Jury Duty- Jeans?

Sadie

Has anybody had jury duty recently? Are jeans OK? (I'm talking nice dark wash relaxed slim jeans [no distressing, etc.] with ballet flats and nice top and cardigan.) I have nice pants but I need to wear heels with them and if I do that my feet will leave me before the end of the day.

9 years ago

Dressing

31 replies

Latest reply was from Minnie

carter

Veteran

Jeans are just fine. I had never been on jury duty until last year, but I thought it was fascinating. Now, if I get called 3 times in the next 5 years, that could be a problem.

9 years ago

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I think it's more respectful not to wear jeans in court. However, depending on what you wish to achieve during your jury service, a costume may be in order.

9 years ago

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I would err on the side of dressing up as much as you can out of respect for the court as mentioned above. Trust me, you will also receive much more respect. If one does not actually own and cannot afford a pair of dress pants, that may be another story... This is coming from a person who works in county government.

9 years ago

crutcher

Veteran

Just a personal feeling, but I would not wear jeans to the court...Our of respect for the serious nature of the day and for the responsibility of the jury, I would wear pants a nice shirt and a jacket...or whatever you wear when you are going to work or to church..

9 years ago

Anonymous

I would never dream of wearing jeans to court or to church. I'd wear a nice dress or dressy pants and top.

9 years ago

carter

Veteran

Maybe it's different in different areas. I wore my COH jeans, BR button down and blazer. I felt appropriately dressed and better put together than most others. This was County court, if that makes a difference.

9 years ago

Sadie

Active Member

Just to say thanks- most are leaning towards nice pants (oh my poor feet!) but just to be clear, I haven't been chosen- this is just the jury-picking pool I have to be part of. My last 5-6 forays have involved sitting for 4 hours then getting dismissed. And getting there involves a bus, a train, and a lot of walking.
Have to see what the weather is like too- predicted freezing temps so dress/skirt are out!

9 years ago

Meredith

Veteran

If you didn't have to wear heels with your dress pants, I would wear the dress pants. If you think you can manage walking from your car to the courthouse without too much pain I would wear the dress pants (you'll be sitting most of the day). But I don't see any point in suffering for the sake of appearance. How will you concentrate if you're thinking about aching feet? I think with what you have described you will look presentable. But this is coming from someone who would absolutely wear jeans to church.

9 years ago

Meredith

Veteran

Ah, I see your dilemma about the walking. I take my Midwestern life with cars and smallparking lots for granted!

9 years ago

rizamei

Active Member

I think it may depend on your community? I was called in for jury duty earlier this month. That is, I was part of the pool, though I didn't make it onto a case. On two of the days I went in, I wore business casual attire and was definitely one of the more formally dressed people in the room. Lots of folks wore jeans of various levels of niceness, and there were even some folks in more casual clothes, like leggings. This was in the PNW.

I did wear jeans on one day myself, though that day I also wore a blazer and a nice shirt. But I enjoy dressing up a bit. Also, I planned to go into work on any days I was dismissed early, so I didn't want to wear a completely casual outfit.

If you're selected for an actual jury, you could always ask the jury administrator if more formal clothes are appropriate for being in court while the case is actually conducted. Though my experience with jury duty is that they will usually tell you what you need to know for that sort of thing.

9 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

I was recently in a trial (in Minnesota), and almost the entire jury wore nice jeans (i.e., not distressed), t-shirts, and ball caps. So I think nice jeans are fine.

9 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Last time I had to go in, there were lots of jeans. I mean, we're talking working people. You wear what you've got, and you certainly can't go buy something nice when the $5 a day doesn't cover transport to the courthouse and the time you spend doing your civic duty will make you unable to make rent.

Not to be all political. Ahem.

9 years ago

Staysfit

Veteran

Even though I am a fan of jeans, one of the few places I don't wear them is in a court room. The legal system still follows very formal etiquette, including dress.

9 years ago

Summer

Veteran

I think a more formal approach would be more appropriate here. I'd go for smart trousers, skirt or dress, something business-like to reflect the formality of a court setting.
It's true that jurors turn up in all sorts of outfits these days, but you're more likely to be taken seriously wearing something formal.
If jeans are your only option, I would dress them up with a smart top. Good luck.

