LEGAL EAGLE: Can I refuse to be a juror during this pandemic?

Jury service questions answered in the age of COVID-19.

A: A jury is made up of 12 members of the public, randomly selected using the electoral register. If selected you are sent a jury summons – I expect this is what you have received.

You should read the summons carefully as it will tell you what steps you need to take.

Despite the recent suggestion that emergency laws could reduce the number of jurors on a trial, or have Crown Court trial by a judge alone, there is no change to the jury system and trials are taking place across the country with full jury panels.

In ordinary circumstances you may be able to defer your jury service if you are unavailable, for example if you are on a pre booked holiday.

You may be excused from jury service if you can give a good reason such as that you have a serious illness or you are caring for someone who does. You cannot defer or be excused because you do not want to be a juror and coronavirus in itself is not a basis to defer or be excused from jury service – but government guidance also confirms that if you are following advice to self-isolate you will not be expected to start your jury service until your isolation has ended.

You will not attend court in the usual way to begin your jury service, instead you will need to be available to attend court throughout the period (usually two weeks) that you could be selected to be a juror and the jury manager will contact you each day to confirm whether and what time you need to attend.

Courts across the country have put in place measures to try and ensure the safety of jurors sitting on trials. The measures are different depending on the Court – Newcastle Crown Court for example has inserted screens between jurors to allow them to be seated less than two meters apart and reduce the risk of exposure to the virus.

Most people in Court buildings are also now required to wear a face covering to help stop the spread of the virus.

You can contact the Jury Central Summoning Bureau on 0300 456 1024 for more detailed guidance if you have a specific enquiry.