Jury Services

To minimize the number of jurors who must appear in person, the telephone standby system (call-in process) is used. This means a juror is instructed to telephone the court to find out whether they will be required to be ready and available to attend court on the next day or a subsequent business day. If, upon calling, a juror's service is canceled by telephone, they have completed jury service for that year and could be summoned in the next calendar year.

Please call (209) 992-5500 or (800) 479-2456 for your reporting instructions, or view reporting instructions by group number.

In addition to checking the court's website or calling the juror phone system for reporting instructions, you can subscribe to receive juror reporting information via text messages from the Court. The Juror Text Notification System is designed to remind you of your upcoming jury service and to advise you of what group numbers are required to report, have been cancelled, and are still on standby. We suggest subscribing as soon as you get your summons, and choosing the Friday before your standby week begins as the date the text messages should start.

Subscribe to receive juror text notifications

The Jury Assembly Room is located on the 12th floor of the Superior Court Stockton Courthouse, 180 E. Weber Ave., Stockton, California. Assembly Room hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, unless otherwise informed by court personnel.

The courthouse is a non-smoking environment. Restrooms are adjacent to the jury assembly room and public wireless internet access is provided at no charge.

Stockton court jurors

Stockton juror parking map (PDF), opens PDF document

As a juror, you may park free only in the designated parking structures for juror parking, but you are not required to do so. The Hunter Street Garage is the primary parking garage and is located at 114 S. Hunter Street, one block south of the courthouse, on the corner of Hunter and Market Street. Overflow parking is available at Stewart Eberhardt Garage (15 N. El Dorado St), Market Street Garage (430 E Market Street; entrance on Sutter). Oversized vehicles should use Lot F (corner of Market and Sutter) or Lot O (Washington and San Joaquin; enter on Washington).

Upon entering, you must take a parking garage ticket. Please bring your parking garage ticket with you to the jury room for validation. San Joaquin County Superior Court and the City of Stockton are not responsible for loss by fire, theft, vandalism, or other causes. Designated handicapped parking spaces are available adjacent to the courthouse.

Frequently asked questions about jury service

Dress code: Proper dress attire is required. No shorts or tank tops are allowed. No bare midriffs. T-shirts with inappropriate messages or images cannot be worn in the courtrooms.

Courthouse security: When you enter the courthouse, you will go through a metal detector. Your handbag, briefcase, backpack, etc., will be x-rayed. Any item that Security deems as hazardous, or as a weapon, will not be permitted into the building. You may be asked to leave the courthouse and return without the items, or they will be confiscated. Below is a partial list of banned items:

• Illegal drugs
• Alcohol
• Air guns, pistols, rifles, any firearm (including toy replicas)
• Knives (any size)
• Mace, pepper spray, chemical defense spray or dog spray
• Tools
• Nails, large screws, assorted building materials
• Scissors
• Metal nail files
• Any weapon (swords, brass knuckles, stars, batons, etc.)
• Laser pointers
• Handcuffs, thumb cuffs, cutting restraints
• Handcuff keys (unless person is law enforcement)
• Skateboards (will be held at the x-ray machine)
• Pointed metal spikes on clothing or jewelry over 1/2" in length
• Explosives, fireworks, or ammunition (including dummy ammo)
• Tasers, stun guns or electrical defense weapons
• Felt markers
• Paint or spray paint
• Flammable liquids, starting fluid, fix a flat, etc.
• Knitting needles (metal or wood)
• Silverware (forks, butter knives, etc.)

San Joaquin Superior Court operates under the "one day, one trial" system. "One day" means a day on which the juror attended court but was not placed on a jury or assigned to a trial department before the end of that day. If you are excused at the end of the day, your service is completed and you are exempt from further service for the remainder of that year and the entire following calendar year.

"One trial" means a trial from the time the juror is assigned to the trial department for the selection of the jury until the juror is excused, regardless of the length of the trial or jury selection. If you are selected as a juror, or excused by the judge or lawyers during the proceedings, your service is completed and you are exempt from further service for the remainder of that year and the entire following calendar year.

If you are requesting disqualification, exemption, excuse from or postponement of your jury service, please complete and return the juror information form to the Jury Commissioner within five (5) days of receipt of summons. Your signature is required.

If you are not available on the date scheduled, you may request one postponement of your service. Select a week within the next 90 days and enter it onto the postponement section of the juror information form and return it to the court. Students may request postponement of jury service to the next school break or to a day when they may not have classes. Jury services staff do not have the authority to excuse you simply because your employer does not compensate you for jury service but this may be considered by the judge. Hardship on your employer or because you are the sole proprietor of a business does not excuse you from jury duty. You may, however, request that your service be postponed to a more convenient time for these reasons.

Short-term and long-term postponements can be requested using the Court's online services.

Employers are not required by law to pay their employees regular salary when on jury duty. It is advisable to check with your employer as to your company's policy.

First day jurors are to report directly to the Jury Assembly Room with their completed juror information form to await instructions and assignments to courtrooms. Jurors are assigned at random to various courtrooms throughout the day. Please listen carefully when we announce assignments. Once in the courtroom, the judge will advise you of the particulars of the case, including whether it is a civil or criminal case and how long the trial is estimated to last. Shorts and tank tops are not allowed in the courtroom.

Once you have been dismissed from a courtroom, and have been instructed to return to the Jury Assembly Room, you must check in and advise the jury staff that you have been released by the courtroom, and they will provide further instructions and supply you with a certification of jury service if needed for your employer.

Jurors have at least an hour for lunch. There are several eating establishments within easy walking distance and jurors may also bring their lunches. Breaks are announced throughout the day. There is a coffee shop located on the first floor of the courthouse. Additionally, several vending machines are located in the Jury Room on the 12th floor.

All persons serving more than one day are paid fees and mileage reimbursement beginning on the second day of service. Jurors receiving compensation will be paid $15.00 per day and 34 cents per mile, one-way. Mileage reimbursement is automatically calculated from the zip code you live in to the zip code of the courthouse.

If you've already attended jury service, you may log in to the portal and print a PDF of your certificate of completion:

JuryWeb Portal