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Jury Services

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CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE YOUR JUROR QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE ONLINE

Welcome to Jury Duty in Racine County!

The right to a trial by jury is the cornerstone of our country’s justice system. As a juror, you have a vital role to play in the administration of justice!

Have questions? This purpose of this website is to answer some of the most common questions asked.  If you can not find the answers to your questions here, please feel free to contact us.

Amenities

Wi-Fi access is available in the Jury Assembly area.

Amenities in the Jury Assembly Area include: magazines and books. Complementary Coffee and hot Tea are provided. Vending machines, including cold beverages and snacks are available.

An ATM machine for public use is available in the Public Entrance of the Jail located on 7th Street.

There are refrigerators located in the Jury Deliberation Rooms and near the Jury Assembly Room for bag lunches or medication if needed.

Contact the Jury Coordinator

Racine County Jury Coordinator

Racine County Courthouse - 8th Floor
730 Wisconsin Ave
Racine WI 53403

Phone: 262-636-3108

Fax: 262-636-3341

Email: Jurors@racinecounty.com

Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Juror Recording #: 262-636-3770 or 800-242-6760 (262 extensions only)

Employment Issues and Verification

Jury service is a civic duty. State law protects your job. Your employer cannot fire you, demote you, threaten or intimidate you because of jury service. Employers are required to grant an employee a leave of absence for jury service per Wisconsin Statute §756.255. As soon as a juror receives a summons for jury duty, he or she should inform their employer of the possibility of being selected and the need to be absent from work if selected to serve on jury duty.

At the completion of jury service, the Jury Coordinator/Bailiffs will provide to any juror who requests it, a signed verification of jury service that identifies the date(s) of jury service and whether the service was for a full or half day.

State law currently does not require employers to continue paying the salary of employees who are absent because of jury service. Many employers, however, including state, federal and many local governmental agencies, have a policy of compensating employees for at least part, if not all, of the time spent in jury service. Employers and businesses are encouraged to support the jury system by paying employees while they are serving as jurors. If employers do pay their employees during jury service, they have the right to require employees to remit the per diem (excluding mileage) they received for jury service.

An employer shall grant an employee a leave of absence without loss of time in service for the period of jury service. For the purpose of determining seniority or pay advancement, the status of the employee shall be considered uninterrupted by the jury service. No employer may use absence due to jury service as a basis for discharging an employee or for taking any disciplinary action against an employee.

An employer who discharges or disciplines an employee may be fined not more than $200 and may be required to make full restitution to the aggrieved employee, including reinstatement and back pay.

Excusal from Jury Service

The jury coordinator has limited authority to excuse a juror permanently. At this time, only an excusal for medical reason is allowed.

If you have a medical condition, which prevents you from serving, a written excuse from your doctor is required. Medical excusals should be attached to the jury questionnaire when you return it to the jury coordinator. Requests may be faxed to the Jury Coordinator at 262-636-3341, or mailed to:

Jury Coordinator
730 Wisconsin Ave
Racine WI 53403

Jurors will receive notification by mail of the status of their request.

Illness or Emergency

If a juror is unable to report for jury duty due to illness or emergency, the juror should call the Jury Coordinator at 262-636-3108 as soon as possible. Please leave the Juror’s name, the nature of the illness or emergency, and a phone number where you can be reached. The Jury Coordinator will return the call either later that day or the following day regarding rescheduling of jury duty.

Inclement Weather

In the case of Inclement Weather, call the Jury Recording at 262-636-3770 for information on the status of scheduled trials and jury service.

The courts seldom close due to weather.

Juror Compensation

Jurors are paid $16 per full day, $8 per half day, and $0.51 per mile round-trip to the courthouse, for each day you are required to report. The amount paid to jurors is established by resolution of the County Board of Supervisors.

Juror Selection

Trial by jury is a cherished constitutional right. No person who is qualified and able to serve may be excluded on the basis of sex, race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, family status, income, age, ancestry, or physical condition.

To be eligible to serve as a juror in Racine County Circuit Court, the following conditions must be met:

  • You must be at least 18 years of age
  • You must be a United States citizen
  • You must understand the English language
  • You must be a Racine County Resident
  • You have not been summoned for jury duty for at least 4 years
  • If you have been convicted of a felony, you must have had your civil rights restored. Your civil rights are automatically restored upon successful completion of your sentence including any probabtion.

A person selected for jury service is selected at random from a master list using the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s list of people with motor vehicle licenses or identification cards who live in Racine County. Jurors are not selected from voter lists.

Parking and Courthouse Location

Whether it is the movie theater, a Packers’ game, or the Courthouse parking is at a premium. To help eliminate some of the parking issues, the Clerk of Circuit Court contracts with the City of Racine to provide limited free parking to Jurors.

Jurors are able to park for free at all 4 or 10 hour parking meters around the courthouse using a Juror Parking Permit. Jurors are also encouraged to park at metered spaces on the top level of the McMynn Public Parking ramp located on the corner of 7th Street and Main Streets.

