Jury selection is the procedure whereby persons from the community are called to court, questioned by the litigants as to their qualifications to serve as a juror and then either selected to or rejected to serve as a juror. The following persons are qualified to serve on all grand and petit juries in their respective counties:
- All citizens of the United States;
- Residents in any of the counties of Nebraska;
- who are over the age of nineteen years;
- Who are able to read, speak, and understand the English language, and
A person shall be excused from jury service upon finding that jury service would entail undue hardship for the person, a dependent of the person, or the public served by the person[i].
In each of the counties of Nebraska, a district court is appointed or directed to be held, the lists of grand and petit jurors. Later, jurors are selected for jury duty in the manner prescribed by laws.[ii]
After a proposed jury list has been selected, the jury commissioner may require that each person listed on the proposed jury list be served with a summons, issued by the jury commissioner, to appear before the court at a time and place certain for jury duty. The jury qualification questionnaire may be sent together with the summons in a single mailing to a prospective juror. The summons may be served upon each juror by first-class, certified, or registered mail, or by personal service by a jury commissioner, the clerk, or other person authorized by the court. After the initial appearance of the juror, h/she shall appear for jury service in any court of the county as directed by the judge of any court during the term of jury service of the juror.
No person shall be guilty of contempt of court for failing to respond to a summons sent by first-class mail.[iii]
[i] R.R.S. Neb. § 25-1636
[ii] R.R.S. Neb. § 25-1603
[iii] R.R.S. Neb. § 25-1629.04
