If you’ve been summoned for Shawnee County jury duty, you’ll report to the courthouse in Topeka for a term that lasts one week or one trial, whichever ends first.1Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Common Questions Before your date, complete the questionnaire that came with your summons, note your group number, and check whether your group is actually being called in. Skip those steps and you can be fined up to $100 for each day you fail to appear.2Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Failure to Appear
Who Has to Serve
Kansas law under K.S.A. 43-156 sets the baseline: a juror must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county, and a qualified voter.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 43-156 – Same; Right to Serve as Juror; Qualification as Elector The Shawnee County District Court applies that as three practical rules: at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, and currently living in Shawnee County.1Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Common Questions Moved out of the county since the summons was mailed? Call the Jury Coordinator at (785) 251-6787 or email sn.jurycoordinator@kscourts.org to be removed from the pool.4Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Staff Directory – Jury Coordinator
K.S.A. 43-158 lists people the court must excuse. You will not serve if you cannot understand English well enough to fill out the questionnaire, if a judge has found you legally incompetent, if you have a felony conviction or guilty plea within the past ten years, if you already served on a Shawnee County jury within the past twelve months, or if you are a mother currently breastfeeding.5Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 43-158 – Same; Persons Excluded From Jury Service If any of those apply, the exclusion is automatic.
Getting Excused or Postponing
K.S.A. 43-159 gives the judge discretion to excuse people in four other situations: a physical or mental condition that makes ordinary jury duty too difficult, a job or role where your absence would harm public welfare or safety, extraordinary personal hardship, and a personal connection to the case that would make impartiality unlikely.6Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 43-159 – Same; Exclusions From Jury Service by Court
Medical excusals are the most common. The court requires a written statement from your doctor, which you can fax or email to the Jury Coordinator.7Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Exemptions If a full excusal isn’t warranted but your reporting week is genuinely bad, ask instead for a postponement. Either way, raise it as soon as you open the summons. Waiting until the day of creates problems the court does not deal with gently.
Responding to the Summons
Your summons arrives by mail with a juror questionnaire and a group number. Fill out the questionnaire by the deadline printed on the form, either through the court’s online portal or by mailing back the paper copy. The questions cover basic background, employment, and any prior legal involvement, and the court uses the answers to manage the pool. If you miss the questionnaire deadline, you are still expected to appear on your reporting date with your group number.8Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Daily Jury Update
Not every group reports on the same day. Before your scheduled date, check the court’s Daily Jury Update page or call (785) 251-6787 to confirm whether your group is being called. Higher-numbered groups may be told to check back after 5:00 p.m. on the first day for instructions about the following day.8Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Daily Jury Update After hours, (785) 251-5500 plays a recorded update.
Reporting to the Courthouse
Jurors report to the Shawnee County Courthouse at 200 SE 7th Street in Topeka.8Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Daily Jury Update Park at the Park’n Shop garage at 615 SE Quincy Avenue, and bring your parking slip to check-in with your summons so the court can validate it. Parking anywhere else is on you; the court does not reimburse parking fines.9Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Daily Jury Update
Everyone entering passes through a security screening with metal detectors and bag inspection. Weapons and sharp objects are prohibited. State courtrooms broadly restrict recording and transmitting proceedings, so if you bring a phone, expect it to slow your entry and know you won’t be allowed to use it in the courtroom.
Business-casual attire is expected. Collared shirts, slacks, and closed-toe shoes work. Avoid shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, and clothing with holes. Hats come off in the courtroom.
Check-In and the Day’s Flow
After security, go to Room 100 on the first floor. A clerk verifies your ID and marks your attendance. Orientation covers the day’s schedule and how panels move from the assembly room to individual courtrooms. Most of the day is spent waiting until a judge calls a panel for a specific case, so bring something to read.
How Long You’ll Serve
Shawnee County uses a one-week-or-one-trial term. If you aren’t picked for a trial during your reporting week, your service ends and you’re finished. If you are picked, you stay through the end of that trial, and the judge will tell you the expected length when you’re seated.1Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Common Questions Most civil trials last a few days; criminal trials vary with the charges.
What Selection Looks Like
When a judge needs a jury, a panel is sent from the assembly room to the courtroom for voir dire. The judge and the attorneys ask questions meant to surface bias or personal connections that would get in the way of a fair verdict. Some are general, like where you work or whether you’ve been involved in a lawsuit; others are specific to the case.10United States Courts. Juror Selection Process Attorneys can strike you for a stated reason the judge accepts, or without giving a reason at all within limits set by Kansas law.11Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 22-3412 – Peremptory Challenges Being excused from a panel is routine and says nothing about you.
Pay, Mileage, and Your Job
Kansas pay for jurors is modest. K.S.A. 43-171 sets the daily attendance fee between $10 and $50, with the exact figure fixed by each county commission.12FindLaw. Kansas Code 43-171 – Jurors Shall Be Paid the Following Fees You also get mileage for travel between home and the courthouse at the Kansas standard automobile rate, which is $0.70 per mile as of July 2025.13Kansas Department of Administration. Standard Mileage Rate Payment comes from the county general fund after your service ends.
Your job gets some protection, but read the statute carefully. K.S.A. 43-173 bars an employer from firing or threatening to fire a permanent employee because of jury service. The word “permanent” is in the statute, which leaves temporary and contract workers on less certain ground. An employer who violates the law is liable for lost wages, actual damages, and court-ordered reinstatement.14Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 43-173 – Jury Service; Right to Serve; Liability; Costs Kansas does not require private employers to pay your regular wages while you serve.
Skipping Jury Duty
Ignoring the summons is a real legal risk. Under K.S.A. 43-165, anyone summoned who fails to appear without a sufficient excuse faces a fine of up to $100 for each day of unexcused absence.2Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Failure to Appear The court may also issue an order to show cause, a mandatory hearing where you appear before a judge and explain why you shouldn’t be held in contempt. Ignoring that order compounds the problem.
If you honestly can’t make the date, act before it passes. Call the Jury Coordinator at (785) 251-6787 or email sn.jurycoordinator@kscourts.org to explain and request a deferral.4Third Judicial District, KS – Official Website. Staff Directory – Jury Coordinator Advance notice gets a much better reception than silence.
Accommodations
The courthouse must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable accommodations include assistive listening devices, real-time captioning, sign language interpreters, and large-print materials. Service dogs trained for specific tasks are permitted; emotional support animals generally are not covered under the ADA. Contact the Jury Coordinator as soon as you receive the summons so the court can arrange whatever you need before your reporting date.