9 years ago

kkards

Veteran

it depends…..do you want to get picked for a jury? then i'd wear business casual (no jeans).

9 years ago

citygirldc

(website)

Veteran

I had to serve on grand jury and we were told not to wear any thing with logos. Not sure about jeans though.

9 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Personally, I take it as an opportunity to dress up a bit more. I wear jeans most days since I'm self-employed, so it's actually a nice change of pace for me and an opportunity to wear some of my more "professional" clothing that I tend to save -- a blazer, top, nice trousers. I saw a number of potential jurors wearing jeans, but I'm personally more comfortable in something a bit dressier. I'm kind of old school that way -- I'm not a church-goer, but I've never really gotten used to the idea of wearing jeans to church either.

9 years ago

Jules

Veteran

For jury pool sitting around I would wear jeans, as part of an overall decent outfit. I would not personally be offended by people showing up in their every day clothes of any kind. Someone might get dismissed early and still need to show up at their construction work site, for example. I'd hope the judges, etc, would be respectful of anyone showing up for the role, and I'd assume their reasons for choosing or not choosing me are pretty much not my concern. I imagine someone dressed in business attire might be deemed unsympathetic in certain cases.

9 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

I work in the courts and I think nice jeans are just fine. We are just happy to have people show up and serve.

9 years ago

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

I've worn dressed up jeans for the selection process, but my city is very casual for the most part. If I were actually selected, I'd probably step it up for the actual court days.

9 years ago

Sadie

Active Member

Well I'm back (after 8 hours with no food or water!) and can report that about 1/2 the folks were in jeans. Some were obviously in business attire, the rest in nice pants, polyester pants, a few skirts, and a few leggings. All fairly respectful. I did not get selected but would have been happy to serve.

9 years ago

Anonymous

This is a tricky one because while I don't think jeans would be outright inappropriate, they're still very casual to many people and wearing them to court could be perceived as a statement you may not have intended to make.

9 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

What MsMary said. The jury system is a blessing. Yes, it can be a pain, but it is so important.

9 years ago

Minnie

Active Member

I know this is an old thread, but I googled "jury summons dress code" and this came up.
I have to show up for jury selection tomorrow and was unsure if nice jeans will be ok.
Milehigh Linda, we are both in CO, so I will go by your experience and wear nice jeans with nice top and blazer.

7 years ago

Lisa

Veteran

This is a great question. Personally I'd wear jeans a knit top and a blazer to court, but my bootcut jeans are premium denim and the wash is so dark, they almost look like a trouser anyway. If I had multiple days I'd probably start sporting my trousers for subsequent days.

7 years ago

monkeytine

Member

I know this is old, but it also came up for me on a search. Sadie, how did you end up going 8 hours without food or water? I'm nervous for my jury duty tomorrow now. Should I literally pack a cooler full of food? I was under the impression that we would be able to take a lunch break, even on the day we were waiting to be called. I know there is no food at my courthouse once beyond the metal detectors, but is there really also no water? Is that legal?

As for the jeans, I'm in Colorado, so I will most certainly be wearing jeans, as they are what I wear to both work and church. I don't even own dress pants, and the only dresses I own are antique or costumes lol. I really think it depends on where you live, as others have stated. Just wanted to assure anyone looking at this site from Colorado that it is ok to wear jeans! (Probably any type of jean too...not just "nice" jeans) I think the mentality around "nice" clothing representing respect is just not present in Colorado, which I'm grateful for! I still look fabulous and love fashion, I'm just casual about it

6 years ago

Style Fan

Veteran

I have been called for jury selection several times. I have never been selected. We never got a break for lunch or a drink. People who have been through it or who have been warned bring a book and stuff a snack in their pockets.
I wore work clothes which at that time were nice dress trousers, blazer and top. I never wore heels.

6 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

I'd wear jeans for the purpose of reporting for selection, especially since you need to do a lot of walking.

6 years ago

Anonymous

I wouldn't show up to court in jeans. To me, it's a matter of respect, same as church.

6 years ago

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