JURY INFORMATION

Jury Summons

If you have received a jury summons to serve as a juror in Florence Municipal Court, you should appear at the time and date listed on the summons at the City-County Complex, Room 506, 180 North Irby Street, Florence, South Carolina 29501.  If you have any questions regarding your jury summons, please call Florence Municipal Court, 843-665-3148.

Proper Attire

Proper courtroom attire is required by the presiding judge–no sweats, shorts, or shirttails out.  You must wear shoes.  You cannot enter the courtroom unless properly dressed.  No beepers, pagers, cell phones, or weapons allowed in the courtroom.

Compensation

The maximum amount of compensation per day a juror may receive for service in Florence Municipal Court is $8.00.  Vouchers are given by the Court and can only be cashed at the Finance Department, Room 602, at the conclusion of jury service.

You as a Juror

You have been selected by law to act as an officer of this court by serving as a juror.  As citizens of South Carolina, and of the United States, each of us has an obligation to make a contribution to the American system of justice.  You are now being called upon to participate in one of the cornerstones of the judicial process--trial by jury.  The mandate of justice for all can only be achieved through the combined efforts of judges, lawyers, and citizens serving as jurors.  Your role as juror, as the "judge" of the facts, will require you to carry out your duties attentively, intelligently, and fairly.  Remember, your vote as a juror is usually final.

Upon reaching the City-County Complex, jurors should report to the courtroom or jury room as instructed.  Jurors should report to Room 506 if summonsed to Florence Municipal Court.  Every reasonable effort will be made by the court to make your service as a juror comfortable and without inconvenience.  Cases set for trial may be postponed or settled just as they are scheduled to begin, which causes delays.  Please help the court operate more smoothly by being patient and cooperative and by being on time as instructed.  It may happen that during your service as a juror, you may never be called upon to actually sit in on the trial of a case--but your very presence and availability as a juror is a contribution of inestimable importance.

Roll Call

The juror's roll call is held in the courtroom to which you were instructed to report.  When your name is called, you should be prepared to stand and give your name, occupation, marital status, address, spouse's name, and spouse's occupation.  After the roll call, the presiding judge may ask certain questions to determine whether each juror is a resident of the county and state and is qualified to serve as a juror.  At the end of each day or if dismissed earlier, you should make sure that you understand where you are to report for service the following day.  When you are on duty as a juror, your proper place is that area which has been set apart for jurors.

Selection of the Jury

The first step in the actual trial of a jury case is the selection from the jury panel of the number of jurors required to try the case.  In City Court, the number of jurors is six with one alternate juror seated as well.  At the beginning of this process, there are usually around fifty prospective jurors present in the courtroom.

The juror selection process in any particular case usually begins with a brief explanation by the judge of the general nature of the case and the names of the parties and their attorneys.  The judge then begins the procedure by the questioning of jurors so as to determine their fitness to serve as a juror.  Some questions may be directed to all the jurors at once, while others may be directed to individual jurors.  The types of questions asked are determined by the judge who may inquire as to whether a juror has any knowledge of the case.  The questioning process called voir dire, is designed to permit the attorneys to become acquainted with the prospective jurors and to determine whether a juror can serve fairly and impartially in the case.

If during the questioning, a prospective juror indicated by his answer that he or she is not legally qualified to act as a juror (for instance, if the juror was related to or employed by one for the parties), that juror may be excused "for cause."  This excuse "for cause" may be on the judge's initiative or upon motion of one for the parties' attorney, but there is no limit to the number of jurors who may be excused for cause.  After voir dire has been concluded, and there are no further "challenges for cause" by either attorney, the attorneys may finally choose their jury by exercising a certain number of "peremptory challenges."  This means that each attorney may excuse a certain number of jurors without having to show any reason.  A juror who is challenged and thereby excused from service should not be offended, as each attorney has a different idea as to the type of juror that would be most beneficial to the trial of the case.

In criminal cases, the Clerk of Court draws a name.  The clerk calls out the name of the juror.  This juror stands.  The prosecutor representing the City will say either (1) "Excuse the juror," in which event the juror takes his or her seat; or (2) "Present the juror," or "Swear the juror."  The defendant's attorney may say (1) "Excuse the juror," in which event the juror takes his or her seat; or (2) "Swear the juror," in which event the juror takes a seat in the jury box as directed by the clerk.

After both sides have completed their challenges and the jury box has been filled with the required number of jurors, the process of selection is concluded.

A criminal case is brought in the name of, and by, the City of Florence and the State of South Carolina against a person, the defendant, charged with breaking the law.  The attorney who represents the City is called the Prosecutor.