Jury service is a privilege and your civic responsibility. The Court understands the hardships and the inconvenience jury duty may cause some people, but your cooperation and understanding is needed in order for the Court to perform its duties.

Jurors should arrive promptly and appropriately dressed, i.e., no hats to be worn in the courtroom. Jurors are required to give their undivided attention; i.e., no cell phones turned on or must be on silent.

Prospective jurors are randomly selected from a master list that is compiled from Voter’s Registration and the Department of Motor Vehicles who are licensed drivers for Ohio County.

There are three terms of the Court of Ohio County—January, May, and September. The grand jury meets during those terms on the 2nd Monday of the month. The petit jury starts the same day as the grand jury and continues up to the Saturday before the grand jury of the next term.

Jurors are required to complete a juror questionnaire and return it to the Court within 10 days.

If your address differs from your mailing address, please update it at the top right of the form. Make sure your jury questionnaire, Voter’s Registration Card and your driver’s license information all match, or your name could be in the master list for juror selection more than once because it is not an exact duplicate.

If your name has changed (marriage or divorce), please update on juror questionnaire. Make sure the juror questionnaire, Voter’s Registration card and driver’s license information all match.

If a non-resident of Ohio County, update your address on the top right and mark question # 2 as you do not live in Ohio County. (This does not mean away at college as your mailing address and driver’s license are still your home address.)

If away at college, please complete the juror questionnaire, note on the back “away at college full time,” and provide proof of enrollment, including listing of classes, dates and times and return with the questionnaire.

If sickness/illness prohibits you from serving, please have your doctor write a letter and return with completed questionnaire. Your doctor may also fax it to the Circuit Clerk’s office at (304) 232-0550. Note on back of questionnaire not able to serve and question no 6 on the front of juror questionnaire.

Juror Call System

The Ohio County Circuit Clerk’s Office has implemented a new, automated program to notify jurors about their juror service. This system has the ability to call, text, and/or email jurors about their service in Circuit or Magistrate Court.

When you receive your initial juror qualification questionnaire and summons from this Office, please fill in the contact information completely, including all contact phone numbers and email. To ensure inclusion in this system, the requested information must be legible.

This Office can program the new system to call your cellular or home phone and leave a message, text your cell number and email you. We will use all the options of calling, texting and email to notify you of the Court’s trial schedule.

This is a convenient and safe way to immediately notify you if a trial has been cancelled, there’s a time change, a courtroom change, bad weather, or even if COVID has changed the Court’s schedule.

This system is managed by Software Computer Group, Inc., a West Virginia based company that has worked with case management and court systems for 30 plus years. For more information about this system you may visit www.JurorCalling.com.

Additional Resources

Click here to access a  Handbook for Trial Jurors, prepared by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

Frequently Asked Questions for Potential Jurors prepared by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals

Appropriate Attire for Jurors:

MEN: sport shirts, sweaters and pants or jeans. No hats to be worn in the courtroom.
WOMEN: blouses, sweaters, pants or jeans, skirts and dresses. No hats to be worn in the courtroom.
NOT APPROPRIATE: shorts, halters, tank tops, t-shirts with inappropriate language or images, or jeans with exaggerated tears
REIMBURSEMENT FOR JURY SERVICE: The rate set by the West Virginia Supreme Court is $40.00/day plus mileage to and from home. This rate is the same for Grand Jurors as well as Petit Jurors.
Grand Jurors: Reimbursement checks are issued and mailed within the week of service.
Petit Jurors: Reimbursement checks are mailed by the 5th of each month for all service in the previous month.