Overview
Jurors are requested to appear at the court at 8:45 a.m. at the time of trial. Jurors should bring in the summons they received in the mail with them. Any juror selected to sit on a jury panel will be paid $6.00 for each day they remain on a jury panel and will be given a juror verification form for their employer should they need one. Jury trials are held once a month on a Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. Bench trials are held twice a month on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. Trials in the municipal court usually last from 15 minutes to four hours.
Statutory Qualifications
To serve as a Juror you must meet certain qualifications. You must:
- be at least 18 years of age;
- be a resident of McAllen, Texas;
- be qualified to vote;
- be of sound mind and good moral character;
- be able to read, write and speak English;
- not have been convicted of theft or any felony;
- not be under indictment or other legal accusation of a misdemeanor theft, felony theft or any other felony charge;
- not have served as a petit juror for six days during the preceding three months in a county court or during the preceding six months in a district court.
Statutory Exemptions
You may choose to request to be excused from Jury service if:
- you are 70 years of age or older;
- you have legal custody of a child or children younger than 12 years of age and service on the jury would require leaving the child or children without adequate supervision;
- you are a student at a public or private high school;
- you are enrolled in and attend college;
- you are an officer or an employee of the Senate, the House of Representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch government;
- you are the primary caretaker of a person is an invalid unable to care for himself or herself (This exemption does not apply to health care workers.); and
- you have served as a juror in the county during the 24-month period prior to the date you are required to appear for this summons. You are not required to claim an exemption. It is your choice.
- You are a member of the United States military forces serving on active duty and deployed to a location away from the person's home station and out of the person's country of residence.
- Business reasons are NOT lawful excuses.
- If you have another situation that may exempt you, please come in and discuss it with the judge on the day of your summons.