C.R.S. § 13-71-101 Short title
13-71-101. Short title. This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Colorado Uniform Jury Selection and Service Act".
Colorado Uniform Jury Selection and Service Act
C.R.S. tit. 13, art. 71
in effectC.R.S. § 13-71-102 Definitions
13-71-102. Definitions. As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Clerk" and "clerk of the court" include any deputy clerk or the jury commissioner.
(2) "Court" means a district or county court of this state and includes any judge of the court.
(2.5) "Juror service" means the period of time during which a person is committed to serving upon a jury, from the time the person reports and checks in on his or her designated reporting date through and until he or she is released by the court or by the jury commissioner. "Juror service" includes any time that a person spends in the jury selection process and any time that a person spends in a trial.
(3) "Juror wheel" means any electronic automated system for the storage of the names or identifying numbers of prospective jurors.
(4) "Master juror list" means the voter registration lists for the county, which shall be supplemented with names from other sources prescribed pursuant to section 13-71-107 in order to foster the policy and protect the rights secured by this article.
(5) "Master juror wheel" means the juror wheel in which are placed names or identifying numbers of prospective jurors taken from the master list.
(6) "Voter registration lists" means the official records of persons registered to vote in the most recent general election.
C.R.S. § 13-71-103 Number of trial jurors
13-71-103. Number of trial jurors. A jury in civil cases shall consist of six persons, unless the parties agree to a smaller number, which shall be not less than three.
C.R.S. § 13-71-104 Eligibility for juror service - prohibition of discrimination
13-71-104. Eligibility for juror service - prohibition of discrimination. (1) Juror service is a duty that every qualified person has an obligation to perform when selected.
(2) All trial and grand jurors shall be selected at random from a fair cross section of the population of the area served by the court. All selected and summoned jurors shall serve, except as otherwise provided in this article or by court rule.
(3) (a) A person shall not be exempted or excluded from serving as a trial juror or grand juror because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, economic status, or occupation.
(b) A person with a disability shall serve except:
(I) As otherwise provided in section 13-71-105 or 13-71-119.5; or
(II) Where the court finds that such person's disability prevents the person from performing the duties and responsibilities of a juror.
(c) Before dismissing a person with a disability pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (3), the court shall interview the person to determine the reasonable accommodations, if any, consistent with federal and state law, that the court may make available to permit the person to perform the duties of a juror.
(4) The court shall strictly enforce the provisions of this article; except that the supreme court may provide by rule for the exclusion in a criminal trial of a juror who is employed by a public law enforcement agency or public defender's office.
C.R.S. § 13-71-105 Qualifications for juror service
13-71-105. Qualifications for juror service. (1) Any person who is a United States citizen and resides in a county or lives in such county more than fifty percent of the time, whether or not registered to vote, shall be qualified to serve as a trial or grand juror in such county. Citizenship and residency status on the date that the jury service is to be performed shall control.
(2) A prospective trial or grand juror shall be disqualified, based on the following grounds:
(a) Being under the age of eighteen;
(b) Inability to read, speak, and understand the English language;
(c) Inability, by reason of a physical or mental disability, to render satisfactory juror service. Any person claiming this disqualification shall submit a letter, if the jury commissioner requests it, from a licensed physician, licensed physician assistant authorized under section 12-240-107 (6), licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or authorized Christian science practitioner, stating the nature of the disability and an opinion that such disability prevents the person from rendering satisfactory juror service. The physician, physician assistant, licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or authorized Christian science practitioner shall apply the following guideline: A person shall be capable of rendering satisfactory juror service if the person is able to perform a sedentary job requiring close attention for three consecutive business days for six hours per day, with short breaks in the morning and afternoon sessions.
(d) Sole responsibility for the daily care of an individual with a permanent disability living in the same household to the extent that the performance of juror service would cause a substantial risk of injury to the health of the individual with a disability. Jurors who are regularly employed at a location other than their households may not be disqualified for this reason. Any person claiming this disqualification shall, if the jury commissioner requests it, submit a letter from a licensed physician, licensed physician assistant authorized under section 12-240-107 (6), licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or authorized Christian science practitioner stating the name, address, and age of the individual with a disability, the nature of care provided by the prospective juror, and an opinion that the performance of juror service would cause a substantial risk of injury to the individual with a disability.
