STAFFORD — Did you get a juror questionnaire in the mail this week? If so, you’re not alone.
Stafford County Circuit Court Clerk Kathy Sterne said she mailed 21,000 paper questionnaires to county residents. She’s on a mission to fill jury panels for trials slated to happen in 2020.
The names and addresses selected to receive this round of juror questionnaires are randomly selected using information from DMV and voter registration records. To qualify to serve on a jury, you must be a U.S. resident, have lived in Virginia for at least 12 months, and in Stafford County for at least six months, said Sterne.
Sterne typically selects about 550 people per month to serve on as many as six jury panels at a time. Jurors are paid $30 a day just for showing up.
“Very few people say they’re happy to serve jury duty, so we give them a pep talk at the beginning and say that “we’re glad you chose to come in and do your civic duty,” said Sterne.
Once you’ve been called for jury service and paid at least $30, you can’t be called again to serve on another jury for at least three years, despite the fact you may have been dismissed from the jury.
Sterne contracted with a private firm to maintain a list of juror information for an indefinite period of time. Those paper juror questionnaires are shredded after three years, she added.
