Jury Service
ALERT TO THE PUBLIC
The Tehama County Superior Court Jury Service staff will NEVER request personal information such as a Social Security Number, credit card number, or any other sensitive information over the phone. Please do not give out any such information to anyone who claims to be with the courts. If you are contacted by an individual representing themselves as a court employee and asking for this type of information, get the person's name and phone number and tell them you will call them back. Do not provide any of your personal information. Hang up and immediately call the jury office at (530) 527-3946.
Jury Service Information
The Jury Service Office is located in the Tehama County Courthouse at 1740 Walnut Street, in Red Bluff. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you reach our voice mail system, you may leave a message including you name, juror number and phone number.
Your jury summons instructs you to call the recorded message after 5:00 p.m. the evening before your appearance to verify that the trial is still on calendar.
Jury Status
After 5:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled appearance, please call (530) 527-3946 to confirm if you are required at the court.
Appearance Information
- Jury Service FAQ's
- Grand Jury
- Grand Jury (Tehama County)
Instructions
The Jury Service Office is located in the Tehama County Courthouse at 1740 Walnut Street, in Red Bluff. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If you reach our voice mail system, you may leave a message including you name, juror number and phone number.If you have a temporary or permanent medical excuse, please fax it to the Jury Office at (530) 527-0984. To avoid a failure to appear, all medical excuses must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act. All courtrooms are wheelchair accessible. Please contact the Jury Office at (530) 527-3946 for more information.
Your jury summons instructs you to call the recorded message after 5:00 p.m. the evening before your appearance to verify that the trial is still on calendar.
Who Is Eligible to Serve as a Juror?
You are eligible to serve as a juror if you are 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a resident of the county or district where summoned. You must be able to understand English, and be physically and mentally capable of serving. In addition, you must not have served as any kind of juror in the past 12 months, must not be currently incarcerated in any prison or jail, and must not have been convicted of a malfeasance in office for which your civil rights have not been restored. Effective 1/1/2020, if you have been convicted of a felony, you are eligible to serve as a juror if you are not:
On parole, postrelease community supervision, felony probation, or mandated supervision for the conviction of a felony; or,
Required to register as a sex offender pursuant to Penal Code Section 290.
Disqualifications From Jury Service
Valid reasons for a person to be disqualified are:
- Persons who are not citizens of the United States
- Persons who do not understand the English language
- Persons who are less than 18 years of age
- Persons who are not residents of the County of Tehama
- Persons who have been convicted of a felony, or malfeasance of office, and their rights have not been restored
- Now serving as a Grand Juror or have served as a trial juror within the last two years
- Persons who are the subject of a conservatorship
- Persons while they are incarcerated in any prison or jail
- Persons who have been convicted of a felony and are currently on parole, postrelease community supervision, felony probation, or mandated supervision for the conviction of a felony, and
- Persons who are currently required to register as a sex offender based on a felony conviction.
If you receive a summons and are requesting disqualification, mark on your summons all the reasons that apply, sign and date the bottom of the form and return it to the Jury Office no later than five (5) days from receipt of the summons.
Request for Excuse
To be excused from Jury Service, you must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Persons that have a physical or mental impairment and jury duty would expose them to undue risk of mental or physical harm may be excused, but they must provide doctor's letter stating that an impairment exists.
- A verifiable full-time obligation to care for a sick or aged dependent. (Doctor's letter must be included.)
- Peace officer, as defined in Penal Code Sections 830.1 (a), 830.2 (b) (c), does not include correctional officers.
- On active duty with the US Military.
- Nursing mother.
If you receive a summons and need to be excused from Jury Service, mark the appropriate box on the Jury Summons, sign and date the bottom of the form and return it to the Jury Office no later than five (5) days from receipt of the summons.
Terms of Service
In Tehama County, if you have appeared for a trial, whether you are chosen as a juror or not, then you are excused from Jury Duty for two years. If you receive a summons and the trial is cancelled, then your name is returned to the jury pool, and you are still eligible to be called as a Juror.
Proof of Service / Work Certifications
The Jury Office will provide proof of completion of service for the juror's employer. These forms can be provided daily, weekly, or at the end of a juror's service. Please contact the Jury Office at 1740 Walnut Street or at 530-527-3946. These forms can be faxed to the employer if requested.
