To Employers of Jury Members
The right to a trial by jury is written into the United States and
Nebraska Constitutions and is a fundamental right guaranteed
to every citizen. Our system of justice depends on the willingness
of private citizens to serve on juries and to make important
decisions in court cases. The courts of the state are also
depending on you as an employer to treat your employees fairly
and excuse them from their regular work day without penalty for
jury duty. Remember, jurors are selected randomly and are
limited in their length of service.
Please help serve justice in Nebraska by supporting your
employees throughout their service to Nebraska’s courts.
Dealing with Your Temporary or “On Call” Employees
All employees, whether temporary or “on call,” are required to
come to court when served with a jury summons. Please
encourage these employees to participate in the system by
allowing flexibility in their job schedules.
Returning to Work and Serving Partial Days
Your employee may be required to serve anywhere from 1 day to
several weeks depending upon the case or whether your
employee is chosen to serve on a jury. Your employee may be
required to check in with the court from day to day to see if he or
she will be required to report for jury duty that day. The daily
check-in procedure may last for several days or weeks,
depending on the practice of the court in your county.
You should make arrangements with your employee concerning
returning to work if he or she is released from service earlier
than expected.
Juror Compensation
Your employee is entitled to payment of a juror fee of $35 per
day for each required service day.
www.supremecourt.ne.gov
How does jury service affect my employee’s pay?
(1) Employers may pay their employees their regular wage
without regard to the juror fee paid to the employee,
(2) The employer may deduct the juror fee paid to the employee
from the employee’s wages,
(3) The employee may sign over his or her jury fee to the
employer, or
(4) The employee can waive the juror fee.
Inform your employee of company policy regarding juror fees.
(Please keep in mind that the county may not send the employee
their juror check for several weeks after their service.)
Nebraska Statute 25-1674 states:
“Any person who is summoned to serve on jury duty shall not be
subject to discharge from employment, loss of pay, loss of sick
leave, loss of vacation time, or any other form of penalty as a
result of his or her absence from employment due to such jury
duty upon giving reasonable notice to his or her employer of such
summons. Any person who is summoned to serve on jury duty
shall be excused upon request from any shift work for those days
required to serve as a juror without loss of pay. No employer shall
subject an employee to discharge, loss of pay, loss of sick leave,
loss of vacation time, or any other form of penalty on account of
his or her absence from employment by reason of jury duty, except
that an employer may reduce the pay of an employee by an
amount equal to any compensation, other than expenses, paid by
the court for jury duty. Any person violating this section shall be
guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor.”
Jury Service
The administration of justice is not a process in which shortcuts
should be taken simply to speed up the procedure. The
determination of truth and the fair and equitable application of
the laws are important.
By supporting employees who serve on juries, you have the
privilege of assisting the administration of justice. In addition,
you will probably find that your employee's participation as an
officer of the court is an interesting and educational experience.
Rev. August 2021
For persons with
disabilities this
brochure will be
made available in
other formats upon
request.
Call 402.471.3730
Nebraska Supreme
Court
Office of the State
Court Administrator
1213 State Capitol
Lincoln, Nebraska
www.supremecourt.ne.gov
