Take a book. You'll likely spend most of your time in a waiting room.

I am a lawyer who has picked jurors for trials before. Most of your day may be boring. Bring some knitting or reading or something to do. There will possibly be a lame movie to watch that you've seen a million times before like (in our case) "Sister Act II." For this, I truly appologize. Lol. The whole day is about coming and going. They never know when a trial will start. Cases settle, get dismissed. So they have some IDEA where/ when they will be taking you, but they aren't entirely certain. If it is a slow trial day, you will mostly stay in the juror herding area, where all the unchosen jurors sit and wait. If it is a day with a bunch of trials, you will go from courtroom to courtroom. You may be put in the box and asked questions by the lawyers and judges, in order to determine whether you are the right juror for this case. If you are bumped for any particular reason, don't take it personally. Lawyers ourselves are famous for hardly ever getting to make it onto an actual jury, usually because we know to much about what is going on. But actually a lawyer can bump you for any reason at all. It might just be a hunch about you. No worries. Then they will send you either back to the herding room or home. If you are picked for a jury, it will most likely be a day or two of service unless it is the rare crime of the situation or a felony murder case. There is nothing to be nervous about after you are impaneled since...well there is no more talking after that. You will be mute in the courtroom until the end of the trial. You may talk in the jury room, trying to convince the other jurors of your point of view. All during the trial, you will be wearing a JUROR badge as you pass in the hallway to go to the bathroom or lunch or in the courtoom. That will discourage people in the courthouse from talking to you at all. So whereas usually people will say "hi" in passing; most lawyers and court staff will tend to just smile at you and pass on instead. If you do get on a jury, and render a verdict (or a mistrial), the lawyers have the right to ask you questions about how you came to your decisions. That helps lawyers make appeal decisions and generally helps them to improve their skills. You though, if you choose, have the right not to talk with them. It is your choice, not theirs (or at least that is the law in our jurisdiction). I hope this helps you!

It seems to suck in the beginning but after you actually get picked and selected to screen for the bench, it actually gets interesting. I bitched and pitched and writhed and grumbled when I actually got chosen from the initial pool of candidates and had to go upstairs and actually be screened as a potential juror, but the longer the process went along, the more interesting and fun it became. I was not picked to actually sit on the jury, but by the time it was over, after all my complaining, I wished I had.

Take a book or a deck of playing cards, because more than likely you will need something to fill your time. The last time I was on jury duty was the first time I'd done a jigsaw puzzle in years!

Well, they shackle you so you can't leave easily. Then they lock the bathroom doors, so you pee your pants. Then they turn on the T.V. and force you to watch the most bring SOAPS you could ever imagine. (Ha-ha-ha!!!) Other than that, they typically send most people home before the case goes to trial or they rule you out as a juror for one reason or another Katelyn...no biggie.