The jury commissioner shall estimate the number of prospective jurors that may be required to serve the needs of the court, and shall summon prospective jurors for service. Prospective jurors shall be summoned by mailing a summons by first-class mail or by personal service or, in urgency situations, as elsewhere provided by law. The summons, when served by mail, shall be mailed at least 10 days prior to the date of required appearance. Once a prospective juror has been summoned, the date, time, or place of appearance may be modified or further specified by the jury commissioner, by means of written, telegraphic, telephonic, or direct oral communication with the prospective juror.
§ 208.Prospective jurors; Estimate of number; Summons
Title 3. Persons Specially Invested With Powers of a Judicial Nature · Chapter 1. Trial Jury Selection and Management Act · Last amended 2003 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 208 has the jury commissioner estimate how many prospective jurors are needed and summon them accordingly, and allows the date, time, or place of a required appearance to be modified after the summons through written, telegraphic, telephonic, or direct oral communication.
Full Text of § 208
Plain-English Summary
Section 208 covers the mechanics of getting people to show up. The jury commissioner estimates the number of prospective jurors the court will need and causes the appropriate summonses to issue.
After a summons goes out, the jury commissioner is not locked into the original date, time, or place. The section allows those details of the required appearance to be modified, or further specified, through written, telegraphic, telephonic, or direct oral communication with the prospective juror, giving the commissioner a practical way to adjust scheduling without reissuing a formal summons.
Official Comment
The following official comments are published by the California Law Revision Commission (and, for a few older sections, its predecessor Code Commissioners) alongside the statute itself — not commentary from this site.
2003 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 208 is amended to reflect unification of the municipal and superior courts pursuant to former Section 5(e) of Article VI of the California Constitution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a jury summons date be changed after it is issued?
Yes. Section 208 lets the jury commissioner modify or further specify the date, time, or place of appearance by written, telegraphic, telephonic, or direct oral communication.
Who decides how many jurors to summon?
The jury commissioner estimates the number of prospective jurors needed and summons accordingly.
Does a scheduling change under Section 208 require a new summons?
No. The jury commissioner can modify or further specify the date, time, or place of a required appearance without reissuing the summons itself.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1988 ch 1245 § 2. Amended Stats 2003 ch 149 § 7 (SB 79).
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
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