Jury Commission

The Jury Commission has free Wi-Fi Access!


The Jury Commission is located on the third floor of the Judicial Center in Room 342. The juror summoning process in Illinois is established to ensure a fair cross-section of the community has the opportunity to serve on a jury, which is a fundamental aspect of the American judicial system.
Potential jurors are selected from various source lists, the most common of which are voter registration lists. However, other sources like driver’s license databases, state ID cardholders, and employment databases are used to compile a comprehensive list of potential jurors. From these source lists, individuals are randomly selected to receive a juror summons. This random selection is crucial to ensure the jury pool is a representative cross-section of the community. In McHenry, the 22nd Judicial Circuit uses a “two step” process to qualify jurors. From the source list, individuals will be selected and a qualifying affidavit will be sent. This affidavit will ask basic questions such as whether or not you live in McHenry County and whether or not you can serve as a juror. From the qualifying questionnaires, a final source list is developed of qualified jurors. It is from this list that potential jurors are selected and summoned for jury service.
If you are selected, you will receive a summons in the mail. This summons will inform you of:

  • The date and time you are to report for jury duty.
  • The location of the courthouse.
  • Instructions on what to do or bring.
  • Information on how to request a deferral or exemption, if applicable.
 
 Upon receiving the summons, jurors should report to the Jury
Commission at the appropriate date and time to fulfill their service
obligation. Once potential jurors report to the courthouse, they may be
randomly drawn to serve on a Jury. The actual jury selection (or “voir
dire”) process begins when jurors are sent to the courtroom. During this
process, attorneys and the judge will ask potential jurors questions to
determine if they can serve impartially in the specific case at hand. Those who
are not selected to serve on the jury are dismissed and return to the Jury
Commission.

Illinois law protects jurors from employment retaliation.
Employers cannot fire, intimidate, or coerce employees because of their jury
service.