If you miss jury duty in Texas, the court can hold you in contempt and fine you between $100 and $1,000. Whether that actually happens depends on how you respond. Most people who call the clerk’s office soon after a missed date, explain honestly, and agree to reschedule walk away without a penalty. People who ignore the summons and hope it goes away are the ones who end up in front of a judge.
The Fines the Court Can Impose
Texas has two separate penalty statutes, and they cover different stages of the process.
If you received a jury summons and simply didn’t comply, Texas Government Code Section 62.0141 treats that as contempt of court, punishable by a fine of $100 to $1,000.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 62.0141 – Failure to Comply With Jury Summons The same statute covers filing a false exemption claim to get out of serving.
If you were already selected and told to appear for a specific trial, and then skipped out without a reasonable excuse, a second statute applies. Texas Government Code Section 62.111 sets that fine at $100 to $500.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code 62.111 – Penalty for Defaulting Jurors
In practice, the court rarely imposes a fine on the spot. Its first move is usually a show cause order, which is a written directive requiring you to appear before a judge and explain why you shouldn’t be held in contempt. If the judge accepts your explanation, the matter typically ends there. If not, the contempt finding and the fine follow. Repeated defiance can lead to jail time in theory, though that outcome is rare for a first-time no-show.
What to Do if You Already Missed Your Date
Call the clerk’s office listed on your summons as soon as you realize you missed it. Don’t wait for a show cause order to arrive in the mail. Clerks handle no-shows every week, and they are the people who can quietly fix the problem before it becomes a legal one.
Be honest about why you missed it. In many cases, the clerk can simply reschedule you for a future jury service date, which resolves the issue. The court is trying to fill jury panels, not collect fines from someone who overslept or wrote down the wrong week. Someone who calls the next morning is in a very different position than someone who threw the summons in the trash.
If you already have a show cause order, take it seriously and appear on the date it specifies. Bring anything that explains your absence: medical records, travel documents, proof of a family emergency, a death certificate, work records if you were out of state. A judge who sees cooperation and a reasonable explanation has broad discretion to waive the penalty.
Reasons a Judge Will Accept
Two separate categories can get you out of trouble even after a missed date: being legally ineligible to serve in the first place, and having a recognized exemption you failed to claim in time.
You Were Never Qualified to Serve
Texas law lists specific conditions that disqualify a person from jury service entirely. If any of these apply, you weren’t just excused, you were ineligible from the start. You’re disqualified if you:
- Are not a U.S. citizen or are under 18
- Don’t live in the county that summoned you
- Aren’t eligible to vote in that county
- Cannot read and write
- Have been convicted of misdemeanor theft or any felony, or are under indictment for either
- Recently served as a juror for six or more days in county court within the last three months, or in district court within the last six months
If one of these applied to you, tell the clerk’s office and be prepared to document it. Ineligibility is not a punishable offense; failing to tell the court about it is what creates the risk.
You Qualified for an Exemption
Exemptions are different from disqualifications. They apply to people who are legally qualified to serve but have a recognized reason not to. Under Texas Government Code Section 62.106, you can claim an exemption if you:
- Are 75 or older
- Have legal custody of a child under 12 and serving would leave the child without adequate supervision
- Are a student actively attending a secondary school, college, or university
- Work for the Texas Senate, House of Representatives, or another legislative-branch agency
- Are the primary caretaker of a person who cannot care for themselves
- Are on active duty in the U.S. military and deployed away from your home station and county of residence
- Served as a juror within the past 24 months in a county of at least 200,000 people, or within the past three years in a county of at least 250,000
You’re supposed to claim an exemption before your service date by filing paperwork with the court. Raising it after the fact is weaker, but it still helps. A judge deciding what to do about a missed appearance will treat a legitimate exemption as a strong reason to drop the matter.
How to Avoid This Next Time: Ask for a Postponement
If none of the exemptions fit but you genuinely cannot make your assigned date, most Texas courts allow you to request a postponement through the clerk’s office. You stay on the jury rolls, but your service moves to a later date. Postponement requests are typically submitted in writing along with your juror information form, and the earlier you file, the smoother the process.
This is the single most effective way to stay out of trouble. A postponement filed before your service date shows good faith and keeps you in compliance. Silence does the opposite.
If Someone Calls Demanding Money, It’s a Scam
If a caller or emailer tells you that you missed jury duty and must pay immediately to avoid arrest, it is not the court. The Federal Trade Commission has warned about this scheme, which often involves someone impersonating a law enforcement officer or U.S. Marshal and demanding payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.5Federal Trade Commission. That Call or Email Saying You Missed Jury Duty and Need to Pay? It’s a Scam
Real courts don’t take payment over the phone, don’t threaten immediate arrest in a phone call, and don’t ask for your Social Security number or bank information during an unsolicited call. If you’re worried about a real missed summons, hang up and call the clerk’s office using the number on your original summons or on the court’s official website.
Federal Summonses Follow Different Rules
Everything above applies to Texas state and county courts. If your summons came from a federal district court, the penalty statute is 28 U.S.C. Section 1866, which allows up to $1,000 in fines, up to three days in jail, community service, or any combination for failing to appear without good cause.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels The federal process also starts with a show cause order rather than an automatic fine, so the same advice applies: contact the court quickly, this time through the federal clerk’s office listed on the summons rather than a county clerk.