Rhode Island Jury Duty Laws: Pay, Exemptions and Employer Rules

Rhode Island state-court jury service is governed by chapters 9-9 and 9-10 of the General Laws, starting with the qualifications in R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-9-1.1. Jurors are paid $25 a day by the state under § 9-29-5, and a petit juror generally cannot be required to serve more than two weeks in a year (§ 9-10-8).

Your employer may not cost you your job, raises, promotions or other benefits because you were called to jury duty, but § 9-9-28 says employers do not have to pay you for that time unless a contract or collective bargaining agreement says so. Rhode Island's jury statutes contain no age exemption.

Information last verified on October 7, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers jury service in Rhode Island state courts (Superior Court and Family Court), administered by the Office of the Jury Commissioner. A summons from the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island follows federal law, summarized on our jury duty laws by state hub.

Do you have to go? The short answer

Yes, unless you are not qualified, you hold an exempt position and claim the exemption, or a justice or the jury commissioner excuses you or moves your date. The Rhode Island Judiciary's jury page says people called for jury duty "should not ask to be excused except for urgent reasons."

Requests go through the statewide Jury Service eResponse portal once you are summoned. To sort out which route might fit before you contact the court, try our jury duty exemption checker.

Who can serve on a jury in Rhode Island

Under § 9-9-1.1(a), a person is qualified to serve if the person is:

• a citizen of the United States;
• a Rhode Island resident who lives in the county where registered to vote, holds a Rhode Island driver's license or ID card, files a state income tax return, or receives unemployment compensation;
• at least 18 years old;
• "Able to understand and participate in the court proceedings"; and
• "Physically and mentally capable of performing in a reasonable manner the duties of a juror."

The section states no minimum length of residence and no separate English-language test; the standard is the ability to understand and take part in the proceedings.

Who may not serve

Under § 9-9-1.1(b), "No person shall be allowed to serve as a juror if he or she has been lawfully adjudicated to be non compos mentis, or is serving a sentence of confinement at a correctional facility as a consequence of a felony conviction."

A disability alone does not make you ineligible (§ 9-9-1.1(d)), though a court may disqualify a juror whose disability prevents competent service in a particular case. Courts provide and pay for a sign-language interpreter or reader for qualified deaf, hard-of-hearing or visually impaired jurors (§ 9-9-1.2).

Felony convictions

Rhode Island's jury statute bars a person with a felony conviction only while the person is serving a sentence of confinement at a correctional facility for it. A felony conviction alone does not disqualify someone who is no longer confined under that sentence. Until June 27, 2023, the law also barred a person convicted of a felony until completion of the sentence and of parole or probation; a 2023 amendment (P.L. 2023, ch. 367, and ch. 368) deleted that bar, so the statute now disqualifies only a person serving a sentence of confinement at a correctional facility for a felony. If you are unsure how this applies to you, ask the Office of the Jury Commissioner.

Served within the last three years

Under § 9-10-7, "No person summoned shall be qualified to serve as a juror who has served as a juror within three (3) years next preceding the time when he or she shall be so summoned." The Judiciary puts it as "no person is eligible to serve more than once every three (3) years."

Exemptions, excuses and postponements in Rhode Island

Exempt occupations and officials

Section 9-9-3 says the listed people "shall be exempted from serving as jurors, unless such persons shall waive their exemption." The exemption covers paid police forces and paid fire departments, so volunteer firefighters are not within its wording. The statute does not say how to claim an exemption; the eResponse portal offers requests to be excused or disqualified, so use it or call the jury commissioner's office.

Military members

Members of the armed services on active duty are exempt unless they waive it (§ 9-9-3). Section 9-9-3 does not separately name the National Guard, but a separate law exempts members of the federally recognized National Guard from jury duty only while they are actually on military duty on orders of the U.S. Department of Defense or the governor, or while they are in receipt of orders to military duty (R.I. Gen. Laws § 30-7-1). Neither section names the reserves; ask the jury commissioner's office.

Separately, federal law says an active-duty member of the armed forces may not be required to serve on a state or local jury if the member's branch Secretary determines that service would unreasonably interfere with military duties or adversely affect unit readiness, and that determination is conclusive (10 U.S.C. § 982).

Excuses and postponements for hardship

Under § 9-10-9, a Superior Court or Family Court justice, or the jury commissioner, "may excuse a person from jury duty or may continue the date of the service upon a showing of mental or physical disability, illness, or the serious illness of some member of his or her immediate family, economic or domestic hardship, or other good cause."

