Grand Jury Service

Superior Court grand jurors serve for 25 workdays plus 2 recall days. The recall days are scheduled after the formal term of service ends to clear up any unfinished business of the grand jury. There is no "call in" system for grand jurors to see if they need to report on a particular day; their attendance is mandatory for 27 days. A normal service day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break.

Grand jury summons are issued at least 30-45 days in advance of the first date of service. It is the jurors' responsibility to notify their employer of the terms of grand jury service as soon as they receive the summons. This enables the juror and their employer to plan for the extended absence.

To obtain a deferral of grand jury service to a later time or request an excuse for reasons of medical infirmity or financial hardship, send a letter to: Superior Court Jurors' Office; Room 3130, 500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001, Attention: Grand Jury Specialist; or fax correspondence via eFax to: Grand Jury Specialist at 2028790012 [at] fax2mail.com. You may also contact the Grand Jury Specialist directly by calling (202) 339-1116; via email at GrandJurorHelp [at] dcsc.gov; or via Live Chat by selecting the Chat icon.

Please note that there is a set schedule of grand jury start/end dates during the calendar year. When requesting a deferral of your grand jury service, Court personnel will provide a range of start/end dates from which to choose. You can also request a deferral of your grand jury service by visiting eJuror Services at www.dccourts.gov/jurorservices. Complete the questionnaire, and then select the "defer" option.

The Court expects any requests for grand jury deferrals or excuses to be submitted well in advance of a scheduled report date. On the day of grand jury enrollment, summoned grand jurors should be fully prepared to serve for the 27-day term of service. Barring an emergency, there should be no impediments to service beginning on the reporting date.