Jury service is a duty required of citizens. In New Mexico jury eligibility requires:
- A citizen of the United States
- At least eighteen years of age
- A resident of New Mexico and of the county where the jury will convene
- A felon can't be on a jury unless he has completed all conditions of his sentence
Records such as voter registration, driver's licenses, and tax payers are used to select potential jurors who meet the above qualifications. Those receive a summons to jury duty. They are divided into several pools, groups, and provided the dates when there might be a trial for their pool.
Shortly before a trial you can find out if it is canceled. If it is on you must report for voir dire. The lawyers and judge question the jurors, under oath, to pick ones suitable for that trial. The questioning is usually related to ability to be impartial and disqualifications such as knowing the defendant, lawyers, witnesses, and sometimes knowledge of the case from news or work.
The sixth amendment to the Constitution secures the right to trial by jury. The fifth amendment requires grand jury indictment.