🚨 Can You Go to Jail for Skipping Jury Duty? A lot of people think jury duty is “optional” or that ignoring the summons just makes it go away. It doesn’t. A jury summons is a court order, and skipping it without a valid excuse can lead to fines, contempt of court, and in rare cases, jail time. Most judges won’t throw you in jail for missing once, but repeated no-shows or lying to get out of jury duty can escalate fast. The real issue isn’t forgetting — it’s treating the court like it has no aut