Is an employer legally obliged to pay an employee for jury duty?
Under the Jury Systems Improvement Act 1978 (JSIA) an employer has the right to limit the amount of jury leave days that an employee can take off in one year. Most states have their own rules for dealing with requirements that apply to employers with regard to jury service. Some companies will lay down policies in their Employee Handbook. There is no legal obligation on an employer to pay for time off responding to a call for jury service, although some states do set out qualified rights to payment. Often the law will specify, however, that an employee cannot be fired or discriminated against should they be called to jury service.
