Harris County man called for jury duty seven times in 20 years, clerk explains why
Highfield, who became a U.S. citizen in 2001 after emigrating from England, says he’s been summoned seven times in the past 20 years — six times in Harris County and once for a local magistrate’s court.
When Klein resident Kevin Highfield checks his mail, he’s learned to expect one particular envelope — a jury summons.
Highfield says he’s happy to serve, but after receiving two summonses less than a year apart, he reached out to 2 Helps You for answers.
“Turning up for a jury summons is a difficult process for all of us,” Highfield said. “Good citizens like me, we do turn out, we make the effort, but when it starts coming down to every one year or two years, I think that’s quite unreasonable.”
Highfield, who became a U.S. citizen in 2001 after emigrating from England, says he’s been summoned seven times in the past 20 years — six times in Harris County and once for a local magistrate’s court.
“Normally the jury summons come every three years, and I can tolerate that,” he said. “But I last was summoned in December 2024, and then a couple of weeks ago, I got another one for this October. Is that now annual summons we have to do?”
Why some people keep getting called
Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess says Highfield’s case is unusual but not impossible.
“I looked up his case in particular, and he was the first person I’ve ever looked up who actually did show up and serve six times in the course of a 20-year period,” Burgess said. “Every time was in a different wheel.”
That “wheel” is known as the jury wheel, a massive database that includes every Harris County resident over 18 who has either a driver’s license, state ID, or voter registration.
“We have what is known as our jury wheel,” Burgess explained. “We reconstitute it every two years to remove people who’ve moved away, aged out, or become ineligible, and add people who’ve moved in.”
The last reconstitution happened in December 2024, when about 2.7 million residents were loaded into the system. Each name is randomly assigned a number, and those at the top of the list get summoned first.
“It’s all totally random and done by the computer,” Burgess said. “If you end up near the top, you could get called again after the next reconstitution. If you’re near the bottom, you might never get called.”
The next reset of the jury wheel isn’t expected until April 2027.
No way to change the system
When asked if there’s a way to prevent repeat summons or ensure those who’ve never been called are added, Burgess said there isn’t.
“No, there is not,” she said. “That’s due to randomization and keeping that process clean.”
To prove how random it really is, Burgess shared her own experience.
“After I was elected, I was sitting at home opening my mail and I opened up a letter — it was a summons to myself from myself,” she said. “It is totally random.”
Jury service in Harris County
According to Burgess, about 1,200 Harris County residents are summoned on a typical day, with Mondays and Fridays being the busiest.
Her office has made several changes to make the process more convenient:
- Free parking for jurors in downtown Houston
- Online pre-registration to claim exemptions, disqualifications, or reschedule service
- Increased pay, from $6 to $30 for the first day and from $40 to $58 for subsequent days
- Immediate debit card payment upon completion of service
“It’s so important that we have diverse juries,” Burgess said. “Our county is one of the most diverse in the nation, and our juries need to reflect that.”
What to do if you think you’ve received a scam summons
Burgess warns that jury duty scams remain common — including fake calls or texts demanding payment or threatening arrest.
“We will never contact you and say you’re going to be arrested for failure to appear for jury service,” she said. “We will never demand money or issue a fine.”
Anyone unsure about a summons should contact the Harris County District Clerk’s Office directly to verify its legitimacy.
Here’s the bottom line
If you’ve never been called, don’t take it personally. If you’ve been called again — and again — blame the wheel, not the clerk.
For a list of jury duty exemptions and additional information about the process, click here.
