It’s jury duty selection season in Arlington and Falls Church

It’s once again the time of year when Arlington’s circuit court starts to select its jury pool for the next year.

Juror questionnaires are being sent soon to tens of thousands of Arlington and Falls Church residents, for jury duty in 2023. Would-be jurors are randomly selected from the voter rolls and will receive questionnaires in the mail.

Most jury trials in the circuit court last 1-2 days, an Arlington County press release says.

The full press release is below.

The Arlington Circuit Court, which includes the City of Falls Church, will soon begin its annual juror qualification process. Juror questionnaires will be mailed in August to approximately 35,000 randomly selected residents of Arlington County and Falls Church City. These Questionnaires are used to qualify residents for jury duty which begins January 1, 2023 and ends December 31, 2023.

• In accordance with State law, questionnaires are distributed annually to a random selection of residents of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.
• Recipients are selected from registered voter rolls provided by the State Board of Elections.
• If you do not receive a form in the US Mail, there is nothing you need to do.
• Jury Commissioners appointed by the Court review the questionnaires to determine eligibility for service according to criteria established by the General Assembly.

For more information about jury duty, including a list of individuals who are exempt from serving, please visit the Jury Duty page on the County website.

Not everyone will receive a Juror Questionnaire via Postcard in the US Mail. If you DO receive the form, please follow the steps below:

• Read and carefully follow the instructions on the postcard.
• Using your Candidate/Juror ID# printed on the postcard, visit the secure Juror Website at https://ejuror.arlingtonva.us/ to complete and submit the form online.
• If you cannot logon to the Website, please try again later or try another browser.
• If you do not have a computer, to have a paper copy of the form mailed to you, call 703-228-3123 and provide: 1) Candidate/Juror ID#, Pool #, and Group #; 2) first and last name; 3) street address with zip code; and 4) contact phone# or email for follow-up if needed. The Court prefers online submission to save time and resources.
• Some questions on the form require submission of documents as proof of hardship (i.e., doctor’s notes, travel documents, military orders) and/or detailed explanations in the Remarks section. All information is kept confidential and destroyed after use.
• If you no longer live in Virginia or have moved out of Arlington County or the City of Falls Church, there are questions on the form that will disqualify you.
• You are required to complete and return the questionnaire within 10 days of receipt.  Completing the form online saves resources.
• Once submitted, your completed questionnaire will be processed by the Court.  There will be nothing further you need to do.  If you are qualified by the court to serve, you could receive a summons in the mail next year with detailed reporting instructions.
• The questionnaire is not a summons to appear so please do not call the Clerk’s Office asking to be excused from jury duty.  Excuses will be considered if you receive a summons in the mail.
• Failure to respond to the questionnaire or providing incomplete information may result in your being summoned to Court to complete the form in person.

Quick Facts About Jury Service

• Normal term of service is one day or one trial.
• The average length of a trial is 1 or 2 days, but trials can last longer.
• Jurors must be available between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during their period of service (subject to change by the Court).
• Jurors receive $30 each day they report for reimbursement of expenses.

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