62.102, you must meet certain qualifications as established by the State of Texas to serve on a jury:

1. To serve as a juror, you must be at least 18 years of age.
2. To serve as a juror, you must be a citizen of this state and a resident of the county in which you are to serve as a juror.
3. To serve as a juror, you must 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.)
4. To serve as a juror, you must be of sound mind and good moral character.
5. To serve as a juror, you must be able to read and write.
6. To serve as a juror, you must 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.
7. To serve as a juror, you must not have been convicted of theft or any felony.
8. To serve as a juror, you must not be under indictment or other legal accusation of a misdemeanor theft, felony theft, or any other felony charge.


3. What should I do if I'm not qualified to serve?

If you are not quailified to serve, you may use this Online Jury Summons Response and Assignment, or you may return your completed summons letter (you must indicate the qualification that you do not meet and sign and date the form).

4. What are exemptions? Do I have to claim an exemption if I qualify?

According to Government Code, Section 62.102, if you meet certain criteria, you might be able to claim an exemption, which would excuse you from jury service. You are not required to claim an exemption, but it is your choice to do so.

1. You are over 70 years of age.
2. You have legal custody of a child or children younger than 12 years of age and service on the jury would require leaving the child or children without adequate supervision.
3. You are a student at a public or private high school.
4. You are enrolled and in actual attendance at an institute of higher education.
5. 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.
6. 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).
7. 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 Brazos County.


5. How do I claim an exemption?

If you are eligible for an exemption and you wish to claim it, you may use this Online Jury Summons Response and Assignment, or you may return your completed summons letter (you must indicate the exemption that you do not meet, and you must sign and date the form).

6. What do I do about a medical problem that prevents me from serving on jury duty?

Brazos County will accommodate anyone with a medical problem or a disability to help them complete their jury service.

However, any juror with a medical problem or disability who wishes to be excused may request so in writing. The request should be accompanied by a physician's statement verifying the medical problem and the need for you to be excused. Please send the request to the District Clerk prior to your in-person impaneling date.

7. I have a special circumstance, and I would like to be excused from jury service. What do I do?

You must complete either online or in-person impaneling and receive an assignment. When you arrive for your assignment, you will have the opportunity to speak with the judge. The judge will take your reason into consideration, but you may still be required to serve.

Online versus In-Person Impaneling

1. What is the difference between logging into the system and showing up at in-person impaneling?

Logging into the online system is a more convenient way for most citizens to respond to their jury summonses. You may access the online system 24 hours a day during the period listed on your summons letter instead of appearing at the place and time indicated on your letter for in-person impaneling.

2. Is in-person impaneling the same thing as appearing at the courtroom?

No. You will not be selected as part of a jury during in-person impaneling, although you may be provided with a court location, date and time to appear for jury service. At your jury service, you may be selected to serve on a jury.

3. If I reply online, am I automatically assigned to a trial?

Not necessarily. The online system is the same as in-person impaneling, except you do not have to appear in person. If you are eligible for a disqualification or exemption, you may be excused from jury service.

Receiving an Assignment

1. What happens at impaneling?

At in-person impaneling, you will submit your disqualifications, exemptions and scheduling conflicts as applicable. If you are eligible to serve, you will be matched to a trial date. This process is the same for the online system, except you will be there in person.

2. How do I use BrazosCountyJury.com to respond to the summons online?

The system asks the same questions you will be asked at in-person impaneling. Please see the Help section if you are having trouble with the online system.

General Questions

1. I have responded online using the system. Why am I being asked to show up?

While you do not have to appear for in-person impaneling, it sounds like you were given an assignment. This court date is your actual jury service assignment.

2. I have responded online using the system. Do I still need to show up?

Not for in-person impaneling. However, if you received an assignment, you must appear at the date time, and location provided on the assignment page. Please make sure you have printed this page for your records.

3. What are the benefits of this system?

This system was designed to offer the citizens of Brazos County a convenient and easy way to respond to their jury summons requests. By using our system, you will no longer have to appear at the central jury impaneling site mentioned in your jury summons letter. Additionally, you are able to provide us with any scheduling conflicts so that we may make your jury service as convenient as possible for you.

4. What are the benefits of jury service?

Also known as jury duty, jury service is a process that ensures legal rights for the citizens of Brazos County. You receive compensation for jury service, and you are able to fulfill your civic duty.

5. What does a juror actually do?

Jurors listen to evidence in court to decide on whether the accused is guilty or innocent and report that decision to the Judge.