Can You Get Arrested for Not Going to Jury Duty?

Yes, you can get arrested for not going to jury duty, but it almost never happens on a first missed summons. A jury summons is a court order, and ignoring it is treated as contempt of court. In the federal system, the penalties for failing to appear are a fine of up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or a combination of the three.¹ State courts set their own penalties, and some go higher. In practice, courts escalate slowly and give you several chances to respond before anything close to an arrest is on the table.

What Actually Happens After You Miss a Summons

Courts do not send police to your door the morning after a missed date. The process unfolds in stages, and each stage is a chance to fix it.

First, the clerk notes a failure to appear next to your name. Some courts simply mail a second summons with a new reporting date, treating the first miss as an oversight. If you ignore that second notice, the court issues an order to show cause. This document directs you to appear before a judge on a specific date and explain why you missed service. The hearing itself is not a punishment. It is your chance to give a legitimate reason, and most people who show up with a reasonable explanation walk away with no penalty.

The real trouble starts if you ignore the order to show cause. At that point, a judge can issue a bench warrant for your arrest. So the path to being arrested is not one missed summons. It is a pattern of ignoring repeated orders from the court. That distinction matters, because almost every arrest for missed jury duty was avoidable at earlier steps.

Penalties If It Gets That Far

Federal courts follow the statutory penalties: a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to three days, community service, or any combination of the three.¹ These apply only after the court gives you a chance to explain your absence and you either don’t appear or can’t show a good reason.

State penalties vary. Some states cap fines at a few hundred dollars, while others allow fines of $1,500 or more. Jail time in state courts can range from a few days to six months for repeated contempt. Community service is another common outcome. What actually happens depends on the court, the judge’s discretion, and whether this is a first offense or part of a pattern.

Regardless of jurisdiction, the penalties all flow from the same legal concept: contempt of court. A jury summons is a court order, so deliberately ignoring it is disobedience to the court’s authority, and a contempt finding gives the judge broad discretion over what happens next.

How to Avoid Any of This

The easiest way not to get arrested for missing jury duty is to respond to the summons before your reporting date, even if you can’t serve. Courts routinely grant postponements and excusals for real reasons. Common grounds include:

A medical condition, physical or mental, that would make serving unreasonably difficult. You will need a letter from your doctor.
Financial hardship, especially when your employer does not pay for jury service or you are self-employed.
Being the sole caregiver for a young child or a dependent adult.
Full-time student status; many courts will postpone service to a school break if you provide a class schedule.
Recent jury service. In federal courts, having served on a jury within the past two years is grounds for excusal.²
Age. Federal courts and many state courts allow people over 70 to request a permanent excuse, but you have to ask for it.²³

Your summons contains the form and instructions for a postponement or excusal request. Attach whatever supporting documentation the reason calls for: a doctor’s letter for a medical excusal, a class schedule for a student postponement, a pay stub or employer letter for financial hardship. You can mail the form back to the clerk in the envelope provided, and many federal and state courts also let you handle the whole thing through an online portal called eJuror.⁴

Submit your request before the deadline printed on the summons. A good reason communicated too late looks a lot like no reason at all.

Your Job Is Protected

One of the most common reasons people skip jury duty is fear of losing a job, and that fear is worth putting to rest. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1875, no employer may fire, threaten to fire, intimidate, or otherwise punish a permanent employee because of federal jury service. An employer that violates the law faces liability for your lost wages, a court order to reinstate you, and a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation.⁵

Most states have similar protections for state court service, though the specifics vary. If an employer pressures you to skip jury duty, document the threat in writing and report it to the court.

Watch Out for Fake Arrest Threats

If you receive a phone call, email, or text claiming you missed jury duty and demanding immediate payment or personal information, it is almost certainly a scam. These calls are widespread, and the U.S. Courts have issued direct warnings about them.⁶ Scammers typically threaten arrest, fines, or jail unless you hand over personal data or pay a fee on the spot.

Real courts don’t work that way. Legitimate communication about jury service comes through the U.S. mail, and court officials will never ask for your Social Security number or credit card number over the phone or by email.⁶ If a call like this comes in, hang up and contact your local court directly using the number on your original summons or the court’s official website. You can also report the call to local law enforcement.⁷

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels
2
United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
3
United States District Court Western District of Louisiana. May I Be Excused if I Am Over the Age of 70 Years and Do Not Wish to Serve?
4
United States Courts. Summoned for Federal Jury Service
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
6
United States Courts. Juror Scams
7
United States District Court Central District of California. Jurors – Jury Scam Alert