The decision is discretionary. Even an excused person may be required to serve the term, or the rest of it, on an emergency panel if the jury commissioner or presiding justice decides one is needed. The statute does not set a limit on postponements or list documents to send; check the instructions in eResponse.

Is there an age exemption in Rhode Island?

No. The exemption list in § 9-9-3, as posted on October 7, 2026, contains no age category. Bills to make people 70 or older eligible for exemption were introduced in 2025 (H 5646) and 2026 (S 2052 and H 7144), but none has been enacted.

An older person who has a health condition or hardship may still ask to be excused or postponed under § 9-10-9, and the justice or jury commissioner decides.

How much does jury duty pay in Rhode Island?

Under § 9-29-5, "All grand and petit jurors shall be paid for each day's attendance on the superior court twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per day commencing July 1, 2022, and thereafter." The rate is statewide and paid from a state appropriation, not set by county.

The Judiciary's current Guide to Jury Service confirms the $25 stipend and adds: "Payment is not provided for Saturdays, Sundays, court holidays, or other days when jurors are excused from service." The older Superior Court Jury Service Booklet still posted on the Judiciary site shows a lower daily rate that predates the July 1, 2022 change; rely on the statute and the current Guide.

A 2026 bill to raise the rate to $50 a day (S 2141) did not become law. The General Assembly's status report shows it passed the Senate on March 31, 2026 and was referred to the House Finance Committee on April 1, 2026, with no later action; the House version (H 7583) was held for further study by that committee on April 29, 2026. Section 9-29-5 as posted on October 7, 2026 still sets $25.

We did not find a mileage rate or meal allowance in § 9-29-5. The statute speaks of attendance on the Superior Court; we did not find whether Family Court jurors are paid the same rate, so ask the jury commissioner's office if you are serving there.

Rhode Island employer rules for jury duty

Job and benefit protection

Under § 9-9-28, "No employer doing business within the state of Rhode Island or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the state of Rhode Island shall cause any of its employees to suffer the loss of the employee's position, wage increases, promotions, longevity benefit, or any other emolument due to the employer-employee relationship because the employee has been called to serve jury duty."

The protection reaches more than firing: it covers raises, promotions and longevity benefits too. The section states no minimum employer size, no length-of-employment requirement and no notice requirement. It does not address shift scheduling or whether you must use vacation or sick time.

Does your employer have to pay you?

Rhode Island's jury statute answers this directly. Section 9-9-28 says "no employer, in the absence of a contract or collective bargaining agreement to the contrary, shall be responsible to pay to the employee any compensation for the period of the jury duty." Check your employment contract, union agreement or employee handbook.

For public employees, we found no Rhode Island statute that grants paid jury leave. The state merit-system law only says jury-duty hours that are paid but not worked do not count toward overtime (§ 36-4-63(c)). Some state employees have jury leave by union contract: for example, the 2021-24 ARISS agreement (stated term July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024, renewing year to year unless either side gives notice) gave covered employees their regular pay or jury duty pay, whichever is greater; we did not check whether a successor contract changed this. Other state, school and local government employees should check their own contracts and leave rules.

Remedies

"In addition to all civil rights available to the employee because of this section, a violation of this section upon conviction shall be punishable as a misdemeanor" (§ 9-9-28). The section does not set a filing deadline, a damages formula or a reinstatement remedy for a civil suit, and we did not find a court decision settling which general limitations period applies. If you lost your job or a benefit because of jury duty, talk to a Rhode Island employment lawyer promptly.

For how this fits with other limits on firing, see our page on Rhode Island at-will employment laws.

What happens if you miss jury duty in Rhode Island

Under § 9-10-10, a person "duly notified to attend any court as juror, who does not attend as required or give satisfactory excuse to the court for not attending," or leaves without the court's permission, "shall be brought before the court and, upon being adjudged in contempt, shall be fined not less than twenty dollars ($20.00)." Fines are collected for the state by the sheriff under a warrant of distress (§ 9-10-11).

The statute sets a minimum fine, not a maximum. A 2015 state notice from the Attorney General and the Division of Sheriffs says that if a juror who was properly summoned in writing does not appear, "the Jury Commissioner will attempt to make contact and arrange to reschedule his or her service." Missing your date does not end the obligation, so call the office right away.

