News

The Wisconsin court system has produced a new video to help prospective jurors better understand the crucial role jurors play in our system of justice and what to expect if they are selected to serve on a jury. Each year, about 65,000 people are summoned to courthouses in counties statewide to be available for jury service. Just a fraction of that number ends up on a jury, but everyone who reports makes it possible for our justice system to work properly, said Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack.

"Juries are a cornerstone of our democracy and as a juror you play a direct role in ensuring our justice system works as intended under both the Wisconsin and United States Constitutions,” Roggensack tells viewers  in an introduction to the video. “We appreciate your contribution and the support you may have received from family, friends, and employers to enable you to be here today."

The new video replaces a juror orientation video produced in 2004 and is being distributed to clerks of circuit court throughout the state. The video is also posted on the court system’s website. Seven Wisconsin circuit court judges from four counties also appear in the video, each explaining a part of the process involved in a jury trial.

In order to make serving on a jury more convenient, many Wisconsin circuit courts provide jurors with several online services.

Additional information for jurors and about jury trials is available here. If there is any question about the authenticity of a communication about jury duty, contact the applicable clerk of circuit court office. The court system does not ask for your personal financial information in regard to your jury service.