Taking part
jury duty
The obligation to serve on a jury when summoned. It is one of the few compulsory duties of citizenship, alongside taxes and, for some, registering for the draft.
In full
Names are drawn from voter registration and driver license lists, which is one reason registration matters beyond elections. Federal law protects jurors' jobs and sets a modest daily fee. Excuses and deferrals are available for hardship, and serving on a jury is the only role in which ordinary citizens decide a case directly.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.