(e) Residence outside of the county with no intention of returning to the county at any time during the succeeding twelve months;
(f) Selection and service as an impaneled trial or grand juror in any municipal, tribal, military, state, or federal court within the preceding twelve months or being scheduled for juror service within the next twelve months. Any person claiming this disqualification must submit a letter or other formal acknowledgment from the appropriate authority verifying his or her prior or pending juror service.
(g) Appearance as a prospective juror in state court in accordance with the provisions of section 13-71-120 within the current calendar year. Any person claiming this disqualification shall submit a letter or other formal acknowledgment from the appropriate authority verifying such prior juror appearance. This exemption, however, does not apply in emergency circumstances as provided for in section 13-71-112.
(h) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2000, p. 32, § 2, effective August 2, 2000.)
(3) A prospective grand juror shall be disqualified if he or she has previously been convicted of a felony in this state, any other state, the United States, or any territory under the jurisdiction of the United States.
C.R.S. § 13-71-106 Jury commissioners
13-71-106. Jury commissioners. The chief judge of each judicial district shall appoint a jury commissioner for each county within that judicial district. Each jury commissioner shall be compensated as determined by the supreme court pursuant to section 13-3-105, but no court employee who serves as a jury commissioner shall receive any compensation in addition to a regular salary.
C.R.S. § 13-71-107 Master juror list
13-71-107. Master juror list. (1) Each year, the state court administrator shall obtain from the secretary of state a voter registration list for each county in the state. The state court administrator shall also obtain licensed driver lists from the department of revenue, and, where available, the department of revenue shall match said drivers license records with the most recent address of the individual used for income tax purposes and supply any additional income tax address to the court administrator. The state court administrator may obtain other lists of residents of the state as necessary and desirable. The voter registration lists, as supplemented and modified by other lists, may be used to compile the master juror list for the following year. A copy of the master juror list that does not contain addresses of the jurors shall be open to the public for examination as a public record.
(2) Any person who has custody, possession, or control of any list to be used in compiling the master juror list shall furnish, upon request, a copy of that list to the state court administrator.
C.R.S. § 13-71-108 Master juror wheel
13-71-108. Master juror wheel. (1) The state court administrator shall use an electronic automated system to compile and maintain a master juror wheel. The wheel shall consist of names, addresses, dates of birth, identifying numbers, and jury histories for prospective jurors taken from the master juror list. Each year, the master juror wheel shall be emptied and refilled in compliance with the provisions of this article. Jurors receiving cancellations or postponements of juror appearance and service may be replaced on the master juror wheel for the succeeding year and shall receive new summonses for their new dates in the succeeding year.
(2) In order to more equitably distribute the responsibility for juror appearance and service throughout the qualified population of each county and to avoid repeatedly summoning the same individuals for jury appearance and service, the state court administrator shall implement reasonable procedures to match prior year records of juror selection, appearance, and service in the state courts with the prospective juror names included in the master juror wheel. To the extent practical, the prior juror selection and service records shall be used to prioritize the juror names in the master juror wheel. To the extent practical, individuals with the least amount of jury appearances or service in the most recent years shall be summoned prior to individuals who have appeared or served more recently.
C.R.S. § 13-71-109 Random selection from master juror list
13-71-109. Random selection from master juror list. If all prospective jurors on the master juror list are not needed, selection of the names or identifying numbers of prospective jurors to be placed on the master juror wheel shall be by a random selection method which ensures equal probability of selection.
C.R.S. § 13-71-110 Juror selection and summoning
13-71-110. Juror selection and summoning. A jury commissioner shall specify the number of trial jurors needed for each day's juror pool or for selection of a grand jury within that commissioner's county. The state court administrator shall then randomly select the specified number of jurors required from the master juror wheel and shall issue a summons to each selected prospective juror, either personally or by mail addressed to the usual residence or post-office address of the prospective juror.
C.R.S. § 13-71-111 Contents of juror summons
13-71-111. Contents of juror summons. (1) The juror summons shall state: Whether the anticipated service is that of a trial or grand juror; the beginning date of the juror service; the name, address, hour, and room number, if any, of the courthouse or office to which the juror shall report on the first day of service; the fact that a knowing failure to obey the summons without justifiable excuse is a violation of section 18-8-612, and a class 2 misdemeanor punishable as provided in section 18-1.3-501; and such other information and instructions as are deemed appropriate by the state court administrator or the jury commissioner.
