5th Judicial District
Idaho Supreme Court Handbook for Jurors
Pursuant to Idaho Code section 2-206, the Jury Commission compiles a Master Jury List every 2 years by merging the Voter’s Registration List and the Driver’s License List.
A prospective juror is DISQUALIFIED to serve on a jury if he/she:
- is not a citizen of the United States, 18 years old, or a resident of the county;
- is unable to read, speak, and understand the English language;
- has lost the right to vote because of a criminal conviction; or
- is incapable, by reason of physical or mental disability of rendering satisfactory jury service and submits a physician’s certificate as to the disability.
There are no automatic excuses or exemptions from jury service in Idaho. Idaho law provides that a person may be excused from jury service only upon a showing of undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity and then only for a limited period of time after which the person must report for jury service in accordance with the court’s direction.
Upon request, qualified jurors may be excused if they have served as a juror within the past 2 years or if they are 70 years of age or older.
Upon written request and a showing of good cause, qualified jurors may postpone their term of service to another term.
Prospective jurors are questioned by the judge and the attorneys to determine whether the prospective juror has any information concerning the case or opinions or attitudes which may cause the juror to favor or disfavor some part of the evidence or a party in the case.
Selected jurors have the duty to listen to the judge, the witnesses, and the lawyers; to deliberate calmly and fairly; and to decide intelligently and justly, based on the evidence presented in court.
The following policies are set by individual counties:
In Twin Falls County, the term of service is 1 calendar month. Each month a number of jurors is selected at random by the computer from the Master Jury List and a Juror Summons/Qualification Form is mailed to each person. Qualified jurors call an answering machine each weekend during their term of service and the night before any scheduled date to appear to determine when and if they should report for jury duty.
Upon arriving at the Theron Ward Judicial Building, 427 Shoshone Street N, jurors are checked in and directed to the courtroom assigned. The jurors are then given an orientation that includes watching a video produced by the Idaho supreme court explaining the jury selection process and their job as jurors.
Jurors in Twin Falls can be District Court jurors (12 person jury) or Magistrate Court jurors (6 person jury) and most jurors serve between one and three times per month. If you have any questions, regarding jury duty please feel free to contact the Twin Falls County Jury Commissioner at (208) 736-0048.