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Clerk of Circuit Court

Juror Information

Juror Contact Information 

For emergency notification or jury-related questions, contact one of our Jury Clerks for assistance:

Brittany Denor       (920) 683-2758
Robbie Marcelle    (920) 683-4022
Angela Linderud    (920) 683-2758 

For current juror reporting instructions, call the Recorded Jury Line:  (920) 683-4927  

Courthouse Address
Manitowoc County Courthouse
1010 South 8th Street
Manitowoc, WI 54220

COVID-19 Message to Prospective Jurors:

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a difficult and challenging time for our community.  The Wisconsin Supreme Court has now authorized jury trials to resume to comply with the Wisconsin and U.S. Constitutions and State Statutes.

Effective June 18, 2021, all COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted from the courthouse.  This means that face masks are now optional in the courtroom and other court-related spaces. As a safety precaution, the Clerk of Court will continue to make masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes readily available in all courtrooms and court-related spaces for public use as needed.  Good hand washing hygiene is still a strongly recommended practice.  All courtrooms and jury rooms have been equipped with HEPA air purifiers as an additional safety measure.

If you believe that serving on a jury will be hazardous to your health, or you have symptoms associated with COVID-19, or you are under a quarantine order, then you are encouraged to write a letter to the judge explaining your situation.  Consideration will be given to healthcare workers, elderly/at-risk populations, people caring for the elderly/at-risk populations, individuals caring for/educating school-age children at home, or certain other essential working groups.  Any such consideration will be carefully balanced with the litigant’s right to a representative jury panel.

On the day you are to report to the courthouse for jury duty, if you are sick or are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, DO NOT REPORT—-stay home and call the jury clerk at (920) 683-2758 and explain your situation.  The clerk will communicate with the judge. You should remain at home until the clerk calls you back with the judge’s decision.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Jury Clerk at (920) 683-2758.

Juror Orientation Video
To give prospective jurors an overview of jury service

Juror Qualifications

Jurors are randomly selected from the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor
Vehicles driver’s license and identification list data base (Wis. Stats. §756.04)

To be eligible to serve as a juror in Manitowoc County:

  • You must be a United States citizen
  • You must be a resident of Manitowoc County
  • You must be at least 18 years of age
  • You have not been summoned for jury duty for at least four (4) years
  • You must understand the English language
  • If convicted of a felony, your civil rights must be restored

Juror Information

Jury duty is the obligation of every citizen.  “Forgetting” to show up is not an excuse.  In fairness to jurors
who do show up for jury duty, those who do not appear are held accountable for their actions.  Failure to
appear for jury duty when summoned could result in contempt of court and possible criminal prosecution
pursuant to Wis. Stats. §756.30

Jurors assigned to a jury panel are instructed to call the recorded jury line the evening before their jury term
begins to receive trial status and further reporting instructions.  The recorded message is available 24 hours
a day.  Most current information obtained by calling after 5:00 p.m.

Jurors are generally required to report to the courthouse for jury service by 8:30 a.m., unless specifically
directed otherwise.  Round trip mileage will need to be reported for reimbursement upon checking in.

Jurors who have any medication or other dietary needs should advise the jury bailiff accordingly.

Terms of Jury Service

Manitowoc County has a one-month length of service.  Jurors are “on call” during that month.  A recorded
phone message is updated daily during the month to inform jurors if a jury panel is needed and which jurors
are to report, where and what time.  Jurors are called in a maximum of three times during the month.  Most
trials are completed that same day or within a few days.  Once you have served your jury term, you will not
be called again for four years.

Juror Parking

Jurors will receive a parking permit approximately one week prior to their scheduled month of service with
instructions on parking and proper placement of the permit.  Jurors may park in the courthouse parking lot,
except for the parking stalls identified as “PARKING RESERVED FOR PERMIT”….those are reserved for
specific personnel and parking tickets will be issued to violators.  Jurors may also park in the county parking
lot to the west of the courthouse (on the east side of the Subway building), or on the city streets surrounding
the courthouse not marked as 2-hour parking.

Proper Attire

Serving as a juror is one of the highest civic duties in our democratic system of government and, therefore,
you should dress appropriately for the occasion.  Dress comfortably, but please avoid wearing ragged
or revealing clothing, halter tops, tank tops, sweat pants, lounge pants, offensive slogans, or hats.

What’s Not Allowed?

  • There is no food, beverages, gum chewing or hats allowed in the courtroom
  • Cell phone usage is not allowed in the jury room and cell phones are not allowed in the courtroom.
  • No laptops; no digital cameras; no recording devices; no electronic devices
  • Reading material or crossword puzzles may be brought in, however, newspapers or other periodicals
    which may contain news stories are not allowed (any such publications will be removed by the jury bailiff)

Basic Juror Duties

  • Listen and observe
  • Be open minded
  • Don’t discuss the case
  • Report problems to the court

Inclement Weather

During inclement weather, tune in to WOMT 1240 AM or WCUB 980 AM for cancellation information.

Excuse / Deferral of Service 

Unless you have a very serious conflict, you will be expected to serve as a juror.  The Court may excuse a
person from jury service if the Court determines that the person cannot fulfill the responsibilities of a juror.
The Court may also defer jury service to a later date if the Court determines there is undue hardship.

Please notify the Court if you are requesting deferral due to important personal or business commitments,
vacation, etc.

•Employment Reasons:  If you are requesting to be excused for employment reasons, a letter from the
employer must accompany the request to be excused.

•Medical Conditions  If you have a medical condition that would prevent service as a juror, a medical
excuse from your physician is required.

•Vacation:  If you are unable to serve specific dates because of vacation plans, submit the request in writing
listing the dates you are unavailable.

Requests to be excused or to have your service deferred must be made within ten (10) days from receipt of your jury questionnaire or summons to appear.

You can send a written request to be excused via regular mail to our jury judge:
Manitowoc County Clerk of Court
ATTN:  Judge Robert Dewane
1010 South 8th Street
Manitowoc, WI 54220

A response to your request to be excused will be sent to you from the Court.

If you move out of Manitowoc County or if you have a name or address change, please notify the jury clerk
in writing at the following address:

Manitowoc County Clerk of Court
ATTN:  Jury Clerk
1010 South 8th Street
Manitowoc, WI 54220

Failure to Appear

Any person who fails to appear for jury service may be summoned by the court to explain why he or she
failed to appear.  The court may impose a fine and/or finding of contempt for failure to appear (Wis. Stats. §756.30).

Juror Payments / Meals

Manitowoc County pays jurors at the rate of $17.50 for a half day of service and $35.00 for a full day
of service, plus round trip mileage reimbursement at the rate of $.51/mile.  We also provide lunch for
jurors serving over the lunch period, and if a trial day would extend into the evening, beyond normal
business hours, we would also provide dinner for our jurors.  If you have any dietary restrictions, please
be sure to advise the jury bailiff.

ADA Accommodations / Special Assistance

It is the policy of the Wisconsin Court System that its programs, services and activities be accessible to
qualified individuals with disabilities.  No person will be refused participation solely because the person
has a disability, needs an accommodation or because a building is inaccessible.  If you have a disability
that will require an accommodation by the court to allow you to serve as a juror, please notify the Jury
Clerk at (920) 683-4068.  Assistive hearing devices are available upon request.

ADA Accommodation Request (GF-153) used to assist the court in determining what accommodation
might be necessary for a juror to participate in court proceedings.

Juror Resources

Handbook for Wisconsin Jurors
Information for Employers

Jury Scam Poster
Protect Yourself Against Jury Duty Scams

  • Court Officers will never ask for payment, a credit card or social security number for failure to appear for jury duty
  • Report suspicious activity immediately to your local law enforcement agency
  • Never give out personal information over phone or email.