Jury Information — Call: (877) 375-9068
The jury has a vital and important function in the court process and you are needed to help fulfill this role. Serving on a jury could be the most important duty that you can perform for your Tribe.
What does the Tribal Code say about jury duty?
3.9303 QUALIFICATION OF JURORS. All member of the Tribe having the qualifications of electors and being of sound mind, and who are able to read, write, and understand the English language, and who are not judges or Clerks of any Court or licensed attorneys engaged in practice, or police officers or jailers, or minister, or members of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council, who are not subject to any bodily infirmity amounting to disability by the commission of any offense which does or shall disqualify them, are and shall be competent persons to serve on juries within the Tribal jurisdiction.
3.1001 BASIS FOR CONTEMPT. A judge may punish for contempt persons guilty of the following acts: (a-e are not applicable to this situation) (f) failure to appear for jury duty when properly notified.
3.1004 PUNISHMENT. A Judge may punish for contempt by fine or imprisonment or both. Such fine shall not exceed five hundred dollars and such imprisonment shall not exceed ninety days, plus court costs.
What to expect and what to do if you are selected for jury duty:
- Call the hotline as instructed, it will provide you with dates and times when you may be required to appear
- Appear at the assigned time and dress appropriately for a courtroom setting
- Do not bring your children as they are not allowed in the courtroom and there is no one available to supervise them
- Leave your purse, cell phone, palm pilot etc. in your vehicle, you cannot take them into the courtroom
- Depending on the case, you may have to walk through an electronic detection device
- As you arrive, you will be required to sign in and you will receive a name tag
- You will also have the opportunity to fill out a travel statement so we can reimburse you for your mileage to the Court
- The Tribe graciously provides you with a continental type breakfast prior to jury selection
- The Court Recorder will instruct you when to report to the courtroom to start jury selection
- During jury selection, the Court recorder will draw random potential jurors from a box and call out their name or number
- That person then proceeds to the juror box where they will be questioned by the attorneys or individuals in the case
- A determination is then made as to whether that person will serve as a juror
- The judge will provide you with detailed jury instructions if you are selected as a juror
- If the trial continues overnight, we will provide accommodations for you and the other jurors
- If you are dismissed, you are free to leave, but should plan to call the jury hotline for your next appearance date
- At the conclusion of the trial, the jury members will be given instructions and sent to the Jury Room to decide the case
- Once the jury reaches a verdict and the case is concluded, jurors will be allowed to leave; they should plan to contact the jury hotline for their next appearance date