Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements in Minnesota
At a glance
| Governing law | Minn. Stat. § 593.50 |
|---|---|
| Jury service covered | Receiving or responding to a summons, attending court for prospective jury service, and serving as a juror (§ 593.50, subd. 1) |
| Employers and employees covered | Employers and employees generally; no employer-size, tenure, full-time, or permanent-worker limit stated (§ 593.50) |
| Time-off entitlement | Employer must release employee from the regular work schedule, including shift work, to attend court for prospective jury service (§ 593.50, subd. 1) |
| Employer-paid wages | No general employer wage-continuation requirement stated in § 593.50; civil damages replace lost wages after an unlawful discharge but do not make ordinary jury leave paid |
| PTO and juror-fee treatment | No express rule on required or voluntary use of vacation, sick leave, or other PTO, and no employer offset for juror fees stated in § 593.50 |
| Employee notice and proof | No employee notice deadline, summons-copy requirement, or attendance-proof rule stated in § 593.50 |
| Scheduling and return-to-work rules | Employer cannot require an alternative shift on any day employee must report to courthouse. Employee may voluntarily request another schedule only if employer does not encourage, prompt, or ask for request (§ 593.50, subd. 1) |
| Job protection and remedies | No deprivation of employment, threats, or coercion over employment status for covered jury activity. Violation is criminal contempt punishable by up to $700, six months, or both. Discharged employee has 30 days to sue for reinstatement and up to six weeks' lost wages; prevailing employee receives reasonable attorney's fee (§ 593.50, subds. 1-3) |
Release from the regular schedule
Minnesota protects an employee who receives or responds to a jury summons, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective jury service. The employer must release the employee from the regular work schedule, expressly including shift work, so the employee can attend court.
The section does not impose an employer-size, tenure, or full-time gate. It also states no fixed employee notice period and no requirement to provide a summons copy or attendance certificate.
No forced alternative shift on a reporting day
An employer may not require an employee to work an alternative shift on any day the employee must report to the courthouse for jury service. The employee may voluntarily request a different schedule that day, but only if the employer does not encourage, prompt, or ask the employee to make the request.
That distinction matters in practice: an employer cannot turn a prohibited assignment into a nominally voluntary choice by suggesting it.
Pay and PTO are not addressed
Section 593.50 does not generally require wage continuation during jury service. It also does not say whether an employer may require or an employee may elect to use vacation, sick leave, or another PTO balance, and it does not coordinate employer wages with court-paid juror fees.
The lost-wage remedy after an unlawful discharge is different from wages owed for an ordinary protected absence.
Criminal contempt and a 30-day civil action
An employer that violates the protection is guilty of criminal contempt and, upon conviction, may be fined up to $700, imprisoned for up to six months, or both.
If the employer discharges the employee, the employee has 30 days to bring the express civil action. The court may order reinstatement and award lost wages, but recoverable wage damages may not exceed six weeks. A prevailing employee is allowed a reasonable attorney's fee fixed by the court.
What trips people up
Minnesota's scheduling protection reaches more than the hours actually spent inside the courthouse. The employer must release the regular schedule, including shift work, and cannot assign an alternative shift on a required reporting day.
The civil filing period is unusually short: 30 days. The six-week limit applies to recoverable lost-wage damages, not to the duration of protected jury service.
Common questions
Must a Minnesota employer pay wages during jury duty?
No general wage-continuation duty appears in § 593.50. An employer policy or agreement may provide paid jury leave.
Can the employer schedule a different shift after court?
Not on a day the employee is required to report to the courthouse. The employee may voluntarily request an alternative schedule if the employer did not prompt or ask for the request.
Does the statute require advance notice or proof?
Section 593.50 states no fixed notice deadline, summons-copy requirement, or attendance-proof requirement.
How long does a fired employee have to sue?
Thirty days under the express civil-action provision.
Statutes and sources
- Minn. Stat. § 593.50, subds. 1-3: protected jury activity, schedule release, alternative-shift rule, criminal contempt, and civil remedies — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
What does Minnesota law mean for your facts?
You just read the general rule. Ask your own question and see which parts of current Minnesota law apply to your situation, with citations you can check.
Opens in Ezel Pro.
- Starts from the statutes this survey is built on
- Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
- Chat, drafting and research in one workspace