Juror Payment
Effective July 1, 2000, jurors are paid a daily fee of $15.00 per day beginning on the second day of service. Payment shall continue for each day or part of a day a juror serves until released by the judge. Jurors shall also be paid mileage one-way at the rate of .34 cents per mile from the court location to the prospective jurors' place of residence for every day they perform jury duty. The State Legislature sets, by statue, the minimum amounts jurors are to be paid.
Jurors serving on a trial are paid upon completion of the trial. Generally, jurors should receive payment within two to four weeks of completion of service.
Information for Employers
Labor Code Section 230 (a) states: "An employer may not discharge or in any manner discriminate against an employee for taking time off to serve as required by law on an inquest, jury or trial jury, if the employee, prior to taking the time off, gives reasonable notice to the employer that he or she is required to serve."
By law, jury summons are required to be mailed ten days in advance of a juror's beginning date. Please notify your employer you have been summoned to perform jury duty as soon as you receive your summons.
For those employers who have questions or concerns about their role in jury duty, an employee brochure is available in the Jury Office. Any employers with further questions are encouraged to contact the Jury Office at 530-527-3946.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Please first read the summons. The address, the date, your group number and the time that you are to report for jury duty will be written on the summons. Also, please note the location. Tehama County Superior Court has four different locations where you might be summoned to serve.
Yes, it is an obligation of citizenship.
We receive names annually from the Tehama County Voter Registration list and the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Yes, but NOT on the day of appearance. All requests for postponement must be submitted no later than five (5) days from receipt of the summons. If you have health problems, a paid vacation or other personal commitments at the time you are initially called, you may request a one-time postponement. Generally, the jury commissioner can grant you a 30, 60 or 90-day deferment, but you are limited to two deferments. No phone requests for postponement can be granted.
A juror must provide a physician's verification note on a prescription pad or letterhead signed by a doctor. The note must state that the juror cannot serve on jury duty for medical reasons and should indicate the duration of the illness or problem. If the condition is permanent or long term, the physician must also include that information in the statement.
Mail the post card from your summons (Part II) with the reason for the request for postponement. If your postponement is not granted, you will be called and so notified.
Please note: The summons is a tri-fold form and has three parts. It needs to be fully opened to see all the information. Please read all the information completely.
If you request a postponement of your service and it is granted, you will not be called and you will be resummoned for jury service at a later date. If your request is not granted, you will be called and so notified.
You may be called to serve if you are at least 18 years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of the county. You must be able to understand English, be physically and mentally capable of serving, and have no felony convictions. You will be excused from jury service if you have proof that you already were called as a juror during the past 24 months.
The first day is unpaid. If you are summoned for more than one day, you are paid for each day of service or part of a day that you serve after the first day. The State Legislature sets the minimum amount paid. After the first day of service, the Court will reimburse for one-way mileage costs.
Business or casual attire is suggested. Shorts, tank tops, bare midriffs, beach shoes, or similar dress are not appropriate for the courtroom. Jurors are advised to dress in layers as the temperature of the courtrooms can be unpredictable.
In most cases, trials last from 1 to 3 days.
No. Please see the section Information for Employers.
There is no law that compels your employer to pay.
No. Please make other arrangements for your children's care. Please do not bring children to court.
In Tehama County, a person who is summoned and appears for a trial is exempt from further jury service for 24 months. If you call in and your jury service is cancelled (the trial goes off), then you may be recalled sooner than 24 months.
Contact the jury commissioner's office as soon as you know that you are going to be late. If you do not have a good excuse, the judge may fine you for being late.
Please contact the jury office immediately. If you fail to appear in Court as summoned, the Court may order and issue a warrant for your arrest. If you are found in contempt, you may be punished by jail and/or a fine.
Contact your jury office and let them know what type of assistance you will need. If they cannot reasonably accommodate you, you may be excused from jury service. Please contact the jury office as soon as you receive your summons if you require special accommodations.
You should plan on being present from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. In some cases, you may be summoned to appear beginning in the afternoon. The lunch break for jurors is typically from 12 noon to 1:30 PM with brief recesses throughout the day.
For Red Bluff locations, parking is limited. Early arrival is suggested. See parking information and driving directions.