(a) Any prospective trial juror who has been summoned for service, and who fails to attend as directed or to respond to the court or jury commissioner and to be excused from attendance, may be attached and compelled to attend. Following an order to show cause hearing, the court may find the prospective juror in contempt of court, punishable by fine, incarceration, or both, as otherwise provided by law.
§ 209.Enforcement of summons; Punishment; Monetary sanctions
Title 3. Persons Specially Invested With Powers of a Judicial Nature · Chapter 1. Trial Jury Selection and Management Act · Last amended 2010 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 209 lets a court hold a prospective juror in contempt for ignoring a summons or, after notice and a chance to be heard, impose graduated monetary sanctions up to $1,500 through a two-summons and order-to-show-cause process.
Full Text of § 209
(b) In lieu of imposing sanctions for contempt as set forth in subdivision (a), the court may impose reasonable monetary sanctions, as provided in this subdivision, on a prospective juror who has not been excused pursuant to Section 204 after first providing the prospective juror with notice and an opportunity to be heard. If a juror fails to respond to the initial summons the court may issue a second summons indicating that the person failed to appear in response to a previous summons and ordering the person to appear for jury duty. The second summons may be issued no earlier than 90 days after the initial failure to appear. Upon the failure of the juror to appear in response to the second summons, the court may issue a failure to appear notice informing the person that failure to respond may result in the imposition of money sanctions. If the prospective juror does not attend the court within the time period as directed by the failure to appear notice, the court shall issue an order to show cause. Payment of monetary sanctions imposed pursuant to this subdivision does not relieve the person of his or her obligation to perform jury duty.
(1) The court may give notice of its intent to impose sanctions by either of the following means:
(A) Verbally to a prospective juror appearing in person in open court.
(B) The issuance on its own motion of an order to show cause requiring the prospective juror to demonstrate reasons for not imposing sanctions. The court may serve the order to show cause by certified or first-class mail.
(2) The monetary sanctions imposed pursuant to subdivision (b) may not exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for the first violation, seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) for the second violation, and one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) for the third and any subsequent violation. Monetary sanctions may not be imposed on a prospective juror more than once during a single juror pool cycle. The prospective juror may be excused from paying sanctions pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 204 or in the interests of justice. The full amount of any sanction paid shall be deposited in a bank account established for this purpose by the Administrative Office of the Courts and transmitted from that account monthly to the Controller for deposit in the Trial Court Trust Fund, as provided in Section 68085.1 of the Government Code. It is the intent of the Legislature that the funds derived from the monetary sanctions authorized in this section be allocated, to the extent feasible, to the family courts and the civil courts. The Judicial Council shall, by rule, provide for a procedure by which a prospective juror against whom a sanction has been imposed by default may move to set aside the default.
Plain-English Summary
Section 209 gives courts a way to enforce jury summonses without going straight to contempt every time. As an alternative to contempt sanctions, the court may impose reasonable monetary sanctions on a prospective juror who has not been excused under § 204, but only after giving the juror notice and an opportunity to be heard.
The section lays out a sequence: if a juror misses the initial summons, the court may issue a second summons noting the earlier no-show, but not less than 90 days after the initial failure to appear. If the juror still does not respond, the court may send a failure-to-appear notice warning that sanctions could follow, and if the juror still does not appear within the notice’s deadline, the court issues an order to show cause. Notice of intent to impose sanctions can be given verbally in open court or through an order to show cause served by certified or first-class mail.
The monetary sanctions themselves are capped: up to $250 for a first violation, $750 for a second, and $1,500 for a third or later violation, with no more than one sanction per juror pool cycle. A juror may still be excused from sanctions under § 204(b)’s undue-hardship standard or in the interest of justice, and paying a sanction does not excuse the juror from the underlying duty to serve. Sanction proceeds go to the Trial Court Trust Fund, and the Judicial Council must provide a procedure for setting aside a default sanction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you ignore a jury summons in California?
The court may pursue contempt, or, after notice and a hearing opportunity, impose monetary sanctions following the two-summons and order-to-show-cause process in § 209.
How much can a court fine someone for missing jury duty in California?
Up to $250 for a first violation, $750 for a second, and $1,500 for a third or later violation, with no more than one sanction per juror pool cycle.
Does paying a jury duty sanction excuse you from serving?
No. Section 209 states that payment of the sanction does not relieve the person of the obligation to perform jury duty.
Can a default jury duty sanction be reversed?
Yes. The Judicial Council must provide a rule allowing a prospective juror sanctioned by default to move to set the default aside.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1988 ch 1245 § 2. Amended Stats 2003 ch 359 § 1 (AB 1180); Stats 2005 ch 75 § 28 (AB 145), effective July 19, 2005, operative January 1, 2006, repealed January 1, 2007; Stats 2006 ch 567 § 5 (AB 2303), effective January 1, 2007, repealed January 1, 2010; Stats 2009 ch 44 § 1 (SB 319), effective January 1, 2010.
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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