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1. How was I selected for jury duty?

The names of potential jurors are provided to the Jury Board by the Secretary of State through a random selection of Montcalm County residents with a driver's license or Michigan ID. You were sent a questionnaire by the Jury Board and determined by the Board to be a qualified juror. The Jury Board then assigns potential jurors to a jury panel for one of the three courts. If you have received a letter from this Court, you have been chosen to serve on the Probate Court Jury Panel which includes the Family/Juvenile Division.

2. How long do I have to serve as a juror?

Jury terms last three months and are scheduled as follows:

• 1st Quarter First Friday in December through First Friday in March
• 2nd Quarter First Friday in March through First Friday in June
• 3rd Quarter First Friday in June through First Friday in September
• 4th Quarter First Friday in September through First Friday in December

3. When do I have to appear for jury duty?

The Court will send you a letter as trials are scheduled during your term. We attempt to give you as much notice as possible of upcoming trials, however, due to requirements of the law, some trials could be scheduled with minimal notice.

Many of our trials are scheduled but then are settled or adjourned, sometimes as late as the afternoon prior to trial. Therefore, the Probate Court uses a call-in system at 989-831-7356 for jurors to confirm whether their appearance is required.

Your letter will include the dates that your jury term falls within but your attendance at jury duty will only be required on the dates that trials are actually scheduled and when those trials proceed. Be sure to use the call-in system to confirm the necessity of attendance.

Please also note that while most trials are scheduled for one day it is possible that the trial could continue additional day(s).

Your presence at these proceedings is mandatory in accordance with State law. Should you fail to appear, you may be cited to appear before the Judge to explain your absence.

4. Where do I have to appear?

Roll call on the date of the trial is at 8:45 am unless otherwise stated on the juror's message. You will need to appear at the Montcalm County Probate Courtroom -Montcalm County Court Complex 625 N State Street (M-66) in Stanton next to the Sheriff's Department and Jail. You may go directly into the Courtroom. It is not necessary to check-in for jury duty.

5. How do I use the Call-In System?

Please call 989-831-7356 after 5 pm the day prior to the scheduled trials to confirm whether the trials are still scheduled. In order to guarantee that you are receiving the most current information, we ask that the phone call not be made until after 5 pm You will hear a recorded message as to whether you will need to appear the next day.

6. How do I get excused from jury duty?

Jury duty is oftentimes a hardship or intrusion on our lives but is a necessary and required duty for our justice system to fully function. Every effort should be made to comply with an appearance on the dates scheduled. If there are extraordinary circumstances that warrant a request to be excused from a trial date such requests must be received in writing (prior to the scheduled trial) and will be presented to the Judge for consideration.

If you are excused from jury duty, you will receive a confirmation in writing from this office. If you do not have written confirmation that you are excused, you must appear as scheduled. Any requests to be excused due to medical issues will need to be accompanied by documentation from your physician.

The Court receives many requests from employers or jurors asking that key employees be excused from jury duty because that employee's duties would be difficult, if not impossible, to delegate to others. If the Court were to grant all such requests the ability to conduct jury trials would be significantly compromised. The Court recognizes your concern and does appreciate that jury duty does create some hardships for area businesses and individuals however, requests to be excused from jury duty for these reasons are not granted.

If a request to be excused is granted by the Court, many times you will be required to serve a make-up date during the next three-month term.

Again, requests to be excused must be in writing. You may send the request by mail, email or fax:

• 625 N State Street
  Stanton, MI 48888
• Email
• Fax: 989-831-7548.