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Illinois - Jury Duty Laws, Jury Selection, Juror Qualification

Jury Duty in Illinois - What to Expect

In the American court system, criminal defendants are guaranteed the right to trial by a "jury of their peers". In Illinois, a pool of potential jurors is randomly selected from the local population of individuals eligible for jury duty.

Prospective jurors in the state of Illinois must be:

How Are Potential Jurors Chosen in Illinois?

The first stage in jury selection is summoning a pool of potential jurors from the list of local citizens eligible to serve on a jury in Illinois, as described above.

The jury lists are comprised in September, in each year, or at any time thereafter, as necessary, holders of valid driver's licenses, Illinois Identification Cards, or Illinois Person with a Disability Identification Cards, and the claimants for unemployment insurance, and ordered alphabetically and by county.

The jury list shall be made by choosing every tenth name, or other whole number rate necessary, with duplicate names avoided to the extent possible.

Summoned jurors are drawn manually by a blindfolded county clerk, from a well shaken box containing the names; or randomly drawn by a computer.

Receiving a Jury Duty Summons in Illinois

While there are a few excuses for getting out of jury selection in IL, most people summoned will have to report to the courthouse for the next stage of the juror selection process, voir dire.



You will receive nominal Illinois jury duty pay for the jury selection day, as well as for any days served on a jury. Once your service is complete, you won't be summoned for jury duty again until Illinois re-adds you to the potential juror pool. Jurors reporting for jury duty or jury selection in the state of Illinois are expected to dress professionally, in a manner appropriate for a court room.

While jury duty is a civic requirement for all eligible citizens in Illinois, the state restricts how often you can be summoned for jury duty in order to ensure a fresh jury pool and prevent undue hardship by being summoned too frequently.

Illinois Jury Duty Summons Frequency:

Persons having completed jury service are not required to serve again for a period of 12 months from the date last served.

While there are a number of ways to be legally excused from jury duty in Illinois, failing to appear when summoned for jury selection or jury duty without an excuse is illegal, and can result in legal repercussions.

Juror in default or failing to attend a summons without reasonable excuse shall be found in contempt of court and fined not less than $5 and no more than $100.

Employers in Illinois are also forbidden from penalizing employees who miss work for jury duty.


705 Ill. Comp. Stat. § 310/10.1