Sometimes employers will put pressure on employees to avoid serving on a jury. However, it's important to note that jury duty is mandatory no matter what jurisdiction you're in. Those who do not show up for jury duty service can even face criminal charges.
It's illegal in Texas for employers to not give time off for jury duty and it can be legally troublesome for employers to discourage employees from serving on a jury. According to FindLaw, the rules for jury duty leave widely vary by state.
While some employers will pay employees when they take time off to serve on a jury, the Travis County Clerk's Office of Texas writes that no employer in the Lone Star state is actually required to pay employees for time missed to participate in jury service.
In addition the Office of Texas Court Administration writes that, "An employer who terminates, threatens to terminate, penalizes, or threatens to penalize an employee because the employee performs jury duty is subject to sanctions for contempt of court and payment of damages to the employee."
Serving on a jury is a basic civic duty in the United States and in the state of Texas, so no employer should tell its workers that serving on a jury is prohibited. For more questions about taking time off for jury duty, you can contact the Texas Labor Department. If an employer does not allow you to take leave so that you can serve on a jury, you can contact a Houston employment lawyer about filing a legal claim.
Related Resources:
- What You Need to Know about Jury Duty Law (FindLaw's Free Enterprise blog)
- Giving Employees Time Off for Voting and Jury Duty (FindLaw)
- Houston Employment Lawyer Directory (FindLaw)