(2) Every prospective juror shall also receive with the summons:
(a) Notice of the qualifications for juror service; and
(b) Instructions to jurors for retrieving juror service acknowledgment information, as described in section 13-71-132.
C.R.S. § 13-71-112 Emergency summonses
13-71-112. Emergency summonses. In order to meet emergency needs of the court, the state court administrator or a jury commissioner, by any means of notice including notice by telephone, may summon additional trial or grand jurors to appear for juror service at a time certain and shall inform the juror at which courthouse to appear.
C.R.S. § 13-71-113 Modification of juror service
13-71-113. Modification of juror service. In order to meet the urgent needs of the court, a jury commissioner may modify the date, location, or other condition of trial or grand juror service and may notify the prospective juror of the modification by telephone or other appropriate means.
C.R.S. § 13-71-114 Cancellation of juror service
13-71-114. Cancellation of juror service. Whenever it appears that the number of jurors scheduled to appear is in excess of the number needed, a jury commissioner may cancel the trial or grand juror service of a prospective juror and may notify the juror by telephone or other appropriate means. Any juror whose service has been canceled is not considered disqualified under section 13-71-105 (2)(f) but may be randomly reselected for further service within the succeeding twelve months.
C.R.S. § 13-71-115 Juror questionnaires
13-71-115. Juror questionnaires. (1) On or before the first day of the term of trial or grand juror service, each juror shall be given a juror questionnaire requesting the following information about the juror: Name, sex, date of birth, age, residence, and marital status; the number and ages of children; educational level and occupation; whether the juror is regularly employed, self-employed, or unemployed; spouse's occupation; previous juror service; present or past involvement as a party or witness in a civil or criminal proceeding; and such other information as the jury commissioner deems appropriate after consulting with the judges in the judicial district. The questionnaire shall contain a declaration by the juror that the information supplied is, to the best of the juror's knowledge, true and an acknowledgment that a willful misrepresentation of a material fact is a class 2 misdemeanor punishable as provided in section 18-1.3-501. Immediately below the declaration, the questionnaire shall contain a place for the signature of the juror. A notice that the completed questionnaire is not a public record shall appear prominently on its face.
(2) Unless the court orders otherwise, the jury commissioner shall provide copies of the appropriate completed questionnaires to the trial judge and counsel for use during jury selection. With the exception of the names of qualified jurors and disclosures made during jury selection, information on the questionnaires shall be held in confidence by the court, the parties, trial counsel, and their agents. Upon the completion of jury selection, the parties and their counsel shall return all copies of the completed questionnaires to the court for immediate destruction. The original completed questionnaires for all prospective jurors shall be sealed in an envelope and retained in the court's file but shall not constitute a public record.
(3) If a person's answers to a questionnaire indicate that the person is disqualified or disabled from performing jury service pursuant to section 13-71-104 (3), 13-71-105, or 13-71-119.5 or, in the opinion of the court, state grounds sufficient to be excused from jury service pursuant to section 13-71-119.5, the person's name shall not be included in the juror pool and the court shall notify the person that he or she is excused from jury service.
C.R.S. § 13-71-116 Trial juror's right to one postponement - definition
13-71-116. Trial juror's right to one postponement - definition. (1) A trial juror shall have the right to one postponement of the term of juror service. The postponement must not last more than six months, but may extend into the next calendar year; except that, if a trial juror is a Colorado resident and a student enrolled in an institution of higher education outside the state of Colorado and attends classes at the institution in person, the postponement must not last more than twelve months but may extend into the next calendar year. To exercise this right, the juror shall notify the jury commissioner by telephone or in writing requesting an alternate date to which juror service may be postponed. A jury commissioner, in the jury commissioner's discretion, may set the date to which the juror's service is postponed. A jury commissioner shall notify the juror by telephone or in writing of the new date.
(2) As used in this section, "institution of higher education" means any out-of-state postsecondary public or private educational institution that provides not less than a one-year program of training to prepare students for gainful employment.
