Daily Reporting Message

Prospective jurors are summoned for a date at the beginning of a month. All juries are selected on the summons date. You may be selected for more than one trial. If you are selected as a juror, your service ends when the trials you are selected for ends. If you are not selected, your jury service will end on the jury date that juries are selected.

If you have been selected for a jury you should call the telephone number given to you on the day you were selected for the trial because the court's schedule may change, changing your reporting date. Please phone the number given to you after 6:00 p.m. on the evening before your appearance date for the latest reporting instructions.

If you have a question, please call our jury section at (956) 618-8065 during normal business hours.

You may request to be exempted or excused from jury service or to have your juror service postponed. You must put your request in writing. You must appear unless you are notified that the Court has granted your request. Mail requests to: United States Distrrict Court, Attn: Jury Section, P.O. Box 5059, McAllen, Texas, 78502.

Exemptions

The Court may exempt you from service if you are:

• A member in active service of the armed services of the United States.
  
• A member of a fire or police department.
  
• An elected official actively engaged in the performance of official duties.

Excuses

The Court may excuse you from jury service if you are a:

• Person not employed outside the home, having active care and custody of a child under the age of ten whose health or safety would be jeopardized by their absence for jury service; or a person who is essential to the care of the aged or infirm persons and who is not employed outside the home.
  
• Person who have served as a grand or petit juror in federal court within the past two years.
  
• Person over seventy years of age.
  
• Member of a federal law enforcement agency (like agents for Postal, FBI, Customs, etc.).
  
• Member of a volunteer safety organization and work in an official capacity without compensation (fire fighters, rescue squads or ambulance crews).
  
• Person for whom the jury service would cause undue hardship or extreme inconvenience. (medical excuses require a precise doctor's statement)

Postponements

The Court may postpone your jury service. Any request for postponement must show why the delay is unavoidable.

Report to the Jury Assembly Room, room number 1001, Federal Court in the Bentsen Tower, 1701 W. Business Hwy 83, McAllen, Texas. The courthouse is in downtown McAllen.

Counties in the McAllen Division:

Hidalgo, Starr

Federal law authorizes the following payments:

• $40.00 each day you come to the courthouse;
• 55.0 cents for each mile driven. The route driven must be the shortest practical one to and from the courthouse;
• $128.00 subsistence rate for lodging may be allowed if you live over fifty (50) miles from the courthouse and you must stay overnight in a hotel to attend court (you must attach the lodging receipt to the form);
• Other expenses including road tolls, parking and public transportation
  

You will be paid at the end of your jury service. A United States treasury check will be issued and you should receive it within about two weeks.