Qualifications to Serve as Juror
To be eligible to serve as a juror in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, the following conditions must be met.
- You must be a United States citizen
- You must be a Milwaukee County resident
- You must be at least 18 years of age
- You have not been summoned for jury duty for at least 4 years
- You must understand the English language
- If you have been convicted of a felony, your civil rights must be restored
How Are Jurors Selected?
In Milwaukee County, jurors are randomly selected from the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles driver’s license and identification lists. It is important to keep your address with the Division of Motor Vehicles current to ensure that a juror questionnaire and summons reach you. Jurors names are not selected from voter lists at this time.
Juror Pay
You will be paid a juror fee of $8 for each morning (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) and $8 for each afternoon (from 12:30 p.m. on), plus a travel allowance of $9 per day that you are present for jury service. Your check will be mailed to your home within 30 days from the end of your jury duty. No deductions are made from your check for any purpose, and we do not furnish a W-2 form at the end of the year.
Half-day Pay = $17 (Released before 12:30 p.m.or reporting after 12:30 p.m.)
Full-day Pay = $25
Employment Issues and Verification
If you had an address change since you were summoned, inform the receptionist immediately. The jury paychecks expire 60 days after they are printed. Cash them promptly because the County Treasurer’s office charges $15 to re-issue a check that has expired.
As soon as a juror receives a summons for jury duty, he or she should inform the employer of the possibility of being selected and the need to be absent from work if selected to serve on jury duty. Employers are required to grant an employee a leave of absence for jury service per Wisconsin Statute 756.255.
At the completion of jury service, the Jury Coordinator will mail or personally provide to any juror who requests it, a signed verification of jury service that identifies the date(s) of jury service and whether the service was for a full or half day. We do not mail letters directly to your employer.
State law currently does not require employers to continue paying the salary of employees who are absent because of jury service. Many employers, however, including state, federal and many local governmental agencies, have a policy of compensating employees for at least part, if not all of the time spent in jury service. Employers and businesses are encouraged to support the jury system by paying employees while they are serving as jurors. If employers do pay their employees during jury service, they have the right to require employees to remit the per diem (excluding mileage) they received for jury service.
An employer shall grant an employee a leave of absence without loss of time in service for the period of jury service. For the purpose of determining seniority or pay advancement, the status of the employee shall be considered uninterrupted by the jury service. No employer may use absence due to jury service as a basis for discharging an employee or for taking any disciplinary action against an employee.
An employer who discharges or disciplines an employee may be fined not more than $200 and may be required to make full restitution to the aggrieved employee, including reinstatement and back pay.