Canyon County Jury Duty: Summons, Pay, and Job Protection

If you’ve been summoned for Canyon County jury duty, your first obligation is to complete and return the Juror Qualification Questionnaire within ten days of the date on the form, then report to the district courthouse in Caldwell the week you’re assigned. Jury operations run through Idaho’s Third Judicial District, which handles the county’s summonses, excusals, and payments. Most people are done within a week.

Responding to Your Summons

The ten-day deadline for returning the questionnaire comes from Idaho Supreme Court rules and is enforced. Ignore it and the court can order you to appear in person before the clerk or jury commissioner to complete it; continued noncompliance can lead to contempt.¹

The fastest way to submit the form is online through the Idaho Juror Access Website, using the candidate ID printed on your summons. You can also mail the paper form back or drop it off at the Office of the Jury Commissioner at the Canyon County Courthouse.²

If you’ve misplaced your summons and don’t have your candidate ID, call the Canyon County Jury Commissioner at 208-454-7351. The office can look up your record and help you complete the questionnaire.³

Who Qualifies

Idaho draws jurors from voter registration and other lists. To qualify you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Canyon County, at least 18 years old, and able to read, speak, and understand English.⁴

Two groups are disqualified: anyone whose right to vote was lost through an unrestored felony conviction, and anyone with a physical or mental condition that prevents effective service. If you claim an incapacity disqualification, the court can require a physician’s certificate and may follow up with the certifying doctor.⁴

Postponing or Getting Excused

Idaho grants no automatic exemptions, and the court prefers postponement over outright excusal. A postponement is generally limited to one reschedule to a specific future date.

To request one, submit a written statement giving the reason and estimating when the reason will no longer apply. Grounds include undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, public necessity, or being a mother breastfeeding a child. For a medical reason, the court may ask for a statement from your healthcare provider.

Full excusal is narrower. If you’re 70 or older, you can request permanent excusal by indicating that preference on the questionnaire, and you can later reverse it in writing to be put back on the list. Anyone who served on a jury or answered a roll call within the previous 24 months can also ask to be excused.⁴

Submit any request through the questionnaire or directly to the Canyon County Jury Commissioner. Don’t just skip the summons and hope it goes away.

What Happens If You Ignore a Summons

Skipping jury duty in Canyon County carries real penalties. Under Idaho law, a person who fails to appear or complete service as directed will be ordered to appear and explain why. If the court finds no good cause, you can be held in criminal contempt and fined up to $300, jailed up to three days, or both.⁵

The same escalation applies to the initial questionnaire: don’t return it, and you’ll be ordered to appear before the clerk; keep ignoring the court, and contempt follows.

Where to Report and What to Expect

Jurors report to the Canyon County District Court at 1115 Albany Street in Caldwell. Parking is available in the lot directly across the street from the courthouse entrance.²

Everyone entering passes through a security screening with a metal detector. Leave pocket knives, pepper spray, scissors, and anything else that could get confiscated at home, and keep bags minimal. Cell phones are generally permitted in the building, but expect to be told to turn them off inside a courtroom.

There’s no formal dress code. Business casual is the safe bet; skip shorts and uniforms. Courtroom temperatures are unpredictable, so layer.

The Night Before

Your service term is typically one week. After 6:00 p.m. the evening before your scheduled appearance, check the Juror Access Website or call the automated jury phone line to confirm whether your group number needs to report the next day. If your group isn’t called, you may not have to come in. Jurors who do report but aren’t selected for a trial panel are generally released and have completed their obligation for the term.²

What to Bring

Expect downtime. A book, a phone charger, or quiet work will make the assembly-area wait easier. Public Wi-Fi at courthouses is limited or nonexistent, so plan accordingly. Pack snacks and water; access to food during breaks isn’t guaranteed, especially in the morning.

How Much Jurors Are Paid

Canyon County pays the statutory minimum: $5.00 for a half day (four hours or less) and $10.00 for a full day (more than four hours).² Idaho allows county commissioners to set higher rates — up to $25.00 per half day and $50.00 per full day — but Canyon County hasn’t done so.⁶

If you live more than 30 miles from the courthouse, the minimum half-day rate doubles to $10.00, with the county permitted to set it as high as $50.00.⁶

You also receive mileage reimbursement for the round trip between home and the courthouse. The per-mile rate matches the rate the Canyon County Commissioners have set for county employees by resolution.⁶ Payments are processed after your service ends and typically arrive by mail within about a month.

Your Job Is Protected

Idaho law prohibits your employer from firing, threatening, or otherwise retaliating against you because you received a summons, responded to it, or served. Violating that protection is criminal contempt, with a fine of up to $300.⁷

If you are fired for serving, you have 60 days to file a civil suit against your employer for triple the wages you lost, plus reinstatement. Win, and the court also awards reasonable attorney’s fees.⁷

Idaho does not require private employers to pay your regular wages during service. Unless your employer voluntarily keeps you on salary, the $5 or $10 daily juror fee is all you’ll receive. One federal wrinkle for salaried exempt employees: your employer cannot dock your salary for partial-week absences caused by jury duty, though they can offset any jury fees you received against your salary for that week.⁸

Accommodations for Disabilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires courts to provide reasonable accommodations. If you need wheelchair access, an assistive listening device, a sign language interpreter, or similar help, contact the Canyon County Jury Commissioner’s office as early as possible after receiving your summons. The courthouse is a public facility subject to ADA requirements, and the court will evaluate your request and work with you on modifications. Service animals are permitted in court facilities.

A disability accommodation is not the same as an excusal. If your condition makes service impossible even with accommodations, that falls under Idaho’s incapacity disqualification and requires a physician’s certificate. If an accommodation would let you serve, that’s the route the court prefers.

Reporting Jury Pay on Your Taxes

Jury pay is taxable. The IRS requires you to report it on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8h, no matter how small the amount.⁹

If your employer kept paying your regular salary during service and required you to hand over your jury pay in exchange, report the full jury pay as income, then deduct the amount you surrendered as an adjustment on Schedule 1, line 24a. You won’t be taxed twice on the same money.⁹

1
Idaho Supreme Court. Appendix A to Rule 62(c) – Juror Qualification Questionnaire
2
Canyon County Government. Canyon County Jury Duty Rules and Requirements
3
Third Judicial District of Idaho. Jury – Third Judicial District of Idaho
4
Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code Section 2-206 – Master and County Jury Lists of Registered Voters
5
Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code Section 2-217 – Penalty for Evasion of Jury Service
6
Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code Section 2-215 – Mileage and Per Diem of Jurors
7
Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code Section 2-218 – Employer Prohibited From Penalizing Employee for Jury Service
8
eCFR. 29 CFR 541.602 – Salary Basis
9
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 525 – Taxable and Nontaxable Income