Ditching jury duty? You’ll soon be asked to report to a Maricopa County judge

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- If you’ve been playing hooky with your jury service, you better have a good reason for it.

The Maricopa County Superior Court system says they will hold a series of hearings on Oct. 20 to learn about why people are ignoring their summons. The court says the role of jurors is extremely important. While the vast majority do respond for their civil duty, they want to make sure all citizens respond to the required notice.

“The right to a jury trial is what makes our system of justice unique,” said Judge Joseph Kreamer, who leads the court’s Jury Advisory Committee. “But the only way our jury system works is when jurors respond to jury summons and appear for service.”

All “Order To Show Cause” hearings are open to the public. About 20 citizens will be asked about why they failed to report. Those who, yet again, don’t show up could be fined up to $500 and still be required to complete jury service. Jurors are compensated for lost wages, up to $300 per day, and paid for mileage to the courthouse regardless if they’re selected and seated.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.