Eligibility for Jury Service

Information

Eligibility for Jury Service

Every Irish citizen in Ireland from the age of 18 (no upper age limit since 1 January 2009) is eligible for jury service except;

• Those involved in any way with the administration of justice. This includes judges, former judges, the President, the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, members of the Gardai and defence forces, prison officers, practising barristers, solicitors, court officers such as registrars and personnel in Government departments involved in matters of justice or the courts.
• Those who are incapable of serving on a jury by reason of physical or mental illness; those who are in hospital or are obliged to attend hospital on a regular basis; those who have a disability or are unable to read so that it is not practicable for them to serve on a jury.

The rules about eligibility for jury service in Ireland are set down in Section 6 of the Juries Act, 1976.

Disqualification

The following persons are disqualified from jury service:

• Those who have been convicted of a serious offence in Ireland.
• Those who have ever been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of five years or more.
• Those who, within the last ten years, have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three months.
• People living in Ireland who are not Irish citizens.

Those who are excused as of right

The following persons may be excused as of right from jury service:

• Persons between the ages of 65 and 70 years (From January 2009 those aged 65 or over).
• Members of the either House of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament), members of the Council of State, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Clerks of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, a person in Holy Orders, a minister of any religious denomination or community, members of monasteries and convents, aircraft pilots, full-time students and ship's masters
• Those who provide an important community service, such as practising doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, vets, chemists, etc.
• The following persons if it is certified that their functions cannot reasonably be performed by another person or postponed; members of staff of either House of the Oireachtas, Heads of Government Departments, other civil servants, chief executive officers and employees of local authorities, Health Service Executive (HSE) Areas and harbour authorities, school teachers and university lecturers.
• Those who have served on a jury within the last three years or who have been excused by a judge at the conclusion of a previous period of service for a period that has not ended.

Other occasions when you may be excused

Other occasions when you may be excused include:

• The County Registrar or the trial judge may excuse you if he is satisfied that there is "good reason" for doing so.
• At the end of a case of "an exceptionally exacting nature", the trial judge may excuse the jury from jury service for as long as the judge considers fit.

The rules about ineligibility and disqualification from jury service are set out in Section 7 of the Juries Act 1976 and Section 8 of the Juries Act, 1976.

The Selection of Jurors

All the jury members summonsed must attend in court on the first day the panel is formed. The name of every juror is called out and you must answer to show you are in attendance.

In order to select a panel of twelve jurors for a particular case, names are drawn out of a ballot box. If your name is called, you will go to the jury box and you will be given an opportunity to state if you are ineligible for or disqualified from jury service or if you know any of the witnesses in the case.

Even though you are called for jury service, you may not actually serve. Usually more people than necessary are called. You must return to court every day, whether or not you are sworn onto a jury panel, unless otherwise directed by the court.

Before you give your oath, either side in the case may challenge you. This is simply an objection to a proposed juror. Each side may challenge 7 potential jurors without giving any reason and may challenge any number of jurors if they can "show cause".

If you are challenged without reason being given, you will leave the jury box. If you are challenged with reason, it is the judge who decides whether or not you will serve.

The 12 members of the jury who have been selected will individually swear an oath or affirm that they will properly try the issue and give a true verdict according to the evidence.

When the jury is sworn in and before the case starts, it will select a foreman from its members. The foreman acts as an informal chairperson and spokesperson of the jury.

Further Information