C.R.S. § 13-71-116.5 Postponement related to co-employee jury service
13-71-116.5. Postponement related to co-employee jury service. Upon notice by an employee, a jury commissioner shall postpone and reschedule the service of a summoned juror who is regularly employed by an employer with five or fewer full-time employees or their equivalent if, during the same period, another employee of the employer has been summoned for jury service. A postponement issued pursuant to this section shall not affect a person's right to a postponement of jury service pursuant to section 13-71-116.
C.R.S. § 13-71-117 Assignment of courthouse location
13-71-117. Assignment of courthouse location. Every trial and grand juror shall be notified on the summons, or otherwise, to perform juror service at a designated court location within each county. The jury commissioner or the court may permit a juror to serve at a different courthouse location within the county upon a finding that service at the original location would be a hardship.
C.R.S. § 13-71-118 Telephone notice
13-71-118. Telephone notice. The jury commissioner or the court may permit a trial or grand juror to be available for juror service or continued juror service upon telephone notice. Such a juror shall provide the court with a telephone number at which the juror may be reached, with certainty, and shall agree to resume juror service, if necessary, not more than one hour after receiving telephone notice.
C.R.S. § 13-71-119 Deferments and excuses - limitations
13-71-119. Deferments and excuses - limitations. (1) It shall be the policy of this article that every trial juror shall be prepared to serve three trial days except as otherwise provided in this section or in section 13-71-104, 13-71-105, or 13-71-119.5.
(2) The court or the jury commissioner may defer or advance the term of service of the trial or grand juror upon a finding as provided in section 13-71-104, 13-71-105, or 13-71-119.5. The court may excuse a juror from grand juror service upon a finding of hardship or inconvenience, taking into consideration the length of grand juror service. The court may excuse a juror from trial juror service upon a finding of extreme hardship. The court may dismiss a trial or grand juror at any time in the best interest of justice.
(3) The court, after a hearing, may excuse and discharge an impaneled juror prior to jury deliberation upon a finding of extreme hardship, and such discharge shall not be grounds for objection or a mistrial as long as the statutorily or constitutionally required number of jurors remain able to proceed with the trial and deliberation. The court, after a hearing, may excuse and discharge a juror participating in jury deliberation only upon a finding of an emergency or for any other compelling reason. If the statutorily or constitutionally required number of jurors does not remain to hear evidence or to participate in jury deliberation after the discharge of a juror, the trial may continue with the lesser number of jurors only upon agreement of all parties on the record. The court may discharge an impaneled juror who has not appeared for juror service upon a finding that there is a strong likelihood that an unreasonable delay in the trial would occur if the court were to await the appearance of the juror. The court may exercise any authority granted in this section at any time before or during a juror's term of service.
C.R.S. § 13-71-119.5 Persons entitled to be excused from jury service
13-71-119.5. Persons entitled to be excused from jury service. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of this state that all qualified citizens have an obligation to serve on juries when summoned by the courts of this state unless excused in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(2) (a) (I) A person shall be excused temporarily from service as a juror if his or her jury service would cause undue or extreme physical hardship to him or her or to another person under his or her direct care or supervision.
(II) The provisions of this subsection (2) shall apply notwithstanding the fact that the person does not have sole responsibility for the care of another person as described in section 13-71-105 (2)(d).
(b) A judge or jury commissioner of the court for which a person was summoned for jury service shall determine whether jury service would cause the prospective juror or another person under his or her direct care undue or extreme physical hardship.
(c) A person who requests to be excused under this subsection (2) shall take all actions necessary to obtain a determination on the request before the date on which the person is scheduled to appear for jury duty.
(d) For purposes of this subsection (2), undue or extreme physical hardship shall be limited to circumstances in which a person:
(I) Would be required to abandon a person under his or her direct care or supervision because of the inability to obtain an appropriate substitute care provider during the period of jury service; or
(II) Would suffer physical hardship possibly resulting in illness or disease.
(e) A person who requests to be excused under the provisions of this subsection (2) may provide the judge or jury commissioner documentation that supports the request to be excused, including but not limited to medical statements, proof of dependency or guardianship, or other similar documents. The judge or jury commissioner may excuse a person if the documentation clearly supports the request to be excused. The documents comprising the documentation described in this subsection (2) shall not be deemed public records and shall not be disclosed to the public.
