5th Judicial Circuit Court
of Andrew & Buchanan County, Missouri USA

Jury Administration

Juror Selection

In Buchanan County, residents who are summoned for jury duty are randomly selected from drivers license and voter registration lists. A resident should receive a jury summons no more often than once every 12 months. Anyone who is summoned more than once in a 12-month period should contact Jury Administration and ask to be excused.

Not everyone who is summoned for jury service is eligible for jury service. State law requires that jurors:

• are at least 21 years old
• are United States citizens
• are residents of the county that issues the summons
• have not been convicted of a felony, unless his/her civil rights have been restored
• are able to read, write and understand English
• are not active members of the armed forces
• are not a Judge of a court of record
• are mentally and physically capable of performing the role of juror

In addition, State law provides that the following citizens may be excused from jury service:

• any person who has served on a state or federal jury or grand jury within the previous 24 months
• any person upon whom jury service would, in the judgment of the court, impose an extreme hardship.

The night before reporting to jury service, jurors call (816) 271-1445 or (816) 271-1552 for a recorded message as to whether they need to report for jury service. This will be announced by sequence number.

Juror Pay

The State Legislature has established pay for jurors in Buchanan County as $6.00 a day to report and $25.00 a day for sworn jurors plus $0.26 a mile for travel reimbursement. Mileage is calculated from the farthest part of the juror’s zip code.

If possible, jurors are paid at the conclusion of their service. However, sometimes circumstances require the jurors’ checks to be mailed. For that reason, jurors are asked to verify that their name and address is correct on their summons. Jurors should notify Jury Room staff if address corrections are required.

Dress Code

Jurors act as “officers of the court,” and so are asked to wear clothing that is appropriate for the seriousness of the task at hand. Jurors should not wear shorts, halter tops, tank tops, and other such informal clothing.

Emergencies

If someone needs to contact you in case of an emergency, they may call the Jury Administrator at 271-1552 or the division in which you are serving.