Municipal Court

Please report to the City Hall Council Chambers, located across from the Plaza Square at 265 Strand Street, St. Helens, OR 97051, at 8:30 AM on trial day. Staff will be there to get you checked in. Please do not report to the City Hall front door.

The Court has the power to order that you appear in court and explain why you were unable to report for jury service.  Citizens who don’t appear for jury service may be punished for Contempt of Court.

The Court usually breaks for lunch around noon. Occasionally, the judge may change the schedule for purposes of the trial. You will be free to leave City Hall during lunch.

You may bring reading material in case you have to wait and you might need a sweater or jacket in our air-conditioned courtroom.

Street parking is available across from the courtroom and on the plaza.  Click here to view a map.  The six jurors that are chosen to be on the jury will be given all-day parking passes.

Oregon law provides that your employer may not discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate or coerce you by reason of your jury service. Any violations are to be reported to the Court.

Please call the jury line at (503) 397-1129, the night before the trial to confirm if it is still scheduled. If the case is settled before the trial date, the message will be updated to reflect that the trial has been canceled and you do not need to appear. 

Yes.  Jurors are paid $10.00 per day for each day for the first two (2) days and then $25.00 per day after that.  Jurors also receive 20 cents per mile that he/she drives. You are paid by a check from the City of St. Helens that will be mailed to you after you provide your mailing address to court staff when you are chosen for Jury Duty.

Jurors for the St. Helens Municipal Court receive a jury summons for a trial set for a specific date. The specific date will be clearly stated on the jury summons. Most trials only last one day, however, occasionally a criminal trial may last longer. If the trial is expected to last more than one day, the jury summons will clearly state how long the trial is expected to last.

The right to a trial by jury in certain cases is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution. Any person who is entitled to a jury trial is entitled to a jury that represents the whole community. It is important that a fair cross section of the City’s population is represented on the jury panel to prevent discrimination or bias.