Heather Said:

How is one selected for jury duty ? By selection ? Or list ? Or automated system ?

We Answered:

In Alabama (for a Circuit court case/criminal or civil) potential jurors are pulled from the Department of Motor Vehicles (drivers license)--or this was the procedure ten years ago, when I worked in the state court system. I think many states use this same type system. The Circuit Court Clerk (and office) is responsible for processing jurors in many states.

For a jury trial in Probate court, jurors could be selected "off the street" as long as the person lived in the county where the trial was taking place. Many times, as Nolainkansas said, court employees have had to go into the halls to pull in anyone they can find to make up a jury (for Probate court).

Attorneys have no input as to who is called to be a prospective juror. Names are selected by computer. After the names are selected and the people show up for jury duty, then the attorneys select from the jury pool and strike a jury (they are allowed so many strikes for any reason--but you'd have to talk to an attorney to get specifics)

In a criminal case an equal number of jurors are selected by counsel for the State and the defendant. It is the same in civil trial except the parties are called plaintiff(s) and defendant(s).

Jury trials are automatic in criminal cases. In civil cases one of the parties must request a trial by jury, and in most states pay a fee for a jury trial. Civil jury trials can be suspended by the court system--we had jury trials suspended once that I remember, in our county (or Judicial Circuit), due to a budget crisis.

Some states use voter registration rolls to select potential jurors.