Home
Jury
By County
Otero County
Otero Combined Court
This site uses JavaScript and requires that your browser allow it to be used.
Announcements
Reporting Schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
Postponement Request
Disqualification Request
Americans with Disabilities Act
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I lose my job if I serve as a juror?
State law protects a juror’s job. Section 13-71-134, C.R.S. says, “An employer shall not threaten, coerce, or discharge an employee for reporting for juror service as summoned.”
Do I still have to serve on jury duty if I am a dependant of OR an active duty member serving in the military and do not claim residency in Colorado?
Military members are not exempt from jury duty in Colorado. If you are living in the County you are summoned for, you must report for Jury Service. Colorado does not consider your home of record or residence for jury duty purposes; instead, the County in which you are living controls.
How are jurors assigned to trials?
The initial assignment is random. Before a trial begins, jurors may be required to complete questionnaires which provide information relevant to jury service. The parties and attorneys in the case will review this information prior to jury selection. When the jurors arrive in the courtroom, the judge will provide some initial instructions and the parties or the attorneys will ask additional questions of each juror. Each side in the case may ask the court to excuse any juror for a specific cause. Each side is also allotted a certain number of “peremptory” or discretionary challenges for which a cause need not be given. However, the law does not permit these challenges to be made in a discriminatory manner.
How was I chosen for Jury Service?
Each year, the Judicial Branch receives lists of all registered voters and all holders of driver’s licenses and non-driver identification cards throughout the state, as well as records from the Colorado Department of Revenue. The lists are merged, duplicates and names of deceased citizens are removed, and the resulting list is divided by county location. Throughout the year, each county requests a certain number of names, based on the number of trials scheduled, which are randomly selected from the list.
If I have a felony conviction, am I eligible to serve on a jury?
By Colorado Revised Statues, Title 13, Article 71 Colorado Uniform Jury Selection and Service Act, §13-71-105 (3), you are eligible to be a trial juror, but you are not eligible to be a grand juror. However, a felony conviction may be a factor the parties consider in determining whether to keep a person on the jury.
What are the legal qualifications for jury service?
- You are 18 years of age or older.
- You reside or live at least 50% of the time in the county or municipality from which you have been summoned, whether or not you are registered to vote.
- You are a Citizen of the United States.
- You can read, speak, and understand the English language.
- You have not been selected and served as an impaneled juror in any court within the preceding twelve months, nor have you been scheduled for juror service within the next twelve months by another court. (Any person claiming this disqualification shall submit proof from the appropriate authority verifying prior or pending service.)
- You do not have sole responsibility for the daily care of a permanently disabled person living in the same household, where your juror service would cause substantial risk of injury to the health of the disabled person. (If you do, you may be required to submit a statement from your doctor or authorized Christian Science practitioner to the jury commissioner as soon as possible after receipt of this summons before you may be disqualified.)
- You do not have a physical or mental disability that would affect your ability to serve as a juror. (If you do, you may be required to submit a statement from your doctor or authorized Christian Science practitioner to the jury commissioner as soon as possible after receipt of your summons before you may be disqualified.)
By law, there are no economic, age-related, or occupational exclusions from jury service.
What do I do if I lost my questionnaire?
Use this link ONLY IF you do not have your original summons. Your original summons has barcoded identification on it. Replacement Questionnaire's.
What if I have a disability?
If you require an ADA accommodation for a program or service, please submit request at least 5 business days prior to the date of the program or service. Contact the jury commissioner at the court in which you have been summoned. Under the Americans with Disibilities Act, the jury commissioners can request reasonable accomodations for a person with a disability. For additional information on the Americans with Disabilities Act, please see the ADA section in the Human Resources Division under the Court Administration tab.
What if I have other commitments for the date I’m supposed to appear, how can I obtain a postponement for the jury summons I received?
You have the right to one postponement. You can request a postponement by either completing the postponement section of your paper summons or by completing the postponement request online through your county's homepage. (Click on Jury using the tabs above to find your county's homepage).
What if my employer doesn’t want to pay me for the first three days of service?
Your employer has a duty under state law (§ 13-71-126, C.R.S.) to pay regular wages up to $50 per day if you are regularly employed. Employers may pay more than $50 by mutual agreement. If you are a part-time or temporary worker and have worked for the same employer for three months or more, then you are a regular employee.
What is the “one day/one trial” system?
The “one day/one trial” system has been in effect since 1990 and describes the length of service required for trial jurors. Grand jurors serve a term of twelve months. “One day/one trial” means that any person who is summoned and appears for service may be released from further service unless that person is assigned to a particular trial. When a juror is assigned to a trial, the length of jury service will be for the duration of that trial. In Colorado, the average length of a trial is three days.
Who will pay me for serving as a juror?
Your employer has a duty under state law (§ 13-71-126, C.R.S.) to pay regular wages up to $50 per day if you are regularly employed. Employers may pay more than $50 by mutual agreement. If you are self-employed, you must compensate yourself for the first three days. Unemployed persons may apply for reimbursement of certain expenses during the first three days. After the third day, all jurors receive $50 per day from the state and will be required to fill out a W-9 to begin receiving payment of $50 per day. There are provisions for special hardships and certain expenses; please discuss these with the jury commissioner.
Why do I receive summonses year after year, when other people don’t?
Since the summons process is random, there is no easy explanation to this question. Each name goes into the system with a different random number attached to it each year. In some counties with small populations, almost every qualified citizen will be called for jury service each year due to the number of jury trials requested. However, to help alleviate this situation, a new system was put into place in 2001 whereby an individual who receives a summons in one year will have a lower priority to be called the next year.
