How Comal County jury duty works: summons, reporting and exemptions

Exemptions and requests for help

The JP Precinct 2 page lists grounds on which a summoned person may seek an exemption, including being over 75, being a secondary-school student or attending higher education, and having legal custody of a child younger than 12 when service would leave the child without adequate supervision. It also lists a medical exemption requiring a doctor's letter. The page distinguishes exemptions from disqualifications and asks people who think either applies to contact the JP office at 830-387-7600. These are JP Precinct 2 instructions; check the court named on your own summons before submitting a form.

The County Courts at Law page says a person whose ability to comprehend or communicate in English, or whose physical or mental impairment, makes service impossible or very difficult may request a permanent exemption. For a medical request, it says a physician's statement must accompany the application. It gives 199 Main Plaza, Suite 1013, New Braunfels, TX 78130 as the mailing address for permanent-exemption applications. If a special need or emergency arises after selection for a jury panel, the page directs the juror to tell the bailiff.

The two cited county pages do not set out a general postponement procedure or explain how to arrange an accessibility accommodation before reporting. A resident who needs either answer should contact the court named on the summons: JP Precinct 2 lists 830-387-7600, while the County Courts at Law page lists 830-221-1180. Ask that court what request and documentation it requires for the particular summons.

Pay and the day at court

Comal County's County Courts at Law page says jurors are paid $20 for the first day they appear in response to a summons and $58 for each following day of service. It says employers are not required to pay employees during jury duty. For those reporting to the County Courts at Law, the page describes metal-detection screening, prohibited weapons and sharp objects, and free public parking at the corner of Seguin and Bridge streets. Check the summons and current court instructions for the reporting place and time that apply to you.

Keep the summons until the court confirms your status. The county's Jury Duty Answers page is the route to inspect County Courts at Law schedule information, and the JP Precinct 2 instructions explain its questionnaire deadline and day-before status check. Use the phone number for the court named on your summons if its instructions do not answer your question.