A message from District Clerk Juanita Miller

As the Bosque County District Clerk for 220th Judicial District Court and County Court at Law , it is important that the public knows what the jury process entails.

Jurors perform a vital role in the American system of justice. 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.

We, in the Courts, want you to know how much your cooperation and participation in this process of justice means to the Judges, attorneys and parties in the trials, and also how vital each individual juror is to the success of the whole judiciary system - "Being Judged by a Jury of our Peers.”

Jury Summons Card Sample

Frequently Asked Questions

 

You are selected randomly by a computer from the lists of voter registration, driver license and identification cards from the county in which you live. This list is compiled by Secretary of State and reconsitituted every year. If you have moved and don’t reside in Bosque County its important that the jury card is mailed back to Juanita Miller, District Clerk. You will need to also contact the Elections Administrator @ 254-435-6650 and Driver License office at 435-2913 to update the information in their system. If you have a family member that is deceased you will need to mail or bring a copy of the death certificate to the Drivers License office so they can take the name out of their computer system . The District Clerk and the Secretary of State can only take the name off temporarily, only the Drivers License Department can remove the name from the system permanently.
1)If 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 required leaving the child or children without adequate supervision 3)You are student at a public or private high school. 4)You are enrolled and in actual attendance at an institution 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 you if you are a primary caretaker only in your capacity as a health care worker) 7)You are a member of the United States military forces serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from your home station and out of your county of residence.
1)Be at least 18 years old 2)Be a citizen of this state and a resident of the county in which you are to serve as a juror 3)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)Be of sound mind and good moral character 5)Be able to read and write 6)Not have served as juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court; 7)Not have been convicted of, or be under indictment or other legal accusations for, misdemeanor theft or a felony.
If you cannot serve the week that you have been scheduled for jury duty you are eligible to be rescheduled one time within six months of the date of your original summons. You may obtain a second postponement only in the event of the death of a family member or similar event.
There are two types, criminal cases and civil (including family cases)
We handle the 220TH District Court which requires 12 jurors and the County Court at law which requires 6 jurors. The large group, called a panel, will be sent to the courtroom were the jurors will be questioned under the supervision of the judge. The jurors will then be selected from that panel.
Yes, the first day of appearance is $6.00, if selected then its $15.00 for the 1st day, and $40 a day thereafter. You can obtain your excuse from the District Clerk’s Office.
Bosque County Courthouse 2nd floor District Courtroom, 110 S.MAIN Meridian, Texas 76665
The District Clerk’s office has a jury donation form that lists all the non-profit organizations approved by the Commissioner’s Court that a juror can donate to.
if the person does not have a legal reason why they did not make it to jury, the Judge imposes a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500. The sheriff’s office will call you to notify you of your absence, but they will not ask you for any sort of payment over the phone. Payments are handled at the District Clerk’s office located on the 2nd floor in the courthouse.
There is a designated phone line for the jurors to call a day before jury to see if its cancelled or not, even if the day before falls on Sunday, still call. This phone number is on the front of the jury card. The recording will inform you if its cancelled.
We are located in the Courthouse, 110 S.MAIN, Meridian, Texas on the 2nd Floor. There is an elevator on the north side of the courthouse.