Recently we have heard of an increasing number of scam calls about jury service. In these scam calls, usually someone is pretending to be a Sheriff's Deputy who says there is a citation or warrant for the listener and then requests money over the phone or by gift cards to take care of the issue. These calls can often be scary for receivers because the caller has their correct name or other information.
Remember that the Dane County Circuit Court and the Dane County Sheriff's Office will NEVER request any payments by gift card, and will not ask for money over the phone. Notices for missed jury service will always be sent to you by mail. If you have any questions regarding your jury service or wish to verify whether a call is really from a Dane County Department you can contact the Dane County Jury Clerk at (608) 266-4105 or the Dane County Sheriff's Office at (608) 255-2345.
The following information Is based on answers to questions frequently asked by jurors:
Dane County uses a voice mail recording system to let jurors know when they need to report for jury duty. On the Friday before your assigned week, call (608) 266-4105 after 4:00 PM to find out if you need to report for jury duty the following week. If your Pool Member (#) number is within the range of numbers you hear being read, you are to report for jury duty. If your Pool Member # is not within the range of numbers read off, then once you have completed your juror qualification questionnaire, you have completed your jury duty for four years.
The times you may call are:
Persons requiring TDD service due to a hearing impairment, please call (608) 266-4625 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.
Watch the Juror Orientation Video: https://www.wicourts.gov/services/juror/general.htm
Failure to appear can result in the court imposing penalties under WI Stats. section 756.30.
Questionnaires must be completed within 10 days. Questionnaires can be accessed using the following link:
Electronic Juror Questionaire (You will need the summons mailed to you for your Juror ID)
Requests for postponement or excusal must be made in writing to the Jury Clerk by Monday of the week preceding your summoned date. The requests for excusal or postponement should be sent to:
Tammy Pauley, Jury Clerk (Dane.Jury@wicourts.gov)
Business Hours: 7:15 AM - 3:45 PM
Mailing Address:
Dane County Courthouse Room L1001
215 S Hamilton St
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 266-4105
Fax: (608) 266-5988
Website for jury requests: juryrequest.wicourts.gov
The Juror's Pool ID Number should be included on all correspondence.
Postponements and excusals are arranged by the Jury Clerk. We must receive your completed questionnaire before these requests will be considered.
Parents, who receive a summons for adult children, are to give the information to their son/daughter, to complete the questionnaire. Students may request a postponement to their next school break.
There are no exceptions for self-employed persons or stay at home parents. We appreciate the challenges, but the justice system requires all eligible individuals to participate in jury service. Accommodations are available for nursing mothers. A postponement may requested.
To be excused for medical reasons, send a note from your treating physician to the contact information above no later than the Monday prior to your summoned week.
Jurors may call the jury clerk's number after 8:00 AM on Mondays to report their illness or emergency and the jury clerk will return the call either that afternoon or the following day.
Parking can be a problem in the downtown area. Please attempt to park in the Capitol Square South Ramp (previously the Dane County Ramp). This parking garage has spaces reserved for jurors. Do not park in permit reserved parking not designated for jurors.
Capitol Square South Ramp meters take credit/debit cards and quarters only (approximately $1.80 for each hour.) Jurors must pay for their own parking until noon on Monday. If you are selected for a trial, you may obtain a parking permit from the Jury Clerk to be used for the duration of the trial.
If you cannot find parking in the Capitol Square South Ramp, it is recommended to park in a City of Madison ramp. Street parking is NOT recommended as jury service may take longer than the 2-hour meter maximum and the Jury Clerk does not have the ability to waive City of Madison parking tickets.
There will probably be times when you will have to wait prior to being escorted to a courtroom for jury selection. You may bring your laptop or electronic device, free wireless internet access is provided. Magazines are available in the Jury Assembly Area but you may also want to bring along reading material.
There are a food and beverage vending machines on the lower level of the courthouse as well as the court cafeteria with the Ugly Apple Cafe. You may also bring a snack or beverage with you. For members selected to be on a jury, jury rooms are equipped with a mini-fridge for food, beverage, and refridgerated medication storage.
Restrooms are located in the Jury Assembly Area and by the main elevator bank.
Dane County citizens are required to respond to jury duty no more frequently than every four years. Being available for the assigned week or actual service on a jury fulfills this requirement for four years.
Jury selection is held during the week of your summons. On the day of jury selection, each person learns whether they have been chosen for a trial for that week. Almost three-fourths of our jury trials last only 1 or 2 days.
You will find out at selection if you are chosen for a trial. Upon completion of the trial, your service will be completed for four years. If you are not chosen for a trial, your jury service is also completed for four years.
Jurors are randomly selected from the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles driver's license, and identification lists. It is important to keep your address with the Division of Motor Vehicles current to ensure that a juror summons and questionnaire reaches you.
You will be paid $20 per day for anything over four hours and $10.00 for anything up to four hours. You will also be paid a nominal daily travel allowance for each day you are required to report to the courthouse. Bus passes are available upon request.
The law provides that an employer must grant an employee a leave of absence, without loss of time in service for the period of jury duty. No employer may use absence due to jury duty as a basis for discharging an employee or for any disciplinary action against the employee.
Our system provides more than a month's advance notice of the week of possible jury duty. When a person is called to jury duty, he/she should inform their employer of the possibility of being selected and of the certain need to be absent from work for the morning of jury selection.
Jurors are paid $10.00 for any service up to 4 hours and $20.00 for any service over 4 hours in one day. A majority of Dane County employers continue to pay employees while they are on jury duty, but such employers have a right to have their employees' juror fees (excluding mileage) paid over to them.
For prospective jurors who require an ADA accommodation to fulfill jury duty, please call Tammy Pauley at (608) 266-4105 (TTY WI Relay 7-1-1) or email dane.jury@wicourts.gov.
