El Paso Jury Duty: Summons, Pay, and Exemptions

A jury summons in El Paso can come from any of three court systems, and the first thing to do is figure out which one sent yours: El Paso County District and County Courts, the City of El Paso Municipal Court, or the federal Western District of Texas. Each has its own reporting location, response portal, pay rate, and length of service. El Paso jury duty pays $20 for the first day and $58 per day on a seated panel at the county level, or $50 per day from day one in federal court.¹² Respond by the deadline printed on the summons, show up at the listed location, or claim an exemption or postponement if one fits your situation.

Identify Which Court Summoned You

Look at the top of your summons. A county summons comes from El Paso County and routes you to Liberty Hall. A federal summons comes from the Western District of Texas and routes you to the United States District Courthouse on Magoffin Avenue. A municipal summons comes from the City of El Paso and handles Class C misdemeanors and city ordinance cases. Responding to the wrong court does not satisfy your obligation to the right one.

If you are not sure, call the issuing office before the deadline. The county jury office is at (915) 273-3522 and the federal court at (915) 534-6725.³

Responding to a County Summons

The county summons includes a questionnaire that must be completed and returned by the printed deadline. You can respond online through the county’s iJuror portal at jury.epcounty.com using the Juror ID Number, Electronic Signature, and date of birth from your summons.⁴ The questionnaire is where you provide your information and claim any exemption or request a date change.

Responding to a Federal Summons

Federal jurors must complete a Juror Information Form and Supplemental Questionnaire within five days of receiving the summons postcard, either through the eJuror portal or by contacting the jury office at 525 Magoffin Avenue. Any postponement or excuse request has to be submitted at the same time.⁵

Where to Report

County jurors report to Liberty Hall at 200 S. Kansas St. Dress business casual. No tank tops, shorts, or flip-flops. Parking is available at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse parking garage at 500 E. Overland Ave., and jury staff hand out parking ticket waivers at the end of the day. Your summons also includes a free round-trip downtown bus pass through a partnership between the City and County of El Paso.¹

Federal jurors report to the Jury Assembly Room on the second floor of the United States District Courthouse at 525 Magoffin Avenue. Bring a valid photo ID. Cell phones and other electronic devices are prohibited inside the federal courthouse, so leave them in your car or at home.⁵

Municipal Court jurors report to the location printed on their summons.

Who Qualifies

Texas sets the baseline for county service. You must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of El Paso County. You must be of sound mind and good moral character, able to read and write, and eligible to vote in the county. You do not have to be registered to vote; you only have to be legally eligible to register.⁶

You are disqualified if you have been convicted of misdemeanor theft or any felony, or if you are currently under indictment or other legal accusation for either. You are also disqualified if you have served too recently as a juror in county or district court.⁶

Exemptions and Postponements

Texas law lets qualified jurors claim an exemption and be excused. You have to request it; the court will not apply one automatically. Use the questionnaire or the iJuror portal to claim any of the following:⁷

You are 75 or older. You can also request a permanent exemption so you are never summoned again.
You have legal custody of a child younger than 12, and serving would leave the child without adequate supervision.
You are the primary caretaker of someone unable to care for themselves.
You are enrolled and actively attending a secondary school or an institution of higher education.
You served as a petit juror in El Paso County within the past three years.
You are on active duty in the U.S. military, deployed away from your home station and out of El Paso County.
You are an officer or employee of the Texas Legislature or a legislative branch agency.

If no exemption applies but the timing is genuinely bad, request a postponement instead. That moves your service to a later date rather than canceling it. The county’s iJuror portal and the federal eJuror system both accept postponement requests alongside the initial questionnaire.⁵ Do not assume the request was granted. Check the status online or call the jury office.

Pay and Length of Service

El Paso County pays $20 for the first day you report and $58 per day if you are seated on a jury panel. Payment is mailed after service ends. One quirk: if you report to Liberty Hall but are excused before the selection process begins, the county does not pay for that day.¹ These are the statutory minimums under the Texas Government Code.⁸ The standard county term is one day or one trial, and most people finish in a single day because they are not selected.

Federal jurors in El Paso receive $50 per day for every day they report, selected or not. For trials longer than ten days, the judge can increase the rate to up to $60 per day for each additional day. Federal jurors are also reimbursed for mileage.² Federal service runs longer than county service: your pool stays on call for 30 days starting the first business day of the month.⁵

Your Job Is Protected

Texas law prohibits a private employer from firing a permanent employee for serving on a jury or grand jury. If your employer retaliates, you can sue for damages including lost wages, and the court can order reinstatement. The protection is in Chapter 122 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.

Federal law adds another layer. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1875, an employer who fires, threatens, intimidates, or coerces an employee over federal jury service faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation per employee, plus lost wages and potential court-ordered reinstatement.⁹

If you are a salaried exempt employee, your employer cannot dock your salary for workdays missed because of jury service. The employer may offset your salary by the jury fees you receive for that week, but the base salary stays intact.¹⁰

No Texas or federal law requires private employers to pay hourly workers their regular wages during jury duty, though some do voluntarily. Check your employee handbook or HR department before your service date.

Penalties for Ignoring the Summons

Skipping jury duty is not a minor issue. Under Texas law, a juror who fails to appear or files a false exemption claim faces a fine of $100 to $500.¹¹

Federal court is tougher. A no-show who has not been excused or postponed by a judge may be served a Show Cause Order by a Deputy U.S. Marshal and ordered to appear and explain. Contempt penalties include a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to three days, community service, or a combination.⁵

Jury Duty Phone Scams

Scammers in El Paso and nationwide impersonate court officials, claiming you missed jury duty and that a warrant is out for your arrest. They offer to clear it up over the phone if you hand over a Social Security number, credit card, or bank account information. Real courts never call to demand payment or ask for financial details. A legitimate summons arrives by mail. If you get one of these calls, do not share anything, note the number and what the caller said, and report it to the FBI or the U.S. Marshal’s Office.¹²

1
County of El Paso. Jury Duty Service
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees
3
City of El Paso. City of El Paso Municipal Courts – Jury Services
4
County of El Paso. iJuror – El Paso County, Texas
5
Western District of Texas. El Paso Jury Instructions
6
State of Texas. Texas Government Code 62-102 – General Qualifications for Jury Service
7
State of Texas. Texas Government Code 62-106 – Exemption From Jury Service
8
State of Texas. Texas Government Code 61-001 – Reimbursement of Jurors
9
Northern District of Ohio. Protection of Jurors’ Employment and Message to Employers
10
U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA Overtime Security Advisor
11
State of Texas. Texas Government Code 62-111 – Penalty for Failure to Attend
12
United States District Court – Western District of Pennsylvania. Juror Scam Warning