Jury Duty in Mississippi: Pay, Exemptions, Excuses and What to Expect (2026)

Mississippi draws its jurors at random from each county's voter rolls. To serve, you must be at least 21, able to read and write, and either an active registered voter or a property owner who has lived in the county more than a year. The circuit clerk mails the summons.

The headline numbers: jurors in circuit, county and chancery court are paid $25 to $40 a day, plus mileage, with each county's board of supervisors choosing the rate. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire you, punish you, or make you use vacation or sick leave for jury duty. Anyone over 65 may claim an exemption. A juror who skips service without good cause can be held in contempt and fined up to $500, jailed up to three days, or both.

The rules are in Title 13, Chapter 5 of the Mississippi Code, with pay in § 25-7-61. The official Code is published online by a commercial vendor under its own terms of use, so this page cites each section to the bill that wrote its current text, linked to the Legislature's own copy. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Mississippi jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

Section 13-5-1, as rewritten on March 19, 2026, makes a competent juror of every citizen "not under the age of twenty-one (21) years" who is either "a qualified elector designated as an active voter in the Statewide Election Management System" or "a resident freeholder of the county for more than one (1) year" (§ 13-5-1). So in Mississippi you must be 21, not 18, to sit on a jury. You must also be able to read and write; before a jury is seated, the judge has each juror fill out a short form and discharges anyone who can't complete it.

Who can't serve. Under the same section, you're not competent if you:

• have been convicted of an infamous crime;
• were convicted of the unlawful sale of intoxicating liquors in the past five years;
• have a substance use disorder (since 2026; this replaced the old bar on a "common gambler or habitual drunkard"); or
• have a case of your own pending in that court, if enough other jurors are available.

A person who has been a public road overseer or road contractor in the past year can't serve on a grand jury.

Where names come from. Each county's jury commission builds a master list from the county's voter registration list every year, and names are drawn at random (§§ 13-5-8, 13-5-12). As DeSoto County's clerk puts it, every voter is equally likely to be called, so some people are never summoned and others are called several times (DeSoto County Circuit Clerk).

Exemptions and excuses

Mississippi separates a few personal exemptions you can claim from the excuses a judge or clerk decides.

Over 65. Section 13-5-25 exempts every citizen over 65 who claims the privilege, and makes it easy to do:

Any citizen over sixty-five (65) years of age may claim this personal privilege outside of open court by providing the clerk of court with information that allows the clerk to determine the validity of the claim.

(§ 13-5-25) The exemption is yours to claim, not a bar: you may still serve if you want to. If you'd rather never be summoned again, a person who "meets the age threshold for exemption from jury service shall have the option to be permanently excused from jury service due to age by filing with the circuit clerk a notarized request to be permanently excused" (§ 13-5-23(4)). Your name then comes off the master list, and you can ask the clerk to put it back after a year (§ 13-5-8). DeSoto County asks people claiming the age exemption to sign and mail a juror's affidavit of excuse to the circuit clerk (DeSoto County Circuit Clerk).

Recent service. Anyone who served as a grand juror or as a petit juror in the trial of a case within the past two years may also claim an exemption, though not in a different court from the one where they served (§ 13-5-25).

Excuses under § 13-5-23. The rule begins:

(1) All qualified persons shall be liable to serve as jurors, unless excused by the court for one (1) of the following causes:

The three causes are:

• Illness. You're ill and, because of it, can't serve. Send the clerk a licensed physician's certificate saying you're unfit for jury service, and the clerk may excuse you without a court appearance; without one, a judge decides.
• Undue or extreme hardship. Your service would cause undue or extreme physical or financial hardship to you or to someone in your care. The test is whether you'd have to abandon someone in your care with no substitute caregiver, face costs that would seriously hurt your ability to pay basic living expenses or support your dependents, or suffer physical hardship that would make you ill. Missing work isn't enough: hardship "does not exist solely based on the fact that a prospective juror will be required to be absent from his or her place of employment or business."
• Breastfeeding. The statute lists "a breast-feeding mother" as a cause. This excuse must be made by the juror in open court, under oath.

(§ 13-5-23)

How to ask for a hardship excuse. A judge decides. You must get a ruling no later than your reporting date, and the judge may ask for proof such as tax returns, doctors' statements, or proof of dependency or guardianship. Without satisfactory proof, the request may be denied. Every summons must explain these excuses in plain terms (§ 13-5-28).

Other exemptions. Members of the Mississippi National Guard on active duty are exempt if they present a current written statement from their superior officer that jury service would likely interfere with their military duties (§ 33-1-5). There are no exemptions for other occupations.

Postponing jury duty

You have a right to one postponement. Section 13-5-33(1) says:

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, individuals scheduled to appear for jury service have the right to postpone the date of their initial appearance for jury service one (1) time only.

To get it:

1. You must not have had a postponement in the past two years.
2. Ask the circuit clerk in person, by phone, by email or in writing.
3. Pick a firm new date, with the clerk's agreement, within six months or two terms of court of your original date (whichever is longer), on a day the court will be in session.

A second postponement takes a judge's approval and an extreme emergency you couldn't have foreseen, such as a death in the family, a sudden illness, or a natural disaster (§ 13-5-33).

Small employers. If you work for an employer with five or fewer full-time employees and a co-worker has already been summoned for the same period, the court must postpone and reschedule your service automatically (§ 13-5-35(4)).

Juror pay

Section 25-7-61(1)(a) sets the range:

Grand jurors and petit jurors in the chancery, county, circuit and special eminent domain courts shall be paid an amount to be set by the board of supervisors, not to be less than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) per day and not to be greater than Forty Dollars ($40.00) per day, plus mileage authorized in Section 25-3-41.

What that means:

• $25 to $40 a day, by county. The state sets the floor and ceiling; your county's board of supervisors picks the rate. Coahoma County, for example, pays $25 a day plus mileage for jurors who live in the county (Coahoma County Circuit Clerk).
• Mileage. Jurors also get the mileage allowance authorized in § 25-3-41.
• Sworn jurors are paid. A grand juror is paid only mileage until sworn, and most petit jurors are paid only mileage unless sworn.
• Kept together. When jurors are in the charge of bailiffs and can't go home, the sheriff may pay for room and board with the judge's approval.
• Justice court. Jurors in justice court get $10 to $15 a day, set by the county.
• Giving it back. You may return your fees to the county and earmark them for the local library, local law enforcement, the Mississippi Burn Care Fund, or another government agency.
• Long civil trials. The statute also provides for a Lengthy Trial Fund that could replace up to $300 a day in lost wages from the eleventh day of a civil trial, but that version of the law takes effect only once the Legislature fully funds it by a specific appropriation. Ask the court whether it's available.

DeSoto and Lee counties tell jurors the clerk keeps a record of each day served and issues a check after the court finally discharges you (DeSoto County; Lee County).

(§ 25-7-61)

Your job is protected

Section 13-5-35 sets out two rules for employers:

(1) It shall be unlawful for any employer or any other person to persuade or attempt to persuade any juror to avoid jury service; to intimidate or to threaten any juror in that respect; or to remove or otherwise subject an employee to adverse employment action as a result of jury service if the employee notifies his or her employer that he or she has been summoned to serve as a juror within a reasonable period of time after receipt of a summons.

(2) It shall be unlawful for an employer to require or request an employee to use annual, vacation or sick leave for time spent responding to a summons for jury duty, time spent participating in the jury selection process, or time spent actually serving on a jury.

What follows from that:

1. Tell your employer promptly. The firing protection depends on notice within a reasonable time after the summons arrives.
2. No firing, no pressure. Your employer can't fire you, take adverse action against you, or pressure you to get out of jury duty.
3. No forced leave. Your employer can't require, or even ask, you to use vacation, annual or sick leave for any part of jury duty. The law doesn't create leave you don't otherwise have.
4. Your employer needn't pay you. No Mississippi statute requires wages during jury duty.
5. The remedy is contempt. A violation is treated as an interference with the administration of justice and punished as contempt of court. If your employer retaliates, tell the judge who summoned you. Lee County's clerk issues a certificate of service if you need one for work (Lee County).

(§ 13-5-35)

What happens if you don't show up

A summoned juror who fails to appear, without a proper postponement, may be ordered to come to court and explain why. Section 13-5-34(1) continues:

If the juror fails to show good cause for noncompliance with the summons, the juror may be held in civil contempt of court and may be fined not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or imprisoned not more than three (3) days, or both.

Instead of, or on top of, a fine or jail, the court may order community service lasting at least as long as your jury service would have. The court can also excuse the sanction for good cause or in the interest of justice (§ 13-5-34). If you can't come, use your postponement or call the clerk before your date.

Your first day

Each county's circuit clerk runs its own jury, so follow your summons. County pages describe a typical week:

• Call the night before. DeSoto County jurors call the juror line or check the court's website the evening before to hear whether to report. Coahoma County jurors call after 6:00 p.m. the night before and each night after that (DeSoto County; Coahoma County).
• Plan for the week. DeSoto asks jurors to be ready to start on the first day and to arrange to serve the entire week, or until the court releases them.
• Be on time and dress appropriately. Lateness holds up the whole proceeding. Pay attention in the courtroom; DeSoto and Lee counties ask jurors not to read newspapers there.
• Don't talk to the lawyers or parties. If a lawyer or judge seems to ignore you, that's the rules of conduct at work, not rudeness.
• Emergencies. If something comes up during service, tell the clerk, the bailiff or another court officer.
• Civil or criminal. You won't know in advance which kind of case you'll hear, and it can change from day to day (Coahoma County).
• Proof of service. The clerk can give you a certificate of service for your employer (Lee County).

Grand jury service

A grand jury has 15 to 25 members, as the court decides (§ 13-5-41). Grand jurors meet the same qualifications as trial jurors, except that a recent road overseer or road contractor can't serve, and they serve until the court discharges them (§ 13-5-23(5)). They're paid the same county rate of $25 to $40 a day once sworn.

Jury duty scams

Scammers call claiming you missed jury duty and are in contempt, then demand a fine over the phone. DeSoto County's circuit clerk has warned residents that a real summons comes by mail and says:

No one from this office will ever direct you to pay a contempt of court fine over the phone.

Mississippi's contempt penalty comes from a judge after a hearing, never from a phone call. Hang up and call your circuit clerk or sheriff (DeSoto County Circuit Clerk; see also the federal courts' juror scam warning).

Recent and pending changes

The 2026 session ended with no other change to juror pay, excuses, employer protection or penalties, and no jury bill was pending as of November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Mississippi?

Circuit, county and chancery court jurors get between $25 and $40 a day, plus mileage. Each county's board of supervisors sets the exact amount within that range; Coahoma County, for one, pays $25. Justice court jurors get $10 to $15 a day.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Mississippi?

No. If you tell your employer within a reasonable time after getting your summons, it can't fire you or take other adverse action because of jury service. It also can't require or ask you to use vacation or sick leave. Your employer doesn't have to pay your wages, and a violation is punished as contempt of court.

How do I get out of jury duty in Mississippi?

If you're over 65, you can claim an exemption through the clerk, or file a notarized request to be excused for good. Anyone who served on a jury in the past two years may also claim an exemption. Otherwise you need an excuse: an illness backed by a doctor's certificate, an undue or extreme hardship a judge accepts, or, for a breastfeeding mother, a request made in open court. Missing work alone isn't a hardship, but everyone gets one postponement by right.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Mississippi?

The court can order you to appear and explain. Without good cause, you can be held in civil contempt and fined up to $500, jailed up to three days, or both, or ordered to do community service. The court may waive the sanction for good cause.

How often can you be called for jury duty in Mississippi?

The law bars anyone who has served on a jury in the past two years from serving again, and people who served in a trial within two years may claim an exemption in that court. Because names are drawn at random from the voter list, some people are called several times over the years and others never.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Mississippi?

You must be at least 21; turning 18 isn't enough. There's no upper limit, but anyone over 65 may claim an exemption, and a summoned person who meets that age may ask the circuit clerk, by notarized request, to be excused permanently.

Where these rules live

• Miss. Code § 13-5-1 — Who is a competent juror (SB 2135, 2026)
• Miss. Code §§ 13-5-23, 13-5-25, 13-5-28, 13-5-34 — Excuses, over-65 exemption, summons, penalty (SB 2646, 2007)
• Miss. Code §§ 13-5-33, 13-5-35, 33-1-5 — Postponement, employer protection, National Guard (SB 2488, 2006)
• Miss. Code §§ 13-5-8, 13-5-12 — Master list and permanent excusal (SB 2330, 2010)
• Miss. Code § 25-7-61 — Juror pay (SB 3004, 2010)
• Miss. Code § 13-5-41 — Size of the grand jury (SB 2015, 2013)
• DeSoto County Circuit Clerk: Jury Duty
• Coahoma County Circuit Clerk: Jury Duty
• Miss. R. Civ. P. 47 — Jurors (on this site)
• Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure (on this site)
• Law schools in Mississippi