Jury Management Division
Kent County Courthouse
Suite 1100
180 Ottawa NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Jury Information Line: 616-632-6533
Jury Office Fax: (616) 632-5064
Jury Duty Lookup | Jury Duty FAQ | Attire | Parking & Directions | Hardships
Jury Management Division qualifies perspective jurors, issues summons and conducts juror orientation for each of the terms. At the orientation process, the jury clerk addresses all aspects of the jury service system. Such services include attendance and payroll issues, issuance of show cause orders, handling request for deferral or excusal and placement of jurors in the appropriate courtrooms as jury pools during voir dire. The staff does a superb job in making the jury assembly room as accommodating to the jurors as possible.
PLEASE NOTE: If you receive a call from anyone claiming to be from the jury office, although they may ask for verification of your current address, please note that no one from the jury office or court will ever call you to ask for social security numbers or credit card numbers.
Never give out your Social Security number, credit card number(s) or other personal, confidential information to anyone if you receive a telephone call regarding jury service.
In January, 2002 Jury Duty was switched to a one-week or one-trial term of service. This term of service has lessened the inconvenience on the prospective jurors and increased the number of participants from the community.
The one-week/one-trial system uses approximately 14,000 jurors per year, increasing the community participation, and eliminating the need to reschedule for a variety of reasons.
A one-week/one-trial term of service means that:
- Jurors will be summoned to be on call for no more than a week, if not selected for a trial. If selected to sit on a trial the jurors will serve for that trial only, and then be dismissed from further service.
- If a juror is called to jury service, he/she is only expected to be available for jury selection Monday thru Thursday of the week the juror is called. If on Monday the juror is selected to sit on a trial that lasts two days, the jury service would be complete at the end of deliberation for that trial. If the juror is selected to sit on a trial that is expected to last two weeks then he/she would serve until completion of deliberation of that trial.
- If the juror is never selected for a panel during the course of the week then his/her jury service is complete on Thursday. A new panel would then begin the following Monday.
- A juror will not be expected to come to the Courthouse all week long. A "call in" process will be used to notify jurors when to report.
- The granting of excuse from jury service will be reduced. Because the inconvenience on the general public has been dramatically lessened by this new term, it seems logical that requests for financial hardship, personal hardship and employer hardship not be entertained.
- A juror can request a deferral of jury service to a more convenient week if they are summonsed on a planned vacation week, etc.
If you have any feedback for the Court regarding the one-week/one-trial term of service, please feel free to share it with the Jury Clerk.
Attire
Casual, comfortable attire is acceptable, but use good judgment and dress appropriately, please do not wear shorts. We cannot be responsible for expensive packages or articles such as cameras, radios, lap tops, cellular phones, etc.Parking and Directions
The Gerald R. Ford Museum Parking Lot” is the only “free” parking lot available to Jurors for the 17th Circuit Court:Gerald R. Ford Museum, 17th Circuit Court Parking Lot, is only accessible on Bridge Street; traveling in an easterly or westerly direction. There will be an attendant waiting for you (sometimes the attendant waits in his/her vehicle) so please take your summons (it has a bar code on it) to show to the attendant. If you forget the summons, tell the attendant that you’re a Juror with Circuit Court and they’ll allow you to park for free. Please remember to remove your summons from your vehicle and take it to the courthouse.
Once you’ve parked, proceed on foot to the sidewalk and take a left (west) to the corner of Scribner/Bridge Streets where you’ll cross-over and walk toward the US 131overpass, you’ll see the sign for the Dash West Bus on the right hand side of the sidewalk before going underneath the overpass. The Dash West Bus arrives every 2 to 3 minutes and is completely free of charge. Once you board the Dash West Bus you’ll proceed over the bridge on Bridge Street-cross over Monroe Street and continue up Michigan Street’s hill where the bus will take a right hand turn onto Ottawa Street (Ottawa Street is a one-way street traveling south). The Dash West Bus will drop you off right in front of the Kent County Courthouse where you’ll proceed to the corner of Ottawa and Lyon, cross-over and enter the courthouse. Proceed through security-take an immediate left on the first floor and go directly into the large Jury Assembly Room. Proceed to the front of the room (east) and begin the tasks we’ve requested, starting at the extreme left hand side. The tables are numbered and have instructions at each of the three tables. Continue into the hallway where you’ll hand the jury clerk your completed survey (please complete at table #3 prior to entering the hallway) and your summons (with your bar code on it) in order to scan in your attendance. Once you’ve finished, please checkout the refreshments we have for you in the pantry (east end of the hallway, adjacent to the drinking fountains). The bathrooms are located at the east end of the hallway, past the two vending machines. Orientation starts promptly at 8:00 A.M., so please remember to leave your homes and businesses early enough to arrive at the Gerald R. Ford Museum Parking Lot no later than 7:30A.M. If you arrive after 8:00 A.M., please remember to check-in with the Jury Clerks in the office, to your right, as soon as you walk past the large jury assembly doors.
Hardships
To request a hardship excuse from jury service, please send a letter in a separate envelope with the bottom portion of the jury summons form to the address shown. A request for a job-related exemption requires a letter from the employer. A request for a medical-related exemption requires a letter from a doctor. Full time students who feel that jury service will conflict with their classes, must submit a copy of their schedule. Based on the submitted documentation, your jury service may be deferred, shortened or excused.For additional information regarding Jury Duty, please see the Jury Duty Frequently Asked Questions page.