(2.5) A person who is breast-feeding a child and is temporarily unable to or chooses not to leave the child in order to serve on a jury must be excused temporarily from service as a juror for up to two consecutive twelve-month postponements. The judge or jury commissioner may request a medical statement in support of the postponement. A medical statement provided pursuant to this subsection (2.5) is not a public record and must not be disclosed to the public.
(3) A person who is temporarily excused pursuant to this section shall become eligible for qualification as a juror when the temporary excuse expires, as determined by the court. A person may be permanently excused only if the judge or jury commissioner determines that the grounds for being excused from jury service are permanent in nature.
(4) The provisions of this section shall not apply to impaneled jurors or to deliberating jurors described in section 13-71-119.
C.R.S. § 13-71-120 Length of juror service
13-71-120. Length of juror service. Trial juror service shall be for a one-day term unless a juror is assigned to or impaneled on an incompleted trial when the one-day term ends, or unless the court orders otherwise. Nothing shall prevent a trial juror from serving on more than one jury or participating in more than one trial during the term; except that a trial juror whose deliberation ended with a verdict shall not be required to participate in a second trial even though the juror may not have completed the first day of juror service at the time of the commencement of the second trial. Jurors awaiting assignment to a trial shall be discharged as early as possible after it has been determined that their services will not be needed. Grand juror service shall be for a term of twelve months unless the court discharges the jurors earlier or enlarges such term upon a finding that the efficient administration of justice so requires; except that in no event shall a grand jury serve for longer than eighteen months.
C.R.S. § 13-71-121 Extended trials
13-71-121. Extended trials. Before a jury is impaneled, the court shall inform the jurors if a trial is expected to last more than three trial days and may excuse a juror from performing juror service in that trial upon a finding of hardship or inconvenience, taking into account the expected length of the trial. Any juror so excused shall otherwise complete the term of juror service.
C.R.S. § 13-71-122 Failure to appear - delinquency notice
13-71-122. Failure to appear - delinquency notice. The jury commissioner may send a delinquency notice by certified or first-class mail to any trial or grand juror who has failed to appear for juror service. The purposes of delinquency notices shall be only to notify the jurors of their delinquent status and to rectify the problem by appropriate means. The jury commissioner shall have discretionary authority to resolve delinquent juror problems.
C.R.S. § 13-71-123 Enforcement of juror duties
13-71-123. Enforcement of juror duties. The court shall take whatever action may be appropriate to enforce the provisions of this article. Upon a finding that a juror will not appear to perform or complete juror service or in response to the court's order, the court may take such action as is likely to compel the juror to appear.
C.R.S. § 13-71-124 Delegation of authority to jury commissioner
13-71-124. Delegation of authority to jury commissioner. The state court administrator or the court may delegate to jury commissioners such authority as is appropriate for the efficient administration of this article.
C.R.S. § 13-71-125 Compensation and reimbursement
13-71-125. Compensation and reimbursement. The compensation and reimbursement policy of this article shall be to prevent, insofar as possible, financial hardship for any juror because of the performance of juror service. Where financial hardship exists, the court shall attempt to place the juror in the same financial position as such juror would have been were it not for the performance of juror service.
C.R.S. § 13-71-126 Compensation of employed jurors during first three days of service
13-71-126. Compensation of employed jurors during first three days of service. All regularly employed trial or grand jurors shall be paid regular wages, but not to exceed fifty dollars per day unless by mutual agreement between the employee and employer, by their employers for the first three days of juror service or any part thereof. Regular employment shall include part-time, temporary, and casual employment if the employment hours may be determined by a schedule, custom, or practice established during the three-month period preceding the juror's term of service.
C.R.S. § 13-71-127 Financial hardship of employer or self-employed juror
13-71-127. Financial hardship of employer or self-employed juror. The court shall excuse an employer or a self-employed juror from the duty of compensation for trial or grand juror service upon a finding that it would cause financial hardship. When such a finding is made, a juror shall receive reasonable compensation in lieu of wages from the state for the first three days of juror service or any part thereof. Such award shall not exceed fifty dollars per day of juror service. A court hearing on an employer's extreme financial hardship shall occur no later than thirty days after the tender of the juror service acknowledgment information to the employer. The request for a court hearing shall be made in writing to the jury commissioner.
