Petit Jury Duty
If you are summoned for petit jury, you will receive notification of the specific date and time you are to appear. Trials generally last one to two days in duration. The work day for jurors is generally from 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with an hour for lunch around noon time. There will also be periodic breaks during the day to permit you to relax a bit and also to allow the Court to consider matters of a technical nature with the attorneys or to deal with other court business.

When you receive your initial summons to appear for a specific date and time, you will also receive a juror questionnaire. The questionnaire is to be completed and sent back to the Court in the envelope provided within ten days.

Requests for excuse or deferral of your jury service are handled on a case by case basis. To learn more about deferral or excuse from jury service, please see "Request for Excuse/Deferral".

While jury duty may require some adjustments to your normal schedule, we make it convenient for you to check on your jury status online or through a recorded message service. Please call (419) 675-4282 up to and including the night before you are ordered to appear for jury service, or you may check your jury status online near the top of this page.

Upon completion of your jury service at a trial, you will receive a fee for your services as is prescribed by state law which will be mailed to you. Some employers require proof of jury service from employees who are absent from work, and such certificates of service will be issued upon completion of your service. Your service is complete only when you are discharged by the Judge.

If you have any questions regarding your petit jury service, please call (419) 674-2256.

Grand Jury Duty

If you are summoned for grand jury, you will receive notification of the specific date and time you are to appear. After your initial appearance, the grand jury serves at the call of the Hardin County Prosecuting Attorney and therefore he will determine when you will be called again. The Prosecuting Attorney will also determine how much time you will spend at any one grand jury session.

When you receive your initial summons to appear, you will also receive a juror questionnaire. The questionnaire is to be completed and sent back to the Court in the envelope provided within ten days.

Requests for excuse or deferral of your jury service are handled on a case by case basis. To learn more about deferral or excuse from jury service, please see "Request for Excuse/Deferral".

Upon completion of your jury service at grand jury, you will receive a fee for your services as is prescribed by state law which will be mailed to you. Some employers require proof of jury service from employees who are absent from work, and such certificates of service will be issued upon completion of your service. Your service is complete only when you are discharged by the Judge.

If you have any questions regarding your grand jury service, please call (419) 674-2256.

Deferral of your jury service, or postponing jury service, is preferred to excusing a prospective juror. Inconvenience to a prospective juror or employer is not an adequate reason to be excused from jury duty. In many cases, your request to be excused may be denied and your term of service will be deferred to a later date.

A juror may be excused only if he or she presents a valid reason in writing to the Court. If the juror is unable to sign the written request for an excusal, another with knowledge of the facts may do so. Said request must be forwarded to Hardin County Common Pleas Court, One Courthouse Square, Suite 370, Kenton, Ohio 43326. Reasons must come within the following categories and should be as specific as possible.

1. The interests of the public will be materially injured by your attendance.
   
2. Your spouse or a near relative has recently died or is dangerously ill.
   
3. You are a cloistered member of a religious organization.
   
4. You have a mental or physical condition that causes you to be incapable of performing jury service. Written documentation from a physician licensed to practice medicine required.
   
5. Jury service would otherwise cause undue or extreme physical or financial hardship to you or a person under the care or supervision of you.
   
6. You are over seventy-five years of age and request to be excused.
   
7. You are an active member of a recognized Amish sect and request to be excused because of the sincere belief that as a result of that membership you cannot pass judgment in a judicial manner.

Please do not request to be excused for reasons other than those indicated above. The Court to be fair to all citizens whose names have been called, cannot excuse you. Please do not call the Court officials to secure an exemption. The request must be in writing. If you are excused, you will be notified accordingly. If you are not notified, you must appear as summoned. The Court would also remind you that failure to appear when called can result in serious personal penalty.