Can I Bring My Cell Phone to Jury Duty—The Mystery Solved
Cell phones and laptops are omnipresent in the digital age, so you might be wondering—can I bring my cell phone to jury duty? Our digestible article will answer that question—we’ll also give you some jury duty know-how and help you prepare if you get called to serve on a jury.
Is an employer unwilling to give you time off for fulfilling your legal responsibility? Since you can’t skip jury duty, we’ll ensure your rights are upheld. , and let us draw up a custom jury duty leave request letter for your employer problem-free!
What Items Am I Allowed To Bring to Jury Duty?
Jury duty is an integral and established part of civic service, so knowing what you can and cannot bring to court is useful. Specific prohibitions vary from state to state, but you are prohibited from binging the following items to any court by federal law:
- Firearms and ammunition
- Items with any type of blade (swords, knives, etc.)
- Knitting needles
- Scissors
- Cameras and recorders (except for licensed news reporters)
- Metal kitchenware
- Alcohol
Items that are allowed in the court if they pass an x-ray scan include:
- Handbags
- Briefcases
- Backpacks
- Miscellaneous containers
Electronic devices such as ebook readers, cell phones, and laptops can usually be brought to jury duty, albeit with certain restrictions.
The Ground Rules for Bringing Cell Phones and Laptops to Jury Duty
Jury duty can take a while, so you might be tempted to kill time on Facebook or watch a video on Youtube. If you are selected to serve as a juror, remember that you need to obey certain protocols when using your cellphone or laptop. Be sure to check the specific regulations of the court that you’re attending—certain rules may only apply in some states!
How You Can Use Your Laptop and Cellphone on Jury Duty
Most courts require you to follow specific rules regarding the use of any electronic device you bring to jury duty. You are allowed to use your device for:
- Accessing the internet if the court provides free Wi-Fi
- Making a phone call in the hallway or jury assembly room
- Reading an ebook
- Watching videos
- Listening to music on your headphones
What You Cannot Do With Your Electronic Device
While on a jury, you are forbidden from using your device to:
- Talk on the phone while court is in session
- Look up information about the trial on the internet
- Discuss the trial with a third-party
- Tweet about the trial
- Disseminate information about the trial
You should take these prohibitions seriously—using a cell phone or laptop inadequately can lead to a judge declaring a mistrial.
Need Help Writing a Jury Duty Leave Request Letter? DoNotPay Can Solve Your Issue!
Apart from following the rules of behavior in a courtroom, you need to make sure your service won’t cause any issues with your boss. Employers don’t take kindly to their staff missing work for any reason, especially when they aren’t notified of their absence in a timely manner—they might even threaten to fire you!
Our Request Jury Duty Leave tool will use the details you provide to compose a custom leave request letter that will notify your employer about the time you’ll be away on jury duty. Since you are protected from employer’s retribution for taking time off to serve on a jury, we’ll make sure to cite relevant state laws in the letter.
Here’s what you have to do:
- Select the Request Jury Duty Leave product
- Enter details about the court you’ll attend
- Upload the summons
If you’re curious about jury duty payment, refer to these articles:
- Jury duty pay laws by state
- How much do you get paid for jury duty?
- How much does federal jury duty pay?
For more detailed guides to jury duty laws in each state, check out this table:
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