C.R.S. § 13-71-128 Reimbursement of unemployed jurors during first three days of service
13-71-128. Reimbursement of unemployed jurors during first three days of service. Each trial or grand juror who is unemployed may apply to the jury commissioner on the first day of juror service and shall be reimbursed by the state for reasonable travel, child care, and other necessary out-of-pocket expenses, except food, for the first three days of juror service or any part thereof. The state court administrator shall establish guidelines for the reimbursement of unemployed trial and grand jurors. No award for an unemployed juror shall exceed fifty dollars per day of juror service, and the court shall approve, prior to reimbursement, any award which is outside the guidelines. Any juror who is not regularly employed, including, but not limited to, retired persons, homemakers, students, unemployed persons, and persons receiving unemployment benefits, shall be entitled to reimbursement under this section. Juror service shall not cause a person to lose unemployment benefits.
C.R.S. § 13-71-129 Compensation of jurors after first three days of service
13-71-129. Compensation of jurors after first three days of service. The state shall pay each trial or grand juror who serves more than three days for the fourth day of service and each day thereafter at the rate of fifty dollars per day. A trial or grand juror receiving payment under this section shall not be entitled to additional reimbursement for travel or other out-of-pocket expenses.
C.R.S. § 13-71-129.5 Public transportation for jurors
13-71-129.5. Public transportation for jurors. In all judicial districts with one or more publicly owned or operated systems of public transportation, the office of the state court administrator shall work with officials of the public transportation system or systems to create and implement a plan whereby each juror may obtain transportation at no cost to the juror to the vicinity of the courthouse or other place of juror service, and return, using the regular routes and schedules of the public transportation system.
C.R.S. § 13-71-130 Limitations on juror compensation
13-71-130. Limitations on juror compensation. The state shall compensate and credit each juror for only those days on which the juror appeared as directed to perform juror service. Holidays and business days on which a trial has been recessed are excluded.
C.R.S. § 13-71-131 Special awards of compensation and reimbursement
13-71-131. Special awards of compensation and reimbursement. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, the court is authorized to make special awards of compensation and reimbursement to any juror based upon unusual circumstances or to effect the purposes of this article. By appropriate order, the court may make special arrangements for physically impaired and elderly jurors and may provide for the other needs of jurors. The court shall provide for reasonable costs of jury sequestration.
C.R.S. § 13-71-132 Juror service acknowledgment information - requests - payment
13-71-132. Juror service acknowledgment information - requests - payment. (1) The juror service acknowledgment shall contain the following information: The name of the juror; the jury commissioner contact information and the number of days of juror service performed; a declaration of the duty of the employer to compensate an employed juror for the first three days, or any part thereof, of juror service; the right of an employer to be excused from such duty by the court upon a showing of extreme financial hardship; and any other information deemed appropriate by the jury commissioner. The jury commissioner shall retain juror service acknowledgment information for each juror and make it available electronically via the internet for twelve months after the juror completes his or her service.
(2) If a juror requests juror service acknowledgment information relating to his or her juror service at any time during the twelve-month period described in subsection (1) of this section, the jury commissioner shall provide the information within sixty days after the request.
(3) Trial juror payments for each juror's service shall be processed by the state by check or electronic funds transfer within ten days after the conclusion of the juror's service. The state shall process grand juror payments at least on a monthly basis. Each payment shall include all compensation for juror service and reimbursement for authorized expenses incurred by the juror during the previous time period. The state court administrator shall prepare and disburse these payments based upon information received from jury commissioners.
C.R.S. § 13-71-133 Enforcement of employer's duty to compensate jurors
13-71-133. Enforcement of employer's duty to compensate jurors. Any employer who fails to compensate an employed juror under the applicable provisions of this article and who has not been excused from such duty of compensation shall be liable to the employed juror. If the employer fails to compensate a juror within thirty days after tender of the juror service acknowledgment information, the juror may commence a civil action in any court having jurisdiction over the parties. Extreme financial hardship on the part of the employer shall not be a defense to such an action. The court may award treble damages and reasonable attorney fees to the juror upon a finding of willful misconduct by the employer.
