Grand Jury Reporting Information
Cobb County Superior Court
Grand Jury Information
For Grand jurors summoned to appear on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
Your attendance is required to report at the designated time listed inside the top right corner of your grand jury summons on Thursday morning, May 16, 2024, before the Honorable Henry Thompson, 1st Floor Cobb County Superior Court Jury Assembly Room.
Please enter the courthouse at 70 Haynes Street Marietta, GA 30060.
If you have NOT completed the pre-check-in online, you must complete the online check-in process before arriving Thursday morning. The online check-in is located on our website at www.cobbcounty.org/superiorcourtjury. Please click the link to the left “Grand Juror Information,” then proceed to Confirm Grand Jury Attendance and Qualifications.
Free parking is available for jurors in Jury Lot “A” located at 147 Dobbs Street, Marietta, GA 30060 or Parking Deck “P” located at 191 Lawrence St. Marietta, GA. Please bring your white ticket inside to be validated.
The Grand Jury selection will take place on the reporting date. If you are selected to serve as a Grand Juror, your service will begin that day.
Please appear at the time designated on your summons, and please be prompt and on time.
Thank you.
Contact Information and Parking
(770) 528-1804 - Reporting Instructions (required to check the night before your reporting date)
(770) 528-1757 - (press "0" for Assistance)
(770) 528-1808 - (Fax)
Email: superiorcourtjury@cobbcounty.org
Parking for Jurors:
Jury Lot A: 147 Dobbs St. Marietta GA 30060
Jury Lot B: 122 Waddell St. NE, Marietta GA 30060
Parking Deck P: 191 Lawrence St. Marietta GA 30060 (please bring your white ticket inside to be validated)
Grand Juror Expectations
A Grand Jury is a very important component of the Superior Court system. It has long been considered one of the highest duties of citizenship and an unique opportunity for the individual citizen to participate in the administration of justice.
The Grand Jury consist of 23-26 people. A person is qualified by law to be a Grand Juror if the person has 18 years of age, sane, resident of Cobb County for at six months, and experienced, upright and intelligent person. You will serve as a Grand Juror for approximately seven weeks. The Grand Jury selection will take place on the reporting date. If you are selected to serve as a Grand Juror, your service will begin that day.
A foreperson is appointed by the Judge. The same procedure is followed for electing or appointing an assisted foreperson and a clerk. The foreperson is the presiding officer of the grand jury and signs all indictments and presentments. The assistant foreperson acts in the forepersons absence and the clerk is the keeper of records for the grand jury.
If you are selected to serve on the Grand Jury, after the oath has been taken, the Superior Court judge presiding over you will explain your duties, power and responsibilities in an address called “the Charge of the Grand Jury”. In this charge, the judge will explain that the Grand Jury has two independent functions, Criminal and Civil. The Criminal function relates to the presentation of cases by the District Attorney’s office for indictment. The civil function involves the inspection and examination of County agencies and their records. Grand jurors are paid $50 (beginning 10/12022) for each day they are required to report in person for service.
Term of Service
Grand Jurors serve for a two-month term. If you are selected to serve on the Grand Jury, Grand Jury will meet on average one to two days per week. If you have any questions regarding the schedule for Grand Jurors, contact Octavia Nichols at (770) 528-8969.
Persons Ineligible for Service on a Grand Jury
- Elected officials in state and local government or those who have held office within two years preceding service as a Grand Juror
- Nonresidents of Cobb County
- Non-US Citizens
- Under 18 years of age
- If you are a convicted felon and your rights have not been restored
- You cannot serve on a Grand Jury if you are presently in any pretrial release program, pretrial diversion program, mental health court program, veterans court diversion program, or any similar pretrial diversion program from this state, any other state, or from any federal court programs for any felony offense.
Grand Juror Orientation Video
Rules of the Court
Granting Exemptions
- Persons who are permanently disabled either mentally or physically, will be excused upon receipt of proper documentation from their medical physician. The documentation must state a permanent disability exists to excuse you. A Medical Affidavit form is attached to summons for your convenience.
- Persons age 70 or older who do not wish to serve may file an affidavit requesting their name be removed from the jury list. An affidavit form is attached to summons for your convenience.
- Full-time students at a college, university, vocational school or other post-secondary school who request to be excused or deferred must provide documentation from their school registrar's office. This must be submitted at least two weeks prior to jury date.
- Any person who is a primary caregiver having active care and custody of a child six years of age or under who has no alternative child care available must sign an affidavit available online. This must be submitted at least two weeks prior to jury date.
- Persons who is the primary unpaid caregiver for a person OVER the age of six; who completes an affidavit stating that such primary caregiver is responsible for the care of a person with such physical or cognitive limitations the he or she is unable to care for himself or herself and cannot be left unattended and that the primary caregiver has no reasonably available alternative to provide for care. The documentation must be filled out by a physician or other medical provider.
- If you are a primary teacher in a home you may request to be excused or deferred if you are in a home study program and have no reasonably available alternative teacher. An affidavit must be submitted two weeks prior to jury date.
- Active Military member or the spouse of an Active Military member on ordered military duty can request to be excused or deferred. An affidavit or a copy of your current military orders must be submitted two weeks prior to jury date
Exemption Forms
Click here to submit an Exemption Request
Once the exemption form is completed and notarized, please upload it in a .pdf or .tif format by clicking and following the link above.
You can also take a picture of it and email it to: superiorcourtjury@cobbcounty.org. The notary stamp must be visible. Click here to upload the completed form through our Jury Services website
Postponements
Jurors can request a maximum of a possible one-time postponement. A postponement request must be made in writing no later than two weeks prior to your service date. All postponements are granted or denied under the discretion of the court, in accordance to the needs of the court and the juror's previous number of granted request.
The postponement time frame is no later than eight weeks up to ten weeks from your original service date. For a longer postponement, the juror must have a doctor's letter or medical affidavit with an expected recovery time.
We require a written request for our records as to why you would like a postponement. You may choose one of these methods listed below to submit your request; fax your request to (770) 528-1808, email your written request to superiorcourtjury@cobbcounty.org,, or you may send us a request in the mail.
To submit your postponement online, please click here
Georgia State Law for Jurors Regarding Employment
§ 34-1-3. Unlawful to discharge or discipline employee who is absent for purpose of attending judicial proceeding in response to court order or process
(a) It shall be unlawful for any employer or the agent of such employer to discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize an employee because the employee is absent from his or her employment for the purpose of attending a judicial proceeding in response to a subpoena, summons for jury duty, or other court order or process which requires the attendance of the employee at the judicial proceeding. It shall be unlawful for any employer or the agent of such employer to threaten to take or communicate an intention of taking any action declared to be unlawful by this subsection.
(b) Any employer or agent of such employer who violates subsection (a) of this Code section shall be liable to the injured employee for all actual damages thereby suffered by the employee and for reasonable attorney’s fees incurred by the employee in asserting a successful claim under this Code section.
(c) This Code section shall not apply to an employee who is charged with a crime, nor shall it prohibit an employer from requiring an employee to abide by regulations requiring reasonable notification to an employer of the employee’s expected absence or delay in reporting to work in order to attend a judicial proceeding.
Code 1981, § 34-1-3, enacted by Ga. L. 1987, p. 1156, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 590, § 2.
OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Employee is entitled to pay while serving jury duty. – An employee is entitled to be paid his salary while missing work to serve on jury duty. 1989 Op. Atty Gen. No. 89-55