About jury service

The jury system in NSW is administered by the NSW Sheriff's Office, operating in accordance with the NSW Jury Act 1977 and Jury Regulation 2022.

Juries are used in the NSW District Court and NSW Supreme Court to hear and determine:

• more serious criminal matters.
• civil matters involving large monetary claims.

Jury service plays an essential role in our justice system. Juries ensure that legal verdicts are impartial and in line with the law and with community standards of behaviour.

Serving as a juror can be a rewarding experience which offers unique insights into a court room, it’s diverse players and proceedings.

To find out more about who is eligible for jury service, you can read our Fact sheet – Eligibility for jury service (PDF, 181.9 KB).

How is a jury selected?

There are 4 main steps to jury selection. People who sit as jurors in a particular trial have gone through all 4 steps.

1. Notice of inclusion
   A Notice of Inclusion is a letter sent out to advise that you have been randomly selected and placed on a jury roll for 12 months. During this time, you may be summonsed to attend court for jury service.
   
   
2. Summons
   A summons is a letter sent out to advise you that you have been randomly selected from the people on the jury roll and you are required to attend a specific court for Jury Service on a particular date and time.
   
   
3. Attending court
   At court, people who have been summoned may be selected to serve on a jury in a particular trial.
   
   
4. Empanelling a jury
   Once the trial is ready to commence, potential jurors are taken in groups into the courtroom.
   
   The Judge's Associate draws out juror numbers randomly from a ballot box. If your number is called, you will be asked to take a seat in the jury box.
   
   Both the prosecutor and the defence counsel can challenge the selection of a juror without giving reasons. The challenge process is governed by legislation. If you are not included in the final jury selection because of a challenge, you may be required to remain at the court complex in case you are needed for another trial.
   
   Once the challenges have been exhausted and there is a full panel of jurors, each person who has been selected is asked to take an Oath (swear to God) or an affirmation (promise to the court) to carry out their task faithfully and impartially.
   
   This process is also explained in the Welcome to jury service video shown when you attend court. 

A jury's role in criminal trials

Sometimes the role of a juror can be more complex, depending on the trial you are attending. In criminal trials, a jury hears evidence, applies the law as directed by the judge, and decides if a person is guilty or not guilty of a crime, based on the facts.

A jury does not participate in the sentencing process.

In criminal trials, between 12 and 15 people are selected to be on the jury.

A jury's role in civil trials

Juries are only rarely used in civil trials and are usually defamation proceedings. A civil trial jury is typically 4 jurors, however, in the Supreme Court, 12 jurors may be selected.  The trial judge will outline the issues the jury needs to consider in deciding who is ‘at fault’ rather than deciding whether an accused person is guilty or not guilty.