C.R.S. § 13-71-134 Penalties and enforcement remedies for harassment by employer
13-71-134. Penalties and enforcement remedies for harassment by employer. (1) An employer shall not deprive an employed juror of employment or any incidents or benefits thereof, nor shall an employer harass, threaten, or coerce an employee because the employee receives a juror summons, responds thereto, performs any obligation or election of juror service as a trial or grand juror, or exercises any right under any section of this article. An employer shall make no demands upon any employed juror which will substantially interfere with the effective performance of juror service. The employed juror may commence a civil action for such damages or injunctive relief or both, as may be appropriate, for a violation of this section. The court may award treble damages and reasonable attorney fees to the juror upon a finding of willful misconduct by the employer. Any trial of such an action shall be to the court without a jury.
(2) Any employer who willfully violates this section commits willful harassment of a juror by an employer, as defined in section 18-8-614, C.R.S., which is a class 2 misdemeanor punishable as provided in section 18-1.3-501, C.R.S.
C.R.S. § 13-71-135 Juror orientation program
13-71-135. Juror orientation program. The office of the state court administrator shall establish guidelines for the orientation of prospective jurors.
C.R.S. § 13-71-136 Availability of juror list
13-71-136. Availability of juror list. (1) Absent a court order to the contrary, upon request, the jury commissioner shall make available for inspection by parties, counsel, or their agents a list of prospective jurors containing the jurors' names. The jury commissioner shall assure that the juror resides in the proper county.
(2) Absent a court order to the contrary, upon request, the jury commissioner shall make available for inspection by counsel or pro se parties a list of prospective jurors containing the jurors' names and addresses.
(3) Upon request, the jury commissioner shall make available for inspection by members of the public a list of prospective jurors containing only the jurors' name and juror number.
C.R.S. § 13-71-137 Duties and responsibilities of auxiliary services providers for jurors who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind
13-71-137. Duties and responsibilities of auxiliary services providers for jurors who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind. The court may provide, through the list of available resources coordinated through the Colorado commission for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind pursuant to section 26-21-106 (4), a qualified auxiliary services provider, as defined in section 13-90-202 (8), to assist during a trial a juror who is deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind. In the presence of the jury, the court shall instruct the qualified auxiliary services provider to make true and complete translations of all court proceedings to the juror who is deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind to the best of the qualified auxiliary services provider's ability. The qualified interpreter is subject to the same orders and admonitions given to the jurors. The court shall permit a qualified auxiliary services provider to be present and assist a juror who is deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind during the deliberations of the jury. In the presence of the jury, the court shall instruct the qualified auxiliary services provider to refrain from participating in any manner in the deliberation of the jury and to refrain from having any communications with any member of the jury regarding deliberation, except for true and complete translations of jurors' remarks made during deliberation. A jury verdict reached in the presence of a qualified auxiliary services provider, during deliberation, is valid.
C.R.S. § 13-71-138 Preservation of juror records
13-71-138. Preservation of juror records. All official records and papers compiled and maintained by the state court administrator concerning jurors shall be preserved for three years after the calendar year to which they apply. Official records shall include records in automated form on magnetic tapes and disks.
C.R.S. § 13-71-139 Challenge of juror pool
13-71-139. Challenge of juror pool. (1) Any party to a civil or criminal action may challenge by written motion the composition of the juror pool for substantial failure to comply with the requirements of this article. The written motion shall be filed prior to the swearing in of the jury selected to try the case and shall be accompanied by one or more affidavits specifying the supporting facts and demographic data. If the court finds that the affidavit or affidavits, if true, demonstrate such a substantial failure, the moving party shall be entitled to present testimony by any person responsible for the implementation of this article, any records used in the selection and summoning of jurors, and any other relevant evidence. If the court determines, by a preponderance of the evidence, that in selecting the jury there has been a substantial failure to comply with this article, the court shall discharge the jury panel and stay proceedings pending the summoning of a new juror pool.
(2) The procedures described in this section shall be the exclusive means by which a party may challenge a jury on the ground that the juror pool was not selected in conformity with this article.
