If you miss jury duty in Texas, the court can hold you in contempt and fine you between $100 and $1,000, and in stubborn cases a judge can issue a bench warrant.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 62.0141 – Failure to Answer Jury Summons In practice, that rarely happens on a first miss. Texas courts almost always send a warning letter first and are far more interested in getting you rescheduled than in punishing you. If you act quickly, you can usually fix this with a phone call.
How the Court Escalates After a No-Show
A jury summons is a court order, and ignoring it is contempt of court. The statute sets the fine at not less than $100 and not more than $1,000, and the same penalty applies if you file a false exemption claim to avoid serving. The law also says these penalties come “in addition to any criminal penalty prescribed by law,” which leaves a judge’s contempt powers open beyond the fine itself.
Most Texas courts move through the following steps before anything serious happens:
- After a first no-show, the court mails a failure-to-appear notice or warning letter.
- If you don’t respond, the court issues a show-cause order telling you to appear and explain why you shouldn’t be held in contempt.
- If you still don’t engage, the court imposes the contempt fine.
- In extreme cases of continued defiance, a judge can issue a bench warrant authorizing law enforcement to bring you in.
The people who end up facing fines or arrest are almost always those who ignored both the summons and every follow-up. One missed date, followed by a quick call to the clerk, rarely goes past the warning stage.
What to Do Right Now If You Missed Your Date
Call the clerk’s office for the court that issued your summons. Do it before any warning letter arrives. The summons itself lists the court and a contact number; if you’ve lost it, look up the court through the county’s official website rather than clicking a link in an email.
When you reach the clerk, say you missed your date and ask to reschedule. Many Texas counties let you reschedule online or by phone without further paperwork. If something specific kept you away, say so, and offer to send documentation: a doctor’s note, a child’s birth certificate, military orders, or whatever fits your situation.
If a show-cause order has already arrived, don’t ignore it. That order requires you to appear before a judge and explain yourself. Showing up with a reasonable explanation, even a late one, is almost always better than skipping that hearing too.
Reasons a Judge May Excuse the Miss
Texas law gives judges broad discretion to excuse a juror on any reasonable sworn excuse, including medical issues, scheduling conflicts, and personal circumstances.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 62.110 – Judicial Excuse of Juror A judge can release you outright or reschedule you.
Economic hardship is treated differently. A judge cannot excuse you for a financial reason unless every party in the case is present and agrees to let you go. If your excuse is that you couldn’t afford to miss work, be ready to document it, and understand it’s a harder sell than other grounds.
Separately, Texas recognizes statutory exemptions that would have let you skip service entirely if you’d claimed them in time. Raising one of these after a miss can also help explain the absence. You qualify for an exemption if you are:3State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 62.106 – Exemption From Jury Service
- Age 75 or older.
- The legal custodian of a child under 12, where service would leave the child without adequate supervision.
- A student enrolled in a public or private secondary school, or enrolled and actively attending a college or university.
- The primary caretaker of someone unable to care for themselves.
- A past juror in the same county within the last 24 months (in counties of at least 200,000 people) or the last three years (in counties of at least 250,000).
- Active-duty military deployed away from your home station and outside your county.
- An officer or employee of the Texas Legislature or a legislative branch agency.
Claiming an exemption falsely to get out of serving carries the same $100 to $1,000 fine as skipping the summons entirely, so only assert one that actually applies.
If Your Summons Came From Federal Court
Federal jury duty operates under separate rules. Ignoring a federal summons can bring a fine of up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or any combination of the three, and the same penalties apply to anyone who lies on a juror qualification form to avoid serving.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1864 – Drawing of Names From the Master Jury Wheel Check the top of your summons to confirm which court sent it before you decide who to call.
Beware the Missed Jury Duty Phone Scam
If you’ve missed jury duty, you’re exactly the person scammers hope to reach. A common fraud involves callers posing as U.S. Marshals, deputies, or court officers who say you failed to appear and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest. The threat sounds credible because the underlying penalty is real. The call is not.5Consumer Advice (FTC.gov). That Call or Email Saying You Missed Jury Duty and Need to Pay? It’s a Scam
- Real courts handle jury matters by mail, not urgent phone calls or emails.6U.S. Courts. Juror Scams
- No court accepts payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, payment apps, or wire transfers.
- Courts won’t ask for your Social Security number or date of birth over the phone.
- Real U.S. Marshals don’t cold-call people about missed jury service.
If a call like this comes in, don’t pay and don’t share personal information. Hang up, look up the court’s number from the county’s official website, and call to verify whether you actually have an outstanding summons. If you do, the clerk will tell you how to reschedule, and the fix is almost always simpler than the scammer wanted you to believe.