Jurors should NOT park at any parking spaces marked “RESERVED” or at 2-hour or 30-minute parking meters.

Jurors with Disabled License Plates, Disabled Veteran License Plates, or Disabled Parking Identification Cards are welcome to use them in accordance with their restrictions.

Parking Map

The Racine County Courthouse is located at:

730 Wisconsin Ave
Racine 53403

Postponement or Deferment of Jury Service

If, when you receive your jury summons, you find that the date of your term of service is inconvenient, you may have your jury service deferred to a different date. Contact the jury coordinator in writing or online within 2 weeks of receiving the summons and she will assign you to a term of jury service that is more convenient to your schedule, generally within 2 months. Jurors are allowed only one deferral.

Or look for the Juror Postponement Request Online at www.wicourts.gov.

Written requests may be faxed to the Jury Coordinator at 262-636-3341, or mailed to:

Jury Coordinator
730 Wisconsin Ave
Racine WI 53403

All Jurors who submit a request will receive notification by mail or email of the status of their request.

Reporting for Jury Service

Do I need to appear for Jury Service?

As a juror in Racine County, you are “on call” for your term of service. Racine County uses a juror recording system to inform jurors if it is necessary to actually appear on the dates that appear on the summons. It is your responsibility to call the recorded message starting the Sunday evening before your term begins, and every evening during your term of jury service.

To determine when to report for jury service, you must call the Jury Information line at 262-636-3770 and long distance 800-242-6760 (from 262 area code only) after 6:00 p.m. on the night before each date listed on your summons. You must call after 6 p.m. as the trial schedules often change at the last minute. Listen carefully to the entire recorded message and follow the instructions carefully. The message will tell you whether or not you should report. If required to report you will be summons by your Pool # found on your Juror Summons. Please listen to the entire message carefully.

If required to appear, PLEASE BE ON TIME.

Do I need to appear for Jury Service?

On the first day of service, jurors will report to the Jury Assembly Area located on the 8th floor of the courthouse. From the main floor of the courthouse, use the main elevators to travel up to the 8th floor. Bailiffs or the Main Desk will be available once you exit the elevator to direct you to the Jury Assembly Area. You will check in with a bailiff by giving your pool member number found on your Juror Summons.  PLEASE BE ON TIME!

If you are selected to serve on a jury trial that will last more than one day, the Judge in the trial will provide you with information on where you should report after the first day of the trial.

Special Accommodations

It is the policy of the Racine County Circuit Courts that jury service must be accessible to all qualified individuals. No person will be refused participation solely because the person has a disability or needs an accommodation.

Please inform our bailiffs of your accommodation needs when and if you report for jury service. We will do our best to meet any reasonable accommodation that you may need. Accommodations can include assistive listening devices in the courtroom to providing refrigerator use for special medication.

If you require special accommodations or have a situation that is not addressed, please call the Jury Coordinator as soon as possible at 262-636-3108 to make necessary arrangements.

Term/Length of Jury Service

Under Wisconsin law, jurors are eligible for one week of service, or until the case they are serving on is over. In Racine County, each juror is ‘on-call’ for their week of Jury Service.

If you are selected for a jury panel, you will serve until the case is completed, which may be for more than one week. If you are not selected, you are usually released for that day but may be asked to return on another day. Most trials last between one to two days and the Judge usually adjourns so that you can return each day at a reasonable hour.

What to Wear/Bring/Not to Bring to Court

Court proceedings, and especially Jury Trials, are important and serious matters. The way you dress should reflect this. There are usually no prescribed dress codes, but judges have been known to order people to reappear in appropriate attire.

Dress casual is recommended. Dress comfortably; SHORTS, TANK TOPS, AND HATS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN COURT.  Also, avoid extremes in dress; for instance, ragged cutoff jeans/T-shirts or clothing with inappropriate or offensive writing on them. Dressing in layers is recommended as the temperature in the jury assembly area and the courtroom can vary greatly.

What Should I Bring With Me?

After the orientation there may be a waiting period before a trial begins. Resolving legal disputes can be complex and unpredictable work. Often, cases are settled at the very last minute. These settlements may seem very inconvenient to you, but such settlements usually save time for all trial participants. We suggest that you bring something to read to occupy your time during this wait. The jury assembly area does have free Wi-Fi access available to jurors while they wait.

What Should I Avoid Bringing With Me?

The Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center are secure buildings. When entering these buildings you will be required to pass through security screening. The following items are NOT allowed inside the Law Enforcement Center or the Courthouse:

  • Ammunition
  • Box Cutters
  • Bottle Openers/Cork Screws
  • Drugs (Illegal)
  • Nails (Construction)
  • Guns
  • Razors
  • Chains including Belt Chains
  • Explosives
  • Tools
  • Sharpened Objects
  • Blades or Knives
  • Scrapers
  • Letter Openers
  • Metal Bearings
  • Pepper Spray
  • Hair Picks or Knitting Needles
  • Scissors