Courts may call on local residents to serve as jurors for a trial. Jury service is a civic responsibility and legal obligation for all citizens.Fill out the jury duty questionnaire your county sends you. Non-refundable travel plans are generally a valid reason to postpone jury service. First, you get a printed notice that in a month or so you have jury duty that you can show your employer. You don't have to give jury duty pay unless your state laws say otherwise. What if I have a paid vacation and cannot attend jury service? If you skip out on the summons, you will have to face repercussions from the court as well. Disclaimer. Under the law, your employer cannot fire or demote you because you are missing work for jury duty. If you can persuade the judge that you cannot afford to miss work, you'll have lost only one day of your time.