C.R.S. § 13-71-140 Irregularity in selecting, summoning, and managing jurors
13-71-140. Irregularity in selecting, summoning, and managing jurors. The court shall not declare a mistrial or set aside a verdict based upon allegations of any irregularity in selecting, summoning, and managing jurors, or in limiting the length of any term of juror service, or based upon any other defect in any procedure performed under this article unless the moving party objects to such irregularity or defect as soon as possible after its discovery and demonstrates specific injury or prejudice.
C.R.S. § 13-71-141 Authority to contract and accept gifts
13-71-141. Authority to contract and accept gifts. The state court administrator, and district administrators with the approval of the state court administrator, may enter into contracts and agreements with, and accept gifts, grants, contributions, and bequests of funds from, any department, agency, or political subdivision of the federal, state, county, or municipal government or from any individual, foundation, corporation, association, or public authority to implement the provisions of this article or to improve the jury system.
C.R.S. § 13-71-142 Alternate jurors
13-71-142. Alternate jurors. In all civil and criminal trials, the court may call and impanel alternate jurors to replace jurors who are disqualified or who the court may determine are unable to perform their duties prior to deliberation. Alternate jurors shall be summoned in the same manner, have the same qualifications, be subject to the same examination and challenges, take the same oath, and have the same functions, powers, and privileges as regular jurors. An alternate juror who does not replace a regular juror shall be discharged at the time the jury retires to consider its verdict, unless otherwise provided by law, by agreement of the parties, or by order of the court. The seating of an alternate juror entitles each party to an additional peremptory challenge, which may be exercised as to any prospective jurors.
C.R.S. § 13-71-143 Grand jurors - vacancies
13-71-143. Grand jurors - vacancies. Vacancies which exist on a grand jury panel shall be filled in accordance with section 13-72-106.
C.R.S. § 13-71-144 Jury fees to be assessed in civil cases
13-71-144. Jury fees to be assessed in civil cases. (1) (a) On and after July 1, 2019, any party demanding a trial by jury as provided by statute shall pay to the clerk of the court a fee of two hundred thirty-one dollars in district court cases at the time the demand is made pursuant to the Colorado rules of civil procedure.
(b) On and after July 1, 2008, any party demanding a trial by jury as provided by statute shall pay to the clerk of the court a fee of ninety-eight dollars in county court cases at the time the demand is made pursuant to the Colorado rules of civil procedure.
(c) Each party to an action who does not affirmatively waive, in writing, the right to a trial by jury on all issues which are so triable shall pay the jury fee. Failure to pay the jury fee at the time of filing the demand, and no later than ten days after the service of the last pleading directed to any issue triable by a jury, shall constitute a waiver of a jury trial by the demanding, nonpaying party.
(2) (a) Each fee collected pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section shall be transmitted to the state treasurer and divided as follows:
(I) Repealed.
(II) On and after July 1, 2019, one hundred sixty-five dollars shall be deposited in the judicial stabilization cash fund created in section 13-32-101 (6), five dollars shall be deposited in the court security cash fund established pursuant to section 13-1-204, forty-one dollars shall be deposited in the office of public guardianship cash fund established pursuant to section 13-94-108 (1), and twenty dollars shall be deposited in the justice center cash fund created in section 13-32-101 (7)(a).
(b) Each fee collected pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section shall be transmitted to the state treasurer and divided as follows:
(I) Repealed.
(II) On and after July 1, 2009, eighty-four dollars shall be deposited in the judicial stabilization cash fund created in section 13-32-101 (6) , five dollars shall be deposited in the court security cash fund established pursuant to section 13-1-204, and nine dollars shall be deposited in the justice center cash fund created in section 13-32-101 (7)(a).
(3) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2008, p. 2142, § 12, effective June 4, 2008.)
C.R.S. § 13-71-145 Expense of meals and provisions to be taxed
13-71-145. Expense of meals and provisions to be taxed. In all civil cases if any expenses are incurred in furnishing meals or provisions to jurors impaneled to try such causes, such expenses shall be taxed as costs in the suit against the unsuccessful party. When collected, the same shall be paid to the clerk of the court for deposit in the state general fund or to reimburse an employer in an amount not to exceed fifty dollars per day for the first three days served by the employee. In the first instance the same shall be paid by the court pursuant to the provisions of section 13-3-106.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-13.docxFetched: 10/6/2026