If you’ve been called for Michigan jury duty, the summons is a court order to appear on the date and at the courthouse listed, and most people finish their obligation the same day under the state’s “one day or one trial” system. Either a jury needs you for a specific case that day, or you’re released by closing time. The rest is worth knowing before you go: who qualifies, how to ask for a postponement, what you’ll get paid, and what your employer can and cannot do while you’re gone.
Who Qualifies as a Juror
Michigan law sets six requirements for jury service. To qualify, you must:1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1307a – Qualifications of Juror
- Be a U.S. citizen at least 18 years old.
- Live in the county where you’ve been summoned (or, for certain district courts, within the district).
- Be able to communicate in English.
- Be physically and mentally able to serve. A temporary condition does not disqualify you.
- Have no felony conviction.
- Not have served on a jury in a court of record within the past 12 months.
Read the felony rule carefully. The statute bars anyone who has been convicted of a felony, not only people currently incarcerated or on probation. If you had a felony conviction years ago and your civil rights have not been restored, you remain ineligible.
Michigan draws names from the combined list of driver’s license and state ID cardholders that the Secretary of State transmits to each county clerk every year.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1310 Selection from that list is randomized. If your name comes up, you’ll usually receive a qualification questionnaire first, then a summons with a report date.
What “One Day or One Trial” Means
Most Michigan courts use a one-day-or-one-trial system. You report on the date printed on your summons and spend the day in the jury assembly room. If a trial needs a jury, a group from the pool is sent to a courtroom for questioning. If you’re not chosen for a case by the end of the day, your service is complete and you won’t be summoned again for at least a year. If you are seated on a jury, you serve for the length of that trial. Many run three to four days, though some go longer.
Bring the summons itself, a photo ID, and something to read or work on. Once you’re in the assembly room, your time is the court’s until they release you.
Requesting a Postponement or Excusal
The chief judge of the court has discretion to excuse a juror when serving would “materially injure” the public interest or the juror’s own interests, or when the juror or a family member has a health condition that requires the juror’s absence.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1335 Full-time high school students must be postponed until the end of the school year. Full-time college and graduate students can request postponement to the end of the academic year if service would conflict with their class schedule.
One point catches people out: Michigan does not have a blanket age exemption. A juror over 70 is not automatically excused, though the chief judge can excuse an older juror under the general hardship provision. Requests are evaluated one at a time and often require documentation. Contact the court clerk’s office as soon as you know there’s a problem with your report date rather than waiting.
What Happens at the Courthouse
When a case is ready for a jury, a group of prospective jurors is sent from the assembly room to the courtroom for voir dire. This is the questioning process the judge and the attorneys use to decide who can hear the case fairly.4Michigan Courts. Michigan Judicial Institute – Jury Selection Expect questions about your job, whether you know anyone connected to the case, past experiences with law enforcement, and your views on issues the case will raise. Answer honestly. If a question feels too personal for open court, ask to answer at the bench; judges routinely allow sensitive responses to be given quietly.
Either side can ask the judge to remove you “for cause,” meaning they’ve stated a specific reason such as apparent bias or a prior relationship to a party. Each side also gets a limited number of peremptory strikes that don’t require a reason, subject to constitutional limits on race- and gender-based strikes. None of these decisions are personal, and being excused from one case doesn’t reflect on you.
If you’re selected, the judge will tell you when to return and give instructions about outside contact, media, and independent research. Civil trials in Michigan use six-member juries and accept a five-of-six verdict, except in civil commitment cases, which require all six to agree. Felony trials use 12 jurors and require unanimity. Misdemeanor trials typically use six.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1352
Juror Pay and Mileage
Michigan sets minimum juror pay. Counties can pay more, but the floor is $25 for the first full day of service, $12.50 for a half day, and $40 for each subsequent full day or $20 for each subsequent half day.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1344 – Juror Compensation You also receive mileage reimbursement for the round trip between your home and the courthouse at a rate set by the county, with a statutory minimum of 10 cents per mile.
Payment usually arrives by mail a few weeks after your service ends. Jury pay is taxable income and should be reported on Schedule 1 of your federal return. Mileage reimbursement generally is not.7Internal Revenue Service. Publication 525 – Taxable and Nontaxable Income
Your Job Is Protected While You Serve
For most jurors, the bigger concern is work. Michigan law makes it a misdemeanor for any employer to fire, discipline, or threaten an employee because of jury service or attendance for jury selection, and the employer can also be held in contempt of court.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1348 The statute also bars employers from requiring you to work extra hours on a jury day to make up for time at court if the combined hours would push you past your normal schedule.
What the law does not do is force private employers to pay your regular wages while you’re at court. Some employers do as a matter of policy, and public-sector employers often continue pay. If yours doesn’t, the juror pay and mileage reimbursement are what you’ll receive. If your employer required you to hand over your jury pay in exchange for continuing your salary, you can deduct what you turned over on Schedule 1, line 24a, so you’re not taxed on money you didn’t keep.
What Happens If You Ignore the Summons
A jury summons is enforceable. Michigan law lists failure to appear before the jury board when notified, and failure to attend court when summoned as a juror, as acts punishable as contempt of court.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1346 – Acts Punishable as Contempts Contempt penalties are set by the court and can include fines or jail time. In practice, courts often send a follow-up notice or issue a bench warrant requiring you to appear and explain yourself before any penalty is imposed. If something genuine is keeping you from attending, call the court clerk instead of ignoring the date.
Accommodations for Jurors With Disabilities
Courts are required to provide reasonable accommodations so that people with disabilities can serve. That can mean assistive listening devices, a sign language interpreter, accessible seating, or other adjustments. Michigan’s qualification statute reinforces the point by specifying that a temporary inability does not disqualify a juror.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1307a – Qualifications of Juror
If you need an accommodation, contact the court clerk’s office as soon as your summons arrives. Advance notice gives the court time to make arrangements, and requesting one is not treated as a reason to excuse you.
Federal Jury Duty Is Separate
A Michigan state summons is not the same as a federal one, and vice versa. Michigan residents can also be called for federal service in the Eastern or Western District of Michigan, and completing state service does not exempt you from a federal summons. Federal qualifications are similar to Michigan’s: U.S. citizen, at least 18, resident of the judicial district for at least a year, proficient in English, and no felony charge or unrestored felony conviction. Active-duty military, professional firefighters and police, and full-time public officers are exempt.10United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
Federal jurors are paid $50 per day, potentially rising to $60 for trial jurors on the same case for more than 10 consecutive days, and for grand jurors serving more than 45 days. Federal law separately prohibits employers from firing, threatening, or coercing a permanent employee because of federal jury service, with civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation plus lost wages and reinstatement.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
Watch for Jury Duty Scams
Scammers regularly call or email people claiming they missed jury duty and now owe a fine to avoid arrest. The calls can sound legitimate: real judges’ names, spoofed courthouse numbers on caller ID, correct court addresses. Two things give the scam away. First, no court will demand payment over the phone, and no real fine is ever collected through gift cards, prepaid cards, Venmo, Zelle, cryptocurrency, or a payment kiosk. Second, a legitimate jury summons arrives by U.S. Mail, not by phone or email.12United States Courts. Federal Court Scams
If you’re not sure whether a call is real, hang up, look up the court clerk’s number on the court’s official website, and call directly to confirm. Don’t share personal or financial information with the caller. You can also report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission.