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

Nebraska's district and county courts draw jurors at random from each county's lists of licensed drivers, state ID holders and registered voters. If you're a U.S. citizen over 19 who lives in the county and can read, speak and understand English, you can be summoned. In every county the clerk of the district court serves as jury commissioner.

Nebraska protects jurors' paychecks. The county pays $35 for each day of service plus mileage, and your employer can't fire you, cut your pay, or take your sick or vacation time because of jury duty; it may only subtract the juror fee the court pays you. People 70 or older may opt out. A juror who ignores a summons without good cause is guilty of contempt of court.

The rules are in the Jury Selection Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 25-1644 to 25-1678, with juror pay in § 33-138. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Nebraska jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

Section 25-1650 opens with the test:

(1) All citizens of the United States residing in any of the counties of this state who are over the age of nineteen years, able to read, speak, and understand the English language, and free from all disqualifications set forth under this section and from all other legal exceptions are qualified to serve on all grand and petit juries in their respective counties.

The Nebraska Judicial Branch puts it simply: you must be a U.S. citizen, 19 or older, and physically and mentally capable (Nebraska Judicial Branch). The Jury Selection Act's stated aim is a random cross section of the community, with no one excluded because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, economic status, or military or veteran status (§ 25-1645).

Who is disqualified. The same section bars judges, clerks of the Supreme Court or district courts, sheriffs and jailers. It also bars people (and their spouses) who are parties to a case pending for trial to that jury panel, people convicted of a felony whose conviction hasn't been set aside or pardoned, and people disqualified by some other law. Spouses can't sit on the same panel. A person whose physical or mental disability prevents satisfactory service isn't qualified, but must send a physician's certificate (§ 25-1650(1)).

Where names come from. Each December the Department of Motor Vehicles gives every jury commissioner a list of licensed drivers and state ID holders 19 or older in the county; election officials add the registered voters. The commissioner merges the lists and picks every tenth name from a randomly drawn starting number to build the master key list (§§ 25-1653, 25-1654). You can't volunteer: asking to be put on a jury is contempt of court, carries a fine of up to $20, and disqualifies you for that term (§ 25-1677).

The qualification form. If you're drawn, you'll get a juror qualification form, by mail or through an online jury system, to return within ten days (§ 25-1657). Knowingly failing to return it, or lying on it to avoid or get jury service, is contempt of court (§ 25-1658).

Exemptions and excuses

Nebraska has few exemptions. The statute is blunt about it:

(3) No qualified potential juror is exempt from jury service, except that any person seventy years of age or older who makes a request to be exempt to the court at the time the juror qualification form is filed with the jury commissioner or who makes such a request in writing after being qualified and summoned shall be exempt from serving on grand and petit juries.

(§ 25-1650(3))

The ways out, then:

• Age 70 or older. Ask on the qualification form, or in writing after you're summoned. The exemption is yours by right; no judge has to approve it.
• Active-duty military. A member of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty is exempt on request, with documentation of active-duty status (§ 25-1650(1)).
• Nursing mothers. A nursing mother who asks is excused until she is no longer nursing, with a physician's certificate (§ 25-1650(1)). That certificate isn't a public record (§ 25-1650(4)).
• Disability. A person whose physical or mental disability prevents satisfactory service isn't qualified, but must supply a physician's certificate (§ 25-1650(1)).
• Hardship. Any district judge may excuse a juror "upon a showing of undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity" for as long as the court thinks necessary. When the period ends, you come back for service, and every excuse is entered on the court record (§ 25-1650(2)).

How to ask. Write to the clerk of the court that summoned you as soon as you can; a judge reviews the request (Nebraska Judicial Branch). The Supreme Court's form, DC 8:4, asks you to explain the hardship, and medical requests need a doctor's note (Form DC 8:4). Cedar County's clerk warns that judges require strict proof, and that a work-based request must come from your employer (Cedar County).

Postponing jury duty

The court may move a trial juror from one panel to a specific later panel. The judge signs a written form giving your name, address and the reason, and it goes on the court record (§ 25-1667).

The Judicial Branch says a judge may postpone you if you send a written request and show undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity, and that a postponement is granted only for a limited period. Use the Application for Postponement of Jury Service (DC 8:4), which serves for both postponement and excuse requests (Nebraska Judicial Branch; Form DC 8:4). Send it to the clerk on your summons before your date.

Juror pay

Section 33-138 sets one statewide rate:

(1) Each member of a grand or petit jury in a district court or county court shall receive for his or her services thirty-five dollars for each day employed in the discharge of his or her duties and mileage at the rate provided in section 81-1176 for each mile necessarily traveled.

What that means:

• $35 a day, every county. The county pays it (§ 33-138). The Judicial Branch tells jurors to expect $35 a day plus mileage.
• Mileage. The rate is the one the Department of Administrative Services sets for state travel (§ 81-1176). If you don't report your mileage, the clerk figures the distance from a map.
• Only days you serve. There's no pay for days you're voluntarily absent or excused, or for non-court days unless you actually serve. If the court sends you home and calls you back, it may allow mileage for the extra trip.
• You can decline it. A juror may waive the fee.
• When you're paid. The county clerk issues the check, usually two to four weeks after your service ends (Nebraska Judicial Branch).
• Kept overnight. If a jury is sequestered, the court pays for meals and lodging.
• No long-trial rate. The $35 doesn't rise for longer trials.

Your job is protected

Nebraska goes further than most states. Section 25-1674 protects both your job and your paycheck:

No employer shall subject an employee to discharge, loss of pay, loss of sick leave, loss of vacation time, or any other form of penalty on account of his or her absence from employment by reason of jury duty, except that an employer may reduce the pay of an employee by an amount equal to any compensation, other than expenses, paid by the court for jury duty.

What follows:

1. Give reasonable notice. The protection applies once you tell your employer about the summons.
2. No loss of pay. Your employer must keep paying you, but it may subtract the juror fee the court pays you. It can't subtract the mileage, which is an expense.
3. No firing, no forced leave. You can't be fired, lose sick leave or vacation time, or suffer any other penalty.
4. Shift workers. If you ask, you must be excused from shift work on the days you serve, without loss of pay.
5. Enforcement. An employer who violates the section is guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor (§ 25-1674), which carries a fine of up to $500 and no jail (§ 28-106).

The Judicial Branch adds that temporary and on-call employees must report when summoned too, and it publishes an information sheet you can hand your employer (Nebraska Judicial Branch). The statute doesn't spell out a lawsuit for lost wages; if your employer retaliates, contact the court clerk, the county attorney, or a lawyer.

What happens if you don't show up

Section 25-1661 sets the consequence:

(2) Any person summoned for jury service who fails to appear or to complete jury service as directed may be ordered by the court to appear forthwith and show cause for such failure to comply with the summons. If such person fails to show good cause for noncompliance with the summons, he or she shall be guilty of contempt of court.

(§ 25-1661)

The jury law names no fixed fine. A court may punish contempt by fine, jail, or both, after giving you notice and a reasonable time to make your defense (§§ 25-2121, 25-2122). There are exceptions: you aren't in contempt for ignoring a summons sent only through an online jury management system, or a one-step summons sent by first-class mail after you were found not qualified, excused, or postponed (§ 25-1661(3)). If something comes up, call the clerk before your reporting time.

Your first day

Each county runs its own jury office, so follow your summons. The Judicial Branch's statewide guidance:

• Check in as told. Follow the summons or ask the clerk of the district court's office. You may have to check in with the court daily to learn whether you must report, and that can go on for days or weeks.
• Parking. Most courthouses have street and lot parking; call the clerk to ask.
• Dress. Wear comfortable clothes that reflect the seriousness of the job.
• Phones and laptops. In most courts you may bring a laptop, cell phone or other device into the courtroom, but the judge decides how they're used. Never use one to research or discuss the case.
• Notes. Nebraska jurors may take notes; staff destroy them after the verdict.
• How long. Trials run from one day to several weeks. Cedar County reports that its district court trials average two to three days and county court trials about one day (Cedar County).
• Overnight stays are rare. You'll usually go home at the normal adjournment time.
• Emergencies. If you fall ill or have an emergency during service, tell the judge, bailiff or court clerk at once.
• Proof for your employer. Ask the clerk of the district court for verification of your service.

(Nebraska Judicial Branch)

Grand jury service

A Nebraska grand jury has 16 members and 3 alternates, chosen by a board of the jury commissioner, the presiding judge and one other person from a list drawn at random (§ 25-1669). District courts may call one at any time, and must call one in two cases: when a petition is signed by at least 10% of the county's registered voters who voted for governor in the last election, and whenever a person dies while being arrested or in the custody of law enforcement or detention staff (§ 29-1401). Grand jurors are paid the same $35 a day, and their work is secret.

Jury duty scams

The Nebraska Judicial Branch warns that scammers send fake jury notices, warrants and tickets by mail, email, phone or text, often claiming you missed jury service and demanding payment to avoid arrest. Courts won't ask for payment or your credit card number over the phone, and real courts never take payment through apps such as PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or Cash App. The warning ends:

Nebraska courts will never contact you by phone, text, or email to demand payment or personal information.

If you're targeted, hang up, contact local law enforcement, and report it to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division (Nebraska Court Scam Alert; see also the federal courts' juror scam warning).

Recent and pending changes

The Jury Selection Act itself was rewritten and renumbered in 2020 (LB 387), which is why older references cite §§ 25-1601 to 25-1640. No bill changing juror pay or the exemptions was found pending as of November 2026. The pay statute, § 33-138, was last amended in 2020, also by LB 387.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Nebraska?

Jurors get $35 for each day of service plus mileage at the state rate, paid by the county. The rate is the same in every county. On top of that, your employer can't cut your pay for jury duty, except to subtract the $35 fee.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Nebraska?

No. Once you give reasonable notice of your summons, your employer can't fire you, cut your pay, or take your sick or vacation time because you serve. It may only reduce your pay by the juror fee the court pays you, and you can't be made to work a shift on a day you serve if you ask to be excused. A violation is a Class IV misdemeanor.

How do I get out of jury duty in Nebraska?

People 70 or older and active-duty military members are exempt if they ask, and nursing mothers are excused with a physician's certificate. Anyone else needs a judge to find undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity; write to the clerk using form DC 8:4. A judge may also postpone you to a later panel.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Nebraska?

The court can order you to appear and explain. If you can't show good cause, you're guilty of contempt of court, which a judge may punish with a fine, jail, or both. If you have an emergency, call the clerk before your reporting time.

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

In any five-year period, you can't be required to serve more than four calendar weeks on trial juries (unless needed to finish a case), on more than one grand jury, or on both a grand jury and a trial jury. Once you've hit one of those limits, tell the clerk.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Nebraska?

You must be over 19. There's no upper age limit, but anyone 70 or older can claim an exemption by asking on the qualification form or in writing after being summoned. At least one county's jury page still mentions age 65; the statute says 70.

Where these rules live

• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1650 — Qualifications, exemptions and excuses
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1657 — Juror qualification form
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1661 — Failure to appear
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1667 — Postponement
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1670 — Limits on service
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1674 — Employer protection
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 33-138 — Juror pay and mileage
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-1401 — Grand juries
• Nebraska Judicial Branch: Jury Service
• The Jury Selection Act on this site (§ 25-1644 and following)
• Nebraska's qualifications statute on this site (§ 25-1650)
• Law schools in Nebraska