Jury Service

According to the Office of the Jury Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “Serving on a jury is an important civic duty. Find out who is eligible for jury duty, how to respond to your summons, and what to expect when you serve. You’ll also learn how to prove your jury service and what happens if you miss your date. To confirm if you’ll be needed for jury duty, call the Juror Line listed on your Reminder Notice after 3 p.m. or log in to the Massachusetts Juror Service Website after 4 p.m. on the day before you’re scheduled to serve.”

You can watch a video and learn more about jury service in Massachusetts.

As a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (which a student is when they go to school here), may be called for jury duty. It is not unusual for students residing in Suffolk County to be summoned to serve as trial jurors. Jury service, on a short-term basis, can provide students with a good opportunity to fulfill one of their important responsibilities as members of the community. Boston University supports students in their fulfillment of this civic duty.

Students should carefully read all materials they receive with their summons to service, as these contain helpful information about confirming, postponing, rescheduling, or relocating service, and address many of the most frequently asked questions. Students who must miss class in order to fulfill their jury service requirement should notify each of their instructors of the summons and make arrangements to complete any missed work.

Staff at the dean’s office of your school or college may also be able to assist you in making arrangements for missed class time due to jury service. Students may be required to furnish their summons notice or the certificate of service when making these arrangements.

If you have any questions about jury duty, including confirming, postponing, rescheduling, or limiting your service, please contact the Office of the Jury Commissioner at 1-800-THE-JURY (1-800-843-5879). If you are concerned about the time commitment interfering with classes, you may call the Office of the Jury Commissioner (the out of town number for which is 617-422-5860.)