How long jury duty lasts in Rhode Island

Under § 9-10-8, "No person summoned as a petit juror shall be required to serve more than two (2) weeks in any year in which he or she may be summoned," unless at the end of the two weeks the juror is sitting on a jury already impaneled for a pending trial. In that case the juror serves until the trial ends.

If you have been tentatively selected but not yet sworn when the two weeks run out, the trial judge may extend your term until the trial ends or you are excused. Grand jurors serve for the term for which they are summoned. Because of § 9-10-7, a person who has served cannot serve again within three years.

How to respond to a Rhode Island jury summons

1. You may first get a postcard asking you to complete the online juror questionnaire. The Judiciary says: "Receiving a postcard and filling out the juror questionnaire is NOT a summons for jury duty." A summons comes by mail with a specific date and time.
2. Once summoned, log in to Jury Service eResponse to apply to defer your service, to be excused, or to be disqualified. Requests show as pending until the Office of the Jury Commissioner approves or denies them; an approved deferral shows your new date.
3. Call the jury office for your county with questions. The Judiciary's jury service page lists (401) 222-5879 for Providence and Bristol counties and (401) 822-6865 for Kent, Newport and Washington counties; its contact panel also lists (401) 782-4177 for Washington and Newport counties. The jury commissioner's office is at the Superior Court, 250 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903.

Watch for jury duty scams

A 2015 state notice from the Attorney General and the Division of Sheriffs says: "The Rhode Island Jury Commissioner summons jurors by postal mail with ample written notice. Neither the Jury Commissioner nor the Rhode Island Sheriff's Department makes telephone calls to prospective jurors threatening arrest or demanding that a fine be paid or a bond posted." If you get such a call, verify by calling the county jury numbers above.

Our guide to government impersonation scams explains how these schemes work, and our page on Rhode Island scam and fraud laws covers where to report.

Disclaimer: This page is general legal information about Rhode Island state-court jury service, not legal advice. The court and the jury commissioner decide every excusal and postponement request. Information verified October 7, 2026. For questions about your summons, contact the Office of the Jury Commissioner; for an employment dispute, consult a lawyer licensed in Rhode Island.

Related pages

• Jury duty laws by state
• Rhode Island at-will employment laws
• Rhode Island court records
• Rhode Island scam and fraud laws
• Massachusetts jury duty laws
• Connecticut jury duty laws

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does jury duty pay in Rhode Island?

Jurors are paid $25 per day of attendance by the state, the rate since July 1, 2022 (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-29-5). The Judiciary says no payment is made for weekends, court holidays or days you are excused.

Does my employer have to pay me for jury duty in Rhode Island?

Not unless a contract or collective bargaining agreement requires it. Section 9-9-28 says no employer is responsible to pay an employee for the period of jury duty absent such an agreement.

Can I get out of jury duty in Rhode Island if I am over 70?

Rhode Island's jury statutes have no age exemption. Bills to exempt people 70 and older were introduced in 2025 and 2026 but have not become law. You may still ask to be excused for illness, disability or hardship under § 9-10-9, and the court or jury commissioner decides.

Can I be fired for jury duty in Rhode Island?

No. Under § 9-9-28, an employer may not cause you to lose your position, raises, promotions or other employment benefits because you were called to jury duty, and a violation is a misdemeanor.

Who is exempt from jury duty in Rhode Island?

Section 9-9-3 exempts, unless they waive it, practicing attorneys, paid police and firefighters, correctional, probation and parole officers, deputy sheriffs, active-duty armed services members, judges and court clerks, and certain state and federal officials.

How often can you be called for jury duty in Rhode Island?

A person who served as a juror within the three years before a summons is not qualified to serve (§ 9-10-7), and a petit juror cannot be required to serve more than two weeks in a year unless already on a trial (§ 9-10-8).

What happens if I miss jury duty in Rhode Island?

A juror who does not attend without a satisfactory excuse can be brought before the court and, if found in contempt, fined not less than $20 (§ 9-10-10). Contact the jury commissioner's office promptly to reschedule.

Can a felon serve on a jury in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island's jury statute bars a person only while serving a sentence of confinement at a correctional facility for a felony (§ 9-9-1.1(b)). A 2023 amendment removed the former bar on people still on felony probation or parole.

Is the jury questionnaire postcard a summons in Rhode Island?

No. The Judiciary says the postcard and online questionnaire are not a summons; a summons arrives by mail with a specific date and time to report.