Information for Employers

For our jury system to work, it is essential that the court and employers work in partnership to ensure that all Franklin County residents are available to serve jury duty when summoned. Without cooperation from the local business community, we risk losing a fundamental principle upon which we, private and corporate citizens alike, depend. Cooperation from employers is essential to maintaining a strong jury system. The importance of your participation cannot be emphasized enough.

We wish to extend our deepest appreciation to public and private employers in the Franklin County community for supporting our jury system!

Benefits to Business 

Businesses frequently benefit directly from our legal system. The civil litigation system, in particular, is filled with a variety of business-related disputes. These may include actions concerning:

• Contracts
• Environmental issues
• Malpractice
• Product defects
• Wrongful termination

Employee Protection

As the employer, you must allow an employee time off to serve on jury duty. It is against the law for any employer to threaten or terminate an employee who is summoned to court for jury service.

How Employers can Help

Employers and businesses are encouraged to help support the jury system by paying employees while they are serving jury duty. Far too many potential jurors who want to serve have asked to be excused because the loss of income would create a financial hardship. If together, we can decrease the number of people claiming financial hardship, we create a much broader cross-section of the community who are available to serve.

This will help create juries that are truly representative and reflective of our community. By agreeing to compensate employees during jury service, not only will employers continue to enjoy the benefits of the jury system, but they will contribute towards its improvement.

How Jurors are Summoned

The selection and management of jurors are governed by the Ohio Revised Code. Jury Summonses are mailed approximately 30 days in advance of the service date. The summons contains information and instructions on submitting requests for excusal. Prospective jurors are selected at random from the list of registered voters in Franklin County. 

Length of Service

Employers have valid concerns about how jury service affects their available resources. The court recognizes these concerns and we strive to make the best use of the time an employee spends on jury duty. Regular jury service in the Court of Common Pleas is one week of jury pool service or, if selected, the duration of one jury trial. Most jury trials are completed in 3 to 5 business days.

Pay Policy

State Law does not currently require employers to continue paying the salary of employees while they are serving as jurors. However, many employers including state, federal, and local government agencies, have a policy which compensates employees for at least part, if not all the time spent for jury service. If employers do pay, then they are obligated to let their employee serve when they are called.

The court does not excuse prospective jurors based on a work or employer hardship. A one-time deferral of the service can be granted to allow additional time to prepare for the employee’s absence. See Requests for Deferral for more information.

Proof of Attendance

Work verifications will be provided for each juror upon completion of their jury service. The information included on this report includes the total number of days the juror reported for service (each day is listed individually) and general per diem information which applies to all jurors who complete their term of service. The hours that a juror spent in court are not reported as we do not keep track of this information.