Scheduling / Call-In Procedures

Both grand and petit jurors will receive, by mail, a summons to appear on the first day of the term. Juror Questionnaires (summons) must be completed and returned within 10 days. Please report to the Calvert County Courthouse, 175 Main Street, Prince Frederick, Maryland.

Grand Jurors

After the first day of the grand jury term, the State's Attorney will schedule the sessions. Each month, a reminder notice will be mailed prior to the session.

Petit Jurors

Petit Jurors will receive a summons to appear on the first date of their term for a brief orientation. However, jurors must follow the directions on the summons and use the phone-in system, a recorded message that provides instructions to jurors, on the night before they are scheduled to appear for the first time. Orientations are not held unless a jury trial is scheduled. Generally, jurors will not have to appear on the first day of their term. The phone-in system provides a tape-recorded message with specific instructions for the jurors. Orientation is given to each juror on the first date they are instructed, by the phone-in system, to appear at the courthouse.

The schedule for Petit Jurors is managed through the phone-in system. Jurors call a tape-recorded message every Thursday evening, any time after 4 p.m., where they will hear the tentative schedule for the upcoming week so that jurors can plan their week, notify employers, childcare providers, etc., before the weekend. If tentatively scheduled to appear, the recording will instruct jurors to call once more the night before they are scheduled to appear to be advised whether or not the trial will proceed as scheduled or whether it has been canceled.

Cancellations occur because the parties settle civil cases in the days immediately before the trial, or, in criminal cases, the defendant may decide, right up to the moment of his or her appearance in court, to waive the right to a jury trial. Approximately one half of the petit jurors scheduled during a term will be canceled. Therefore, it is extremely important to use the phone-in system in order to prevent an unnecessary trip to the courthouse.

Call-In Line

The number to call for the tape-recorded petit jury schedule is 410-535-1661 or 301-855-1243, ext. 2324. The recording is on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The message for the upcoming week's tentative schedule is changed each Thursday after 4 p.m. After 4:30 p.m., jurors dialing through the courthouse switchboard will hear a message that the courthouse is closed. Dial the ext. 2324 anyway. You will still be connected.