Jury Trial Information

Jury trials are scheduled for every other Thursday. A person receiving notification to serve as a Petit Juror has that obligation for that month (normally consisting of two Thursdays a month). Sometimes trials are settled prior to the scheduled trial date. Jurors have two ways to check to see if the trial is canceled or still scheduled. You can;

• Check the Portsmouth City Web Site under "BREAKING NEWS" or the "LATEST NEWS" column on the Welcome Page of this site.
• Call the Jury Status Line at 354-8952 and listen to the recording.

It is STRONGLY suggested that you check the status after 4:00 pm the day before the trial is scheduled. Trial Cancelations have been made as late as 3:00 pm on Wednesday, the day before trial.

Please Dress Appropriately for Court

• NO shorts, t-shirts, tank tops or shoulder bearing shirts or blouses.

Trials will last one (1) day.

Parking:

Parking is available directly behind the city building and in the parking lot east of the city building (near the bridge). Jurors may also park in the Holiday Inn lot.

DO NOT park in the Smith Health Mart lot (next to the Holiday Inn) or the Horizon Apartments lot (located west of the city building). Their lots are reserved for their customers only and your vehicle could be towed.

Handicap Jurors:

Please enter the building through the side doors located on the east side of the building. Ring the buzzer and a member of the Security Staff will open the door for you.

Security:

For the safety of every employee and visitor, all personnel are required to enter through the front doors of the building; except those that are handicapped. Persons entering the building will pass through a security checkpoint. Handicap personnel will be checked at the designated handicap entrance. DO NOT bring knives of any size, sharp objects that can be used as a weapon, tazers, or mace, into the building.