The Franklin County Municipal Court has become aware of telephone scams by identity thieves targeting members of the public and fake jury summonses. Jury employees never contact potential jurors by telephone and would never, under any circumstances request any personal or financial information over the telephone. We urge all members of the public to be aware of such scams and be careful not to reveal any confidential information. If you feel that your summons is a scam, please contact the Jury Commission at (614) 645-7726 or by emailing [email protected].

The Franklin County Municipal Court has jurisdiction over criminal and traffic misdemeanor cases. The Court also hears civil actions involving less than $15,000. Many cases that are taken to jury trial involve a victim.

To be eligible to serve on jury duty, a person must be at least 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the county in which they are called to serve. Jurors must also be able to communicate in the English language. 

Jurors are selected from the list of registered voters in Franklin County and the drawing is performed according to statutory guidelines to assure a random selection of a fair representation of the community.

Jurors need to be able to listen carefully, follow instructions, keep an open mind, be willing to make a decision free from personal feelings or biases, respect the opinion of each juror, and value the different viewpoints each juror can bring to the case. Jurors will be responsible for impartially evaluating all the facts that are presented during the trial and, as the Judge instructs, apply the law as it is written to the facts of the case.

Approximately 30% of all jurors are randomly selected from the jury pool and impaneled on a case. Twenty-five (25) jurors are sent to the courtroom for each trial, ten (10) are impaneled for criminal cases and eight (8) for civil cases. Jurors who are not impaneled will be entered back into the jury pool.

1. Fill out the Jury Questionnaire and e-notifications to qualify as a juror.
2. Report to the Jury Assembly Room located at 375 S. High Street, 9th Fl., Columbus, OH 43215 if you receive an e-notification asking you to report for trial.
3. Check in at the commissioners window directly inside the door of the jury assembly room upon arrival.

For each report day, jurors receive $15 and a parking voucher for designated parking areas. Approximately ten (10) business days after the completion of jury service, a check will be issued and mailed to the juror's provided residential address.

The Court receives approximately 18,000 jury demands each year, resulting in 80-120 potential jury trials per day. However, the majority of those cases will be resolved through other means. There are currently fifteen (15) judges and (6) magistrates on the bench. Any case set for trial could result in the need for a jury.

For a detailed list of service dates and times, request an attendance sheet from the Jury Commissioners on the last day of service or by email at [email protected].