Oklahoma County Residents Selected In Rare, But Legal, In-Person Jury Duty Summons

When Casey Cornett stopped at the post office on Thursday morning, he didn’t expect what came next. 

Sheriff’s Deputies for Oklahoma County were posted inside. At random, deputies were selecting eligible people to serve on a jury for the following day. 

“There were a couple people being stopped on my way in, I didn't know why they were being stopped at the time, but on my way out they obviously stopped me and while I was having forms filled out, they stopped the next person that was coming in,” Cornett said. 

He added this was the first time being served a jury summons in all of his 15 years of living and working in downtown Oklahoma City. His tale of the story on social media created a lot of intrigue. 

The process, although uncommon, is completely legal and legitimate. 

"There's a statute in Oklahoma that says if there's no jury pool available, and there's not in Oklahoma County in July and August,” said News 9 legal analyst Irven Box. “Historically, we have not had juries, they start back in the fall. And so if someone demands a jury, the judge can send the sheriff out and find people who are qualified and bring them in." 

It’s unclear exactly how many people received an in-person summons on Thursday, but Cornett said he plans to be ready to serve at 8 a.m. on Friday morning.