MINNESOTA COURT RULES

GENERAL RULES OF PRACTICE

Rule 814.Records

The jury source list, the names of prospective jurors summoned, records regarding prospective jurors, and the contents of juror qualification questionnaires shall not be disclosed except as provided by this rule.

(a) Authorized Access.

(1) Jury Source List. The state court administrator's office may disclose the jury source list to the Minnesota Federal District Court as needed to comply with United States Code, title 28, section 1863.

(2) Access by Parties. The names of the qualified prospective jurors assigned to a panel for voir dire, their city of residence, occupation, education, children's ages, spouse's occupation, birth date, reported race and whether or not of Hispanic origin, gender, and marital status provided on their juror qualification questionnaires are accessible and must be provided to the parties to the case, unless in a criminal case the court has restricted access to juror information pursuant to the Rules of Criminal Procedure, or in a civil case the court restricted access to the names or other identifying information of the jurors in the interests of justice. Court administration may provide mailing addresses, email addresses, or telephone numbers for jurors who serve on a jury only to the attorneys on the case, and only if authorized by the presiding judge. The attorneys may use the juror contact information only for purposes of surveying the jury and must not otherwise disclose the information.

(3) Public Access. The names on the list of prospective jurors assigned to a panel for voir dire and any supplemental questionnaires completed by those prospective jurors are accessible to the public in a civil or criminal case only as authorized by the applicable rules of procedure and the Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch, and only if the presiding judge has not restricted access to juror information in a specific case. Juror statistics and data that do not identify specific jurors may be disclosed to the public as authorized or required by the Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch.

(4) Requests for Access. Any request to the court for access to information on persons who were summoned for jury service not specifically authorized by these rules must be directed to the presiding judge if the request is related to a challenge under Rule 813, and in all other circumstances to the chief judge. The request must set forth the specific reasons for the request and the specific information requested. The court may only authorize access as deemed appropriate in the interest of justice, and may only authorize the release of data and reports that can be readily generated from the court's records or jury management system. The court may include any provisions in the order that direct the recipient to keep certain information confidential or that limit use of the information in whole or in part. The court may not authorize access to any medical, financial, or other personal hardship information provided by a prospective juror to the court for purposes of determining the person's ability to serve on a jury.

(b) Retention. The jury commissioner shall make sure that all records and lists including any completed juror qualification questionnaires, are preserved for the length of time ordered by the court or set forth in the official retention schedule.

(Amended effective July 1, 2005; amended effective January 1, 2007; amended effective November 22, 2023.)

Advisory Committee Comment - 2005 Amendment

The 2005 change to Rule 814 is intended to ensure the privacy of juror Social Security numbers and to reflect the constitutional limits on closure of criminal case records. Juror qualification records on a particular juror will be subject to those constitutional limits only to the extent that the juror has participated in voir dire in a criminal case. Access to completed supplemental juror questionnaires used in specific cases is governed by separate rules. See Minn. R. Civ. P. 47.01; Minn. R. Crim. P. 26.02 subd 2(3).

Advisory Committee Comment - 2007 Amendment

Rule 814 is amended to delete the apparently absolute right to public access to jury questionnaires one year after the jury list is prepared, contained in Rule 814(d). The provision is replaced by the modified public access right contained in amended Rule 814(a). The procedure applies to the uniform procedure of specific request to the court for access, and essentially simply removes the distinction between requests before and after the one-year anniversary.

Advisory Committee Comment - 2023 Amendments

Rule 814(a)(1) is new in 2023 and recognizes that the jury source list is also used by the Minnesota Federal District Court as needed to comply with federal law set forth in United States Code, title 28, section 1863. Rule 814(a)(2) details the juror information that is currently provided to parties in advance of voir dire and the limitations on the parties' use of the information. Rules 814(a)(3) and (4) describe what is currently publicly accessible and the process for making requests. Rule 814(b) recognizes that retention of juror information is governed by judicial branch